Hi Sebastien,

You sound like you have a lot of experience of running, and training people in it, and are ready to share your experience :) THANKS! This August, I'm going to trekking in Kailash, Tibet, which is at 14,000 feet. I'll be trekking at that height for about 10 days. I'm quite fit because I do a lot of yoga, but I've never wanted to run. I always thought it was a bit boring. 

However, we've been advised to start running, and build up to 5km a day in the month leading up to our trek. Would you advise the same things as you suggested in your post, for me? What I need to build up to is to have the stamina to keep a steady pace for the whole day when there isn't much oxygen, but I imagine there are different ways to build up to this?

Thanks in advance!

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

In the grand scheme of things 5k is not so difficult to run, however what you will be doing will be ardous just due to the slope and altitude. So Cardio wouldnt be your top priority (id put it second to muscle strength and conditioning).

I would suggest one day a week you run (alternate between the suggestions that I gave you), one day a week, total body circuit training (more cardio as well as strength training, and the last day will be lower body specific, either using weights or just body weight but have a goal in mind and keep track of your progress. This should build up your stamina as well as condition you to deal with the altitude. 

Let me know if you need anymore help.

Seb

Thanks a lot :)

Interesting post. I'd be interested in knowing on what you base your recommendations. Personal experience ? Research ? Reading? Is it a personnal view? Or is it shared by people who know about these stuff?

Thanks

Hi Bustan, 

It is my opinion and the opinion of others in the field who know about this stuff. I spent 8 years in the army, and believe me you would think that the only thing that mattered is how far you run. It was an archaic belief however, and you could bet dollars to donuts that if you stayed in past 15 years, your knees were done!

As a personal trainer I have seen personally what a lifetime of running can do to someone in terms of knee surgery, terrrible posture, all the while still overweight. Einsteins famous quote comes to mind here Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

So again this is a culmination of my own observations, reading, research and listening to others (sorry I should have led with that). But of course you dont have to take it from me, here are some links to check out. Trust but Verify!

A facebook post from Steve Maxwell, he has been in the business for a while, I had a chance to meet him when he came down to Geneva last year, knows his stuff and has been training athletes probably longer than Ive been alive.

 https://www.facebook.com/notes/mahlers-aggressive-strength-fitness-information-page/ten-reasons-why-i-dont-do-aerobics-by-steve-maxwell/435037890567

A Very interesting article on the harmful effects of running too much, yes there is such a thing, read the whole article it is enlightening.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/12/21/extreme-endurance-cardio.aspx

Now of course I should add that if you like running and thats what you want to do, great, dont stop, just do it smarter, and in a way that wont hurt your body over time. 

Hi Michelle

If you want to get fit for your trek you can start by hiking locally, or using snowshoes if it's too snowy. The Jura and the Alps are close by, the Salar is in our backyard. Hiking complements yoga perfectly. Enjoy :-)

Hi Sebastien,

I like what you're saying about interval training, but you didn't mention the warmup. I'm sure you just overlooked this, what do you recommend as a warmup? To start by running at a sprint pace isn't optimal for heart health.

Amy

Hi Amy, 

I wouldnt just walk out the door and head into a sprint... thanks for pointing that out. You should always conduct a warm up before each run. For a warm up I would start off with some dynamic stretching ie hip rotation, shin box, leg swings then High knees, but kickers, side stradles and then you can warm up your sprints, find a nice stretch of asphalt or whatever you are running on and run at 50% of your max effort twice (just estimate) then run 70% twice and lastly run 90%. Then you should be good to go.

Hi Michelle,

Sebastien gave excellent advice and I'll second the strength aspect. Don't know if you're familiar to trekking, but what often comes as a suprise to beginners is the added weight of your packbag. Running and long walks might be easy for you, but adding 20-30kgs (depending on your trek) to carry with you makes a difference. And this is where strength training is key, put plenty of that into your routine. I would also do walk longs with added weight prior to your Tibet trip.

And to comment on Sebastien's opening: I fully agree with HIIT, numerous studies have shown the benefits. You can be MUCH more effective by going short & strenuous instead of long and medium-heavy exercise.

Strength training is also becoming more and more recommended among fitness professionals and doctors, especially to middle-aged people and older. Not saying it's important for all ages, but a good cardiovascular system combined with healthy muscles is the way to go as you grow older.