Altitude

[rita n/]

I'm planning to walk April 2016.
Question: other than the first day how much do people have altitude issues? I'm training in a rather mountainous area so i'm not terribly worried, but wondered how much altitude affects later days.

 

[GAUVINS]

1500 M max (less than 5000 feet). Below the usual threshold for altitude sickness.

But high enough to experience terrible weather.

 

[wayfarer]

I'm planning to walk April 2016.
Question: other than the first day how much do people have altitude issues? I'm training in a rather mountainous area so i'm not terribly worried, but wondered how much altitude affects later days.

Welcome Rita,
As GAUVINS said no worries about altitude sickness but watch the weather and heed the advice of the Pilgrim Office if you are starting from St. Jean.
Buen Camino.

 

[rita n/]

1500 M max (less than 5000 feet). Below the usual threshold for altitude sickness.

But high enough to experience terrible weather.

i wasn't thinking of altitude sickness. i know some people have issues with the "not enough oxygen" feeling, even where i live sometimes.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Your picking a very good time to go, it is like any mountain crossing it will tire you out but the next day flat following a drainage down. So you should recover well.

 

[C clearly]

i know some people have issues with the "not enough oxygen" feeling,

I think most of us have that feeling! Not because of the change in oxygen levels, but because of the effort of the hike!

 

[whariwharangi]

i wasn't thinking of altitude sickness. i know some people have issues with the "not enough oxygen" feeling, even where i live sometimes.

That's not due to a shortage of oxygen. That's due to over-exertion; trying to walk uphill too fast. If you are breathing harder than you normally do when walking then you should consciously slow your pace.

 

[RutaG]

That's not due to a shortage of oxygen. That's due to over-exertion; trying to walk uphill too fast. If you are breathing harder than you normally do when walking then you should consciously slow your pace.

I would also add that when you are climbing uphill you should try breathing through your nose, mouth closed. If you are familiar with yoga deep breathing then you should know that you have to inhale deeply down to your abdomen and exhale slowly, consciously trying to control the speed of your breathing. That helped me a lot and my husband was thankful after I reminded him of the technique. When you breath heavily with your mouth open you send a stress signal to your brain and your heart rate increases and that makes your climb even harder. After all walking is like meditation and for meditation you have to remember to breath consciously. You still have time to prepare
Crossing Pyranees in May this year from SJPP was not easy, but very rewarding - stunning views all the way on Napoleon rout.
Buen Camino!

 

[newfydog]

Climbing at high altitude is like scaling a hill with the worst hangover of your life, with a pair of socks stuffed in your mouth.

None of that applies to the Camino though.......you will be just fine!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I would also add that when you are climbing uphill you should try breathing through your nose, mouth closed. If you are familiar with yoga deep breathing then you should know that you have to inhale deeply down to your abdomen and exhale slowly, consciously trying to control the speed of your breathing. That helped me a lot and my husband was thankful after I reminded him of the technique. When you breath heavily with your mouth open you send a stress signal to your brain and your heart rate increases and that makes your climb even harder. After all walking is like meditation and for meditation you have to remember to breath consciously. You still have time to prepare
Crossing Pyranees in May this year from SJPP was not easy, but very rewarding - stunning views all the way on Napoleon rout.
Buen Camino!

Hi , I was crossing the Pyrenees at the 18the of April , it was great and there where still parts with snow .
For me they where the 2 best day's off my walk to SdC, wish you well ,Peter .

 

[newfydog]

I would also add that when you are climbing uphill you should try breathing through your nose, mouth closed.!

feel free to experiment...I would asphixiate. With my mouth open, I have won mountain races , scaled Himalayan peaks etc. My nose is entirely inadequate for actual aerobic activity.

I deleted my initial reaction, but just put me down as " strongly disagree"with the post. My next door neighbor has several Olympic medals cross country skiing. There is not a single photo of her going up any sort of hill, on foot, on bike, on skis, with her mouth closed. What works for the world's most efficient, works for us as well.

 

[RutaG]

feel free to experiment...I would asphixiate. With my mouth open, I have won mountain races , scaled Himalayan peaks etc. My nose is entirely inadequate for actual aerobic activity.

I deleted my initial reaction, but just put me down as " strongly disagree"with the post. My next door neighbor has several Olympic medals cross country skiing. There is not a single photo of her going up any sort of hill, on foot, on bike, on skis, with her mouth closed. What works for the world's most efficient, works for us as well.

I am glad it helps you and your next door neighbor. I have proven to myself that it did not help me. I had much more energy and stamina when I kept my breath slow and deep. So, I shared my experience. Camino is not a race. Everyone finds his or hers own way of walking it. For me it was more of a meditation than just a hike.
Good luck to you!

 

[newfydog]

Yes. I knew that would be the reply "it is not a race" I agree 100% but the racers are just excellent examples of humans.. When your body needs oxygen, it needs a conduit with which to inhale it. If your body evolved to use your mouth to breath when the demands increase, don't fight it; go ahead and breathe as your instincts dictate. It is more than just a meditation out there: it is a physical activity as well.

