Why Train at Altitude?

My little 5 day stint (3 when you eliminate travel) is not going to have the physiological benefits described below, but I thought it would be fun to discuss what physical benefits there are to training at altitude.  (My trip was awesome and had tons of other really awesome benefits to be disclosed in future posts, thanks AREEP).  

To get the full physical advantage of altitude I would need to stay at altitude for at least 3 weeks (I have done 6 in the past and definitely received huge benefits) and for an even more effective benefit make several trips to train altitude.  To receive the greatest benefit from altitude one would be somewhere between 5000 ft. and 8000 ft. (perfect Flag is at 7000 ft.)  At altitude our blood does not carry the same amount of oxygen as sea level.  Because there is a lower barometric pressure at altitude, our body adapts by producing more red blood cells so that we will still get all the oxygen we need.  The more red blood cells in our body, the more oxygen our working muscles receive.  The muscles themselves will have an increase in small blood vessels called capillaries, leading to more blood and nutrients entering the muscles.  From a running perspective the more blood and nutrients that enter the muscles the higher our VO2 max will be.  VO2 max is the highest amount of oxygen consumption a person can achieve.  The higher your VO2 max, the faster you will run. 

So the summary::

Altitude=More Red Blood Cells=More Oxygen=Higher VO2 max=Faster Running!

Aaron can we spend the summer at altitude?!?!?!?!?!?!