Posted: 9/19/2015 5:52:51 PM EDT
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I know the research is still leaning towards the masks being less than useful. And I also know that the elevation tens and hypoxic tens are almost as useless as well. The data shows that you need to be in the environment for 16 hours to actually see any benefit from these things. Even with all of that said I am interested in trying one of the masks just to see if there can be any help with tolerating the hypoxic feeling - I found my big hindrance with swimming is the hypoxic feeling. Acclimating myself to this I think would be beneficial. Additionally I'm looking at a triathlon held at about 2 miles above sea level and am attempting to prepare for that. Anyone have experience with these things? ---Should I just buy the painters respiratory mask and wear that while IM on the cycling trainer? |
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Quoted:
I know the research is still leaning towards the masks being less than useful. And I also know that the elevation tens and hypoxic tens are almost as useless as well. The data shows that you need to be in the environment for 16 hours to actually see any benefit from these things. Even with all of that said I am interested in trying one of the masks just to see if there can be any help with tolerating the hypoxic feeling - I found my big hindrance with swimming is the hypoxic feeling. Acclimating myself to this I think would be beneficial. Additionally I'm looking at a triathlon held at about 2 miles above sea level and am attempting to prepare for that. Anyone have experience with these things? ---Should I just buy the painters respiratory mask and wear that while IM on the cycling trainer? Feeling hypoxic isn't your big swimming hindrance; it's your swim technique. Instead of spending money on a mask, why not spend it on swim coaching? What race? |
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Have been getting coaching at least a couple sessions/month as time and $ allows. Cut down to a pretty consistent ~2:15 average over 800m so far... Still have a building feeling of hypoxia during the whole activity. Whether 100m or 1000m... hahah Which race? 106 west Half distance in Dillon. |
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Quoted: Have been getting coaching at least a couple sessions/month as time and $ allows. Cut down to a pretty consistent ~2:15 average over 800m so far... Still have a building feeling of hypoxia during the whole activity. Whether 100m or 1000m... hahah Which race? 106 west Half distance in Dillon. So, no experience with training aids, but . . . athletic exertion at 11k elevation is going to kick your ass badly if you live and train at sea level. I have a cousin who's an endurance athlete, mostly swimming, does masters swim training regularly, likes the Cheaspeake Bay swim, the Potomac swim, etc. He also does a lot of hiking along the Appalachian Trail in the MD/VA area. Great cardio. The first time he came out to Colorado, we did some easy 14-thousand-foot mountain hikes. He was absolutely shocked at how badly he was having to stop and gasp for breath. It was a wake-up call. That said, he's been doing more hiking at elevation in the years since then, and this summer he cruised a backpacking trip that averaged 11-12k elevation. Some of the physiological adaptation is permanent. But you need some elevation work. I'm skeptical that a mask is going to provide it. If you want to go for it, do it! But be ready to struggle physically a lot more than usual, maybe to the point of failure to complete the event. |
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Quoted:
Have been getting coaching at least a couple sessions/month as time and $ allows. Cut down to a pretty consistent ~2:15 average over 800m so far... Still have a building feeling of hypoxia during the whole activity. Whether 100m or 1000m... hahah Which race? 106 west Half distance in Dillon. Serious race! Even the swim is high and in some awfully chilly water. Hope you have a wetsuit, which will not only keep you warm(er) but provide some extra flotation. As a fellow non-swimmer, I would also get the out of breath feeling, especially if I hadn't been in the pool for a while. Things that helped me get past that feeling include: -focusing on exhaling while my face is in the water so that I don't have to exhale and inhale during the brief "face out of water" period -slowing my pace down so that I can match O2 expenditure with intake -focusing more on the glide portion of the stroke with my face out of the water in order to allow a more full inhale The only time I swam through the winter (because I don't enjoy swimming) was the winter before I did an Ironman. Every other year, I would have breathing issues early on in my swim workouts, to include swallowing enough air to give me serious abdominal discomfort until I could have a carbonated beverage and belch the air loose. Some races allow the use of snorkels, so if you don't mind being that guy, you could investigate their legality in this race. |