From Last to First: How I Became a Marathon Champion

by Charlie Spedding

Lindsay Dunn has a different approach to all of this and I agree with him. Lindsay has taken several groups of athletes to altitude and invariably had success. His approach is to reduce the distances but run quickly in both the steady runs and track sessions. Neither can be done as quickly as they would be at sea level, but a fast pace, with reduced oxygen, produces a considerable training effect upon the entire cardiovascular system, from the pumping heart to the chemical processes at cellular level. When you return to sea level you can train the muscular and nervous systems to run faster because the cardiovascular system is no longer such a limiting factor. To achieve this progress at sea level requires such hard training that it risks injury. Most coaches will say that it is pointless going to altitude for less than three weeks. If all you want to do is maximise red blood cells they are right, but with Lindsay Dunn’s approach, you can gain benefits in as few as ten days.