 

[RutaG]

Yes. I knew that would be the reply "it is not a race" I agree 100% but the racers are just excellent examples of humans.. When your body needs oxygen, it needs a conduit with which to inhale it. If your body evolved to use your mouth to breath when the demands increase, don't fight it; go ahead and breath as your instincts dictate. It is not just a meditation out there: it is a physical activity as well.

I agree, it is a physical activity and that's why breathing is very important. You can find a lot of information online about best ways to breath when running or fast walking.

 

[CathyJ]

I'm planning to walk April 2016.
Question: other than the first day how much do people have altitude issues? I'm training in a rather mountainous area so i'm not terribly worried, but wondered how much altitude affects later days.

Hi Rita, I am also planning to start walking in April 2016 (probably the 2nd or 3rd week) and am also new to this forum. I have been doing a lot of research and love reading the responses here but I think that deep down only we as individuals know what we our needs and capabilities are and should 'walk to the beat of our own drum'. This will be my first Camino so maybe I'm not qualified to comment but I think between your heart, head and gut you will know your capabilities. I have felt that I would like someone to tell me exactly how it will all be, but then there would be no challenge, no mystery, no adventure, nothing to discover about the walk and myself. Millions of people of varying ages and fitness have done this before us so I am choosing to believe that I can too. Maybe we will run into each other along the way. Cathy

 

[dougfitz]

When you breath heavily with your mouth open you send a stress signal to your brain and your heart rate increases and that makes your climb even harder.

Really? I suspect that there might be a link between shallow rapid breathing not expelling all the air and retaining some spent air in the lungs, leading to a build up of CO2 and less oxygen available for uptake into the bloodstream, and that would send a signal to the brain to increase the heart rate. In that circumstance, it is likely to be mouth breathing rather than nasal breathing, but I think that the issue is more likely to be shallow breathing than mouth breathing itself.

If you do need higher levels of oxygen uptake, such as on some of the steeper climbs, it makes sense to ensure that one is breathing deeply, making most use of the capacity of one's lungs, but I wouldn't recommend restricting the air flow into the lungs by only practicing nasal breathing. That just doesn't make much sense to me in those circumstances. At other times, where the terrain is less demanding, I can see deep nasal breathing being sufficient.

 

[Oztrekker]

Altitude sickness strikes at 4000m.

Hace, hape. Ams.

Every 1000m above 3000m = less oxygen.

3000m = 30%
4000m = 40%

8000m = 80% less oxygen, summit of everest.

 

[newfydog]

Ready for the Camino!

 

[OzAnnie]

Ready for the Camino!

View attachment 19777

Love your sense of humour

 

[rita n/]

Hi Rita, I am also planning to start walking in April 2016 (probably the 2nd or 3rd week) and am also new to this forum. I have been doing a lot of research and love reading the responses here but I think that deep down only we as individuals know what we our needs and capabilities are and should 'walk to the beat of our own drum'. This will be my first Camino so maybe I'm not qualified to comment but I think between your heart, head and gut you will know your capabilities. I have felt that I would like someone to tell me exactly how it will all be, but then there would be no challenge, no mystery, no adventure, nothing to discover about the walk and myself. Millions of people of varying ages and fitness have done this before us so I am choosing to believe that I can too. Maybe we will run into each other along the way. Cathy

i'm not certain right now, exactly when i'm starting, altho i suspect i leave earlier than that. weather permitting i'm thinking early April, but i would love to meet up.

 

[koknesis]

Really? I suspect that there might be a link between shallow rapid breathing not expelling all the air and retaining some spent air in the lungs, leading to a build up of CO2 and less oxygen available for uptake into the bloodstream, and that would send a signal to the brain to increase the heart rate. In that circumstance, it is likely to be mouth breathing rather than nasal breathing, but I think that the issue is more likely to be shallow breathing than mouth breathing itself.

If you do need higher levels of oxygen uptake, such as on some of the steeper climbs, it makes sense to ensure that one is breathing deeply, making most use of the capacity of one's lungs, but I wouldn't recommend restricting the air flow into the lungs by only practicing nasal breathing. That just doesn't make much sense to me in those circumstances. At other times, where the terrain is less demanding, I can see deep nasal breathing being sufficient.

Correct. But nasal breathing is the only choice when temperature drops below minus 30 Celsius. Not the case on Camino though.

 

[newfydog]

Actually that is another urban legend. Russian and Finnish skiers, mountain climbers all do fine at those tenperatures. I did a ski-snowshoe-ice skate triathlon in Colorado where it was -42 in the morning.

.........................................................

Too Cold For Running?
A lot of people think that at a certain temperature your lungs will freeze and you'll die. ... that's not something you need to worry about. "The pulmonary system is very very good at warming air," said Daniels. "That doesn't mean it's going feel good to go running at 40 below, but it probably won't freeze your lungs." He cited a study, done many years ago, in which doctors measured the temperature in dogs' lungs while they were inhaling air that was negative 40 degrees F. The air they exhaled matched the dogs' body temperatures.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by Dr. Steven T. Devor – Director of Performance Physiology for MIT and OhioHealth, and Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, Department of Human Sciences, and Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University

This time of year I know that many people become cautious and nervous about the cold air you breathe in while running outside, and that you are concerned your lungs were going to be exposed to very cold air and potentially damaged. Many express specific concern about the burning sensation that is sometimes felt in the lungs while running in the cold.

