186. The Physiology of Altitude: What Training at 10,000 Feet Does to Your Body

Today, we're talking to Jonathan Levitt who took his high altitude training seriously. Not only is he paying attention to how he performs at 9,600 feet, he's also using blood tests to track important biomarkers that indicate how his body adapts.

Jonathan is a sub-3 marathoner, sales manager for InsideTracker (code strengthrunning saves you 20% on any test), and host of the For The Long Run podcast.

Jonathan shares not only anecdotal stories of how his body is responding, be he also has the data to back it up. He is lucky enough to have a team of experts helping him figure out how to adjust to altitude.

In our conversation, Jonathan and I talk about:

• Adjusting workouts when first moving to higher altitude
• Increasing fitness with decreasing intensity
• Biomarker changes after 2 months
• Importance of fundamentals like sleep and nutrition

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Follow Jonathan on Instagram and Twitter
• Read the blog training at high altitude
• Blood test with InsideTracker (code strengthrunning saves 20% on any test!)

Thank you Elemental Labs!

A big thanks to Elemental Labs for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors.

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Elemental Labs' products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

The citrus flavor has quickly become my favorite and I’m drinking one a day now to help me get enough fluids in our dry Colorado air. It’s tasty and delicious and I find that I’m not peeing every 45 minutes throughout the day, which might be an indication I wasn’t eating enough sodium.

There’s now mounting evidence that higher sodium intake levels are not unhealthy – and athletes need substantially more than your typical sedentary person. Of course, ask your doctor if you’re worried. But for those athletes running outside in the heat, an electrolyte replacement makes a lot of sense.

So check out Elemental Labs to try their sample pack for free and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming spring season.