Any places to train at altitude on the east coast?

Go to Bolivia or Peru for a couple months. The airport in La Paz is already at 13200 ft. When you get back down to sea level your blood will be nice and thick.

Hardloper wrote:

You're not going to get any altitude stimulus in only 2-3 weeks over the summer, at least not that would carry into your XC season. Just find a good place to train and don't worry about the altitude.

Exactly

Do you need any practice running in the wind?

https://3c1703fe8d.site.internapcdn.net/newman/gfx/news/hires/231mphnhwind.jpg

Blowing Rocky wrote:

The Blowing Rock area is pretty nice, lots of trails, check out Bass Lake. ZAP Fitness is nearby. Blue Ridge Parkway very close.

Not really all that high, an altitude tent might be a good choice.

Also training in summer on the coast gives a pseudo-altitude effect because there is less O2 in the air.

you know why they call it "Blowing" Rock, right?

might as well call it the Blue Ridge "Blowing" Parkway too, not that I'm complaining!

North Carolina might have the best outdoor sex / cruising scene in America and if not then definitely the east.

HRE wrote:

PS, There are definitely places in North Carolina near Beech Mountain, not quite as high, where you could find places to stay and be much higher than you'd be in West Va. or Pa. If you want to do what you're pondering the mountains in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee are where to look.

ever hear of Highlands, NC? 4000-4,100 foot plateau which isn't like the west but if we're talking raw #s. It's also a good place to stay and train though not for elevation reasons alone.

Haywood County has the most 5000+ ft peaks east of Mississippi River county wise and some 6k + peaks as well. You can get from 2500-6k ft in 30 min. Look at elevation map of blue ridge parkway. There is an inn on Mt Pisgah off brp you could stay as well as others. Like others have said you would need to spend majority of your day at this elevation and at least a couple weeks to reap significant benefits tho. Not sure if it's legal but a lot of people camp at black balsam knob in a pine forest which is 6k +. It's a mountain in Haywood County NC. You would be close to about 50 miles of mountain running trails in bent creek in Asheville as well as many other options.

my grandparents are in haywood county. Paper mill makes it hard(ish) to breath down wind of it (plus the smell) Make sure to train up wind of it. Great place. Lake juneleska has a nice 3 mileish loop to do. Small town vibe.

otter wrote:

Hardloper wrote:

You're not going to get any altitude stimulus in only 2-3 weeks over the summer, at least not that would carry into your XC season. Just find a good place to train and don't worry about the altitude.

Exactly

Also, you lose most of the benefits from altitude within a month. That's why pro runners normally come back down within a week of their race.

I'm from East Tennessee and can't think of any good places to run at altitude in our state. Go to Asheville/Boone like others recommended.

Don't worry about 2-3 weeks at "altitude," embrace the humidity -- the poor man's altitude.

HRE wrote:

The highest US town east of the Mississippi is Mt. Beech, NC. It's at about 5,500 feet so you'd be at elevation comparable to Boulder. It is not much of a town, I think there are something like 300 people living there. I don't recall seeing anyplace you could stay but I was only passing through. Nothing else in the east is even close to 4,000 ft unless you want to count mountaintops, e.g., Mt Washington, Mt. Mitchell, etc. Probably the highest places in the east where you could find somewhere to stay would be Davis, West, Va. (maybe somewhere to stay) at around 3100 ft or Seven Springs, Pa. (definitely places to stay) at 2500 ft.

If you're visiting altitude to train for 2 weeks, then you need to go higher than 5000 ft.

While living in Boulder brings adaptations to RBC & hemoglobin, visiting for 2 weeks will do little. Altitude is exponential with affect to red blood cell production. For a two week visit, 8000 is necessary. Western mountain towns are it. CO, UT, AZ, and Cali all have great places to choose from.

Embrace the Humidity wrote:

Don't worry about 2-3 weeks at "altitude," embrace the humidity -- the poor man's altitude.

This. You can also create your own by wearing extra layers in the summer.

