Altitude Tent - Prep for the Spartan 24 Hour Ultra

All right, I've been working my way up to my biggest race of the season, which is the 24 Hour Spartan Ultra World Championships in Telluride, CO.     Watch it live here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrkf3TOWSNA at 10 am on Sunday October 10 until Monday 11:30 am Mountain Time.  

The race will be at about 10,000 feet, so when I heard that I could rent an altitude tent the week before the race, I jumped on it.  Runner's Corner in Orem, UT now rents out altitude tents, for a reasonable rate, and it turns out I was their first customer.   The unit was made by Mountain Air Cardio, and it's just a little tent that can either fit a mattress inside or sit on top of a bed.   Their claim is that the unit is quieter and less humid than other models, as it's built with a fan and an exterior control unit.   

I chose to just put in on top of my bed, and as Jim was out of town for most of the week, he didn't have to deal with it much.  It took me a couple of days to figure out how to use it, partly because I didn't have the manual right away and partly because I was too lazy to call the company and make sure I had it set up right. It interfaces with a phone app, so you can change it from inside at night.   It may have been working but until I connected the wifi I couldn't tell.  Oh well, it did in fact work fine for the last 4 nights I had it, and then I was heading to the race venue for a few more nights at elevation, so I think I had some great prep, more than usual time to acclimate.  

I did find the unit to be fairly noisy, but actually I slept really well all the nights I was in it, so I can't complain at all.  I just threw a sheet and a blanket in there and zipped myself in.  It was a little warmer than usual inside vs the room, so since it was cooling off outside I opened some windows.  

The data I have for the 4 nights shows me sleeping at about 10,000 feet for the first three.  Then I did something to the altitude knob the last night, and it jumped to 12,000 for the night even though I'd set it for 10,500.  I still slept pretty well so it worked out fine.  

Mountain Aire app -altitude tracking

The data from my Oura Ring verifies that my body thought it was sleeping at a higher elevation.   My heart rate, which is usually in the mid-50's, jumped to low 60's.  My Heart Rate Variability, usually 30-50, dropped into the 20s.  My Respiratory rate, usually about 14ish breaths per minute, crept up to 15 or 16.  And especially the last night, I awoke with a slight headache.   All good signs.  

Oura Ring readiness data

This isn't something I'd want to sleep in all the time, but for a week or two before a big event, it's amazing, and cheaper than renting a hotel room somewhere up in the mountains for sure.   Now to get all the other details right for the race and make it through the 24 hours with a smile!