Altitude Training, Week 1

I started the io-USA altitude training program at the Momentum Gym in Sandy and have finished the first week. The first phase is three weeks long with 5 days on and 2 off. This is a passive protocol in that I do not exercise during the 60-minute sessions. The way it works is you put a mask on your face and breathe high-altitude oxygen for five minutes, followed by ambient oxygen for five minutes and alternate that sequence 12 times. You get 30 minutes of high-altitude breathing in each one-hour session. During the first 3 sessions the oxygen concentration is set at 11%, then lowered to 10% for sessions 4 and 5.

Here are a few observations after the first week. I noticed a dryness in my mouth with the mask on, and the air smells a little funny. The funny smell may be because both the face mask and tubing are new and may have some residual smell left over from the manufacturing process. It’s no big deal. I haven't felt any tingling or dizziness during the sessions, but I did notice on the 4th and 5th sessions that I had to breathe a little harder. I also noticed during the 4th session I was getting a tad bit sleepy. Just a bit, not a lot. After the 2nd session I had a minor headache during the evening, but that most likely was because I was dehydrated from working out earlier that day and did not drink enough water during the day. I drank a lot the following morning and have had no headaches since. Now I’m drinking water during the 5-minute ambient phases of the session. I slept very well after the third, fourth and fifth sessions, but not after the first and second. I'm generally a good sleeper anyway so I'm not sure whether altitude training had anything to do with that. I'll monitor my sleep patterns for future reference. Overall I feel fine. I’ve ridding the trainer a few times, but nothing of significance that I can use to measure progress. As the weather improves and I get outside, I hope to report a noticeable difference.

On another positive note, I got into the LEADVILLE 100 again. Yahoo!!! If ever there was a place to test the benefits of AT training, it’s Leadville. I’m stoked.