Kennekuk Jack wrote:

Embrace the Humidity wrote:

Don't worry about 2-3 weeks at "altitude," embrace the humidity -- the poor man's altitude.

This. You can also create your own by wearing extra layers in the summer.

Several years ago I asked Peter Snell if training in hot and humid weather had similar physiological affects as training at altitude did. He said no, that there were two different physiological systems that came into play in each circumstance. I don't remember if we got into what systems they were or not.

That said, in 1968, Jack Bacheler kind of came out of nowhere to make the Olympic team in the 5,000 and went on to be the only US runner to make the 5,000 final though he got sick and didn't run in it. He didn't have loads of time spent training at altitude but obviously fared better racing there than most others did. Later, he said that he thought that training in Gainesville in the summer with really awful heat and humidity helped him deal with racing at altitude.

Personally, looking decades back, many of my best races came in the fall when I was living around DC and had trained through the summers there, which also were hot and very humid. When that weather finally broke it felt like I'd been injected with some sort of PED that made running much easier. On the other hand, I lived in Boulder for several months. I sort of thought I'd feel that same sort of boost when I went back to near sea level as I'd felt when DC's heat and humidity broke. It didn't happen.

So I think you're onto something. But I will say that running at high altitude with lower temperatures and humidity is much more pleasant than training in hot, humid, weather.

Correction:

"...had similar physiological EFFECTS as training at altitude."

HRE wrote:

Correction:

"...had similar physiological EFFECTS as training at altitude."

That you took the time to make that correction makes my editor's heart happy! :)

I've read some of the scientific literature on the effects of training in the heat versus those of training at altitude, and the jury does seem to be out as to whether or not they are comparable. However, my experience of training in the heat and humidity of an Illinois summer mirrors yours. I know anecdotal evidence isn't the same as scientific evidence, but I've talked with enough runners to think that there is, in fact, something beneficial about training in the heat.

Of course, given the choice, I wouldn't turn down spending a few weeks at altitude for the sake of comparison! I hear Boone, NC is lovely this time of year...

The only accommodation in the Northeast above 5,000 ft I believe is the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut, which is full-service with meals during the peak season but probably not what you're looking for. The Madison Springs Hut is a little lower at 4,800. Aside from staying at these two hostels, the problem is that the treeline is pretty low so camping is a little dicey that high because you're exposed, and may also be illegal. North Carolina is a better bet.

Two things wrote:

RI red wrote:

This.

Follow the science.

1) altitude training is not possible on the East Coast; simply nowhere high enough to spend all your non-training hours; you need to be above 6000ft to maximize exposure

2) four weeks is the optimal time for altitude camp; after that the gains of hypoxic living simply plateau

The threshold for any individual can vary but few get benefits (in terms of red blood cell count) below 6000 ft (1800m) and many folks get NO benefit at 6000 ft and must go higher.

Again, live high, train low superior to live high, train high.

Real Lyfe Nobodee wrote:

otter wrote:

Exactly

Also, you lose most of the benefits from altitude within a month. That's why pro runners normally come back down within a week of their race.

Another reason to come down is to get leg speed back. Do some efforts at actual race pace.

How long the effects last vary but some old data out of the Soviet Union showed benefits lasting out to about 4 weeks. Of course who knows what else they were doing...

Kennekuk Jack wrote:

HRE wrote:

Correction:

"...had similar physiological EFFECTS as training at altitude."

That you took the time to make that correction makes my editor's heart happy! :)

I've read some of the scientific literature on the effects of training in the heat versus those of training at altitude, and the jury does seem to be out as to whether or not they are comparable. However, my experience of training in the heat and humidity of an Illinois summer mirrors yours. I know anecdotal evidence isn't the same as scientific evidence, but I've talked with enough runners to think that there is, in fact, something beneficial about training in the heat.

Of course, given the choice, I wouldn't turn down spending a few weeks at altitude for the sake of comparison! I hear Boone, NC is lovely this time of year...

Went to grad school in Boone. Gorgeous place. Spent 3 summers there and rarely got above 90F.