I want to reassure all of you that your lungs will be completely fine. The air you are breathing in when running outside this time of year, while very cold in the atmosphere, is not cold at all by the time it reaches your lungs.

 

[koknesis]

Actually that is another urban legend. ….

which one actually? that your lungs will freeze when breathing at negative 40, or that nasal breathing helps to warm up the air?
it also will slow down dehydration, and increase the exposure of lungs to oxygen. and most importantly, it is the only way how to filtrate air not wearing a mask, when running a trail through a forest full with clouds of mosquitoes. they are not very tasty you know ...

 

[newfydog]

which one actually? that your lungs will freeze when breathing at negative 40, or that nasal breathing helps to warm up the air?
...

Both.

 

[HuffyCane]

I live in Florida and trained quite literally at sea level on the beach. We have hills, much less mountains. I start to notice elevation change at around 300m with slight headache, etc when I visit my parents in Kentucky.

I had no trouble with the elevation on the first day from SJPP and was surprised that we finished without breathing hard in just under 6 hours. It's a vigorous walk, but nothing to worry about altitude wise.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I live in Florida and trained quite literally at sea level on the beach. We have hills, much less mountains. I start to notice elevation change at around 300m with slight headache, etc when I visit my parents in Kentucky.

I had no trouble with the elevation on the first day from SJPP and was surprised that we finished without breathing hard in just under 6 hours. It's a vigorous walk, but nothing to worry about altitude wise.

Off topic but how has the walk been other than having to breath threw your nose going over the pass

 

[HuffyCane]

Easy-breezy. Pack is down about 2 lbs to 13lbs, but nearly all of that weight was medical supplies I brought from the States to give out in the heat/blisters. Training in Florida helped. It was 104 on the first day with little cloud cover.

In Burgos now. It was 35 Cel today and 45 F two nights ago.

My teammate is an Ex-Special Forces guy. He got silver dollar sized blisters on both feet and nearly quit. I'm plugging along. Pain and blister free for the most part!

 

[MTtoCamino]

Easy-breezy. Pack is down about 2 lbs to 13lbs, but nearly all of that weight was medical supplies I brought from the States to give out in the heat/blisters. Training in Florida helped. It was 104 on the first day with little cloud cover.

In Burgos now. It was 35 Cel today and 45 F two nights ago.

My teammate is an Ex-Special Forces guy. He got silver dollar sized blisters on both feet and nearly quit. I'm plugging along. Pain and blister free for the most part!

Have him try to find some thin foot insoles to build up the footbed just a tad if it is under the ball of the foot, cut them so the heel is no longer there then put under existing foot bed it reduces the travel or motion of the foot.

 

[gypsywind]

I would also add that when you are climbing uphill you should try breathing through your nose, mouth closed. If you are familiar with yoga deep breathing then you should know that you have to inhale deeply down to your abdomen and exhale slowly, consciously trying to control the speed of your breathing. That helped me a lot and my husband was thankful after I reminded him of the technique. When you breath heavily with your mouth open you send a stress signal to your brain and your heart rate increases and that makes your climb even harder. After all walking is like meditation and for meditation you have to remember to breath consciously. You still have time to prepare
Crossing Pyranees in May this year from SJPP was not easy, but very rewarding - stunning views all the way on Napoleon rout.
Buen Camino!

Thank you so much fthat response, I have been worried a bit about the altitude, and even reading the responses hear I found myself breathing heavily through my mouth, Good practice for me to remember!! Gypsywind

 

[gypsywind]

Hi Rita, I am also planning to start walking in April 2016 (probably the 2nd or 3rd week) and am also new to this forum. I have been doing a lot of research and love reading the responses here but I think that deep down only we as individuals know what we our needs and capabilities are and should 'walk to the beat of our own drum'. This will be my first Camino so maybe I'm not qualified to comment but I think between your heart, head and gut you will know your capabilities. I have felt that I would like someone to tell me exactly how it will all be, but then there would be no challenge, no mystery, no adventure, nothing to discover about the walk and myself. Millions of people of varying ages and fitness have done this before us so I am choosing to believe that I can too. Maybe we will run into each other along the way. Cathy

Cathy, I start my Camino April 1st, it is my 1st, and solo. I have been researching and on the camino for months, and I am finally relaxing into the "camino will provide" mindset, and knowing that I am prepared as I can be, and I will do it!
Buen Camino, shannon

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

I'm planning to walk April 2016.
Question: other than the first day how much do people have altitude issues? I'm training in a rather mountainous area so i'm not terribly worried, but wondered how much altitude affects later days.

Been to 6500m - no altitude worries on the Camino.

Have a fabulous time! One for all us ladies:

 

[Devon Mike]

@Wokabaut_Meri I love your altitude.