Running is a sport that takes a lot of discipline and heart. Yes, you can be a casual runner, but there is a mental barrier you have to pass in order to set yourself aside from the casual and become the best. That is where the physical aspect of running comes to light.
When you look at professional middle and long distance runners, you would definitely be impressed by their endurance and their running form. Those are the results of all of the work put in behind the scenes. One of the most important ways that any athlete, professional or not, can improve significantly within a short amount of time is by running at altitude. Altitude running, running at locations where the air is thinner, makes your lungs and body work harder in order to get oxygen to your muscles while working out. This forces your body to create more red blood cells and carry more oxygen throughout your blood, overall increasing your oxygen intake. This is why people go to places like Kenya in Africa or Flagstaff, Arizona, for months at a time in order to train.
This is also partially why many professional long distance athletes are Kenyan, because they have lived at altitude their entire lives and it had benefit their bodies over time. Many children in Kenya even have to run to school for miles on end. Eliud Kipchoge, the illegitimate marathon world record holder with a 1 hour 59 minute marathon, is a native Kenyan. So is Faith Kipyegon, the women’s world record holder in the mile, and David Rudisha, the 800m men’s world record holder.
Hughson High School’s cross country program integrates altitude running into their summer training. In the middle of July, the top 7 runners from each side of the team, girls and boys, are taken up to 7,000ft for one week to train. Alessandro Pimintel, a junior and the top runner on the team, said, “Cross country camp was shown to me my sophomore year, so I had a little more experience when I went my junior year. I first went my sophomore year kind of sick, so breathing normal was going to be difficult. Anyways, the altitude would work my muscles to find a way to work better with lower oxygen levels, which would push my lactic and Vo2 max. The training we received wasn’t a walk in the park, the endurance training was brutal. We were set with times to sleep, eat, and have fun so we wouldn’t fatigue our body too hard. The training with elevation helped my body in running so much more than I thought it would. I wouldn’t be the same runner without it, it’s a blessing that Bernard gives us that exposure and with him being so knowledgeable in how Vo2 max levels can be pushed.”
Usually, professional athletes train at altitude about a month in advance to important races in order to make sure their bodies are prepared. Any sort of altitude running done before a significant race like a championship or world-class race will benefit them greatly and help their to performance.
