Humidity vs. Altitude

[Cgeb]

I live in STL, no altitude. I used to play a lot of "beer league" softball when I was younger. In the summer I remember playing at night, the humidity was so bad, you could almost see it. Running in the outfield, it was like "breathing" water.

What's the military saying "embrace the suck", I guess that goes for altitude or humidity.

 

[maninthemaze]

The %O2 does not change from sea level to 28k feet, only the pressure.

The amount of 02 available does change with temperature. And I'm sure humidity plays a role in heat index, or felt heat.

I operate a coal fired power plant here in KY. Our generating units produce fewer Megawatts during the summer months due to lack of available oxygen. I don't know if humidity plays a role in this or not. I do know that when I'm out west it's my ability, or lack of, to acclimate that causes me troubles. At 13,000 I always have plenty of leg left, but my head is pounding and I cant continue.



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[JDeanP]

There is humidity, and there is the deep south humidity. Even north Alabama does not have humidity like the southern half, and when you get near the coast you get the wind off the gulf and it's not as uncomfortable there either. Southern Louisiana is really bad too. I have to tough out training here plus do it working southern swing shift. Still it takes a few days to get use to altitudes.. so much that I really don't ever want to kill on the first day out. Pack out would be brutal before acclimated.

Coastal Georgia here. It's no joke. Running in this mess, even before the sun is up, can be brutal. If I have a choice of my days here and my days at 9,400 feet in the Rockies, I'll take the Rockies. Still, hard work is hard work. Just different kinds of miserable.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Humidity certainly contributes to the mental aspect. However, it has no correlation whatsoever to the physiological changes that occur from higher altitude training.