mountains and athleticism
My 2022 season Training and Racing The goal of this season was to perform well in short and long trail running races within a few weeks. For that I chose to participate at the 2 short races I believe are most competitive (Zegama and Sierre Zinal) and the 2 long ones that would offer the…
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When we run uphill our running speed decreases. This is mostly due to the fact that we need to add vertical speed to the horizontal speed. The qualities to create horizontal speed and vertical speed are different, even if a big base is very similar. When we talk about speed in flat running we take…
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One of the first things to do when we start planning a training season (or multi-season) is to decide which kind of plannification we will have. One of the major factors on that decision is in my opinion the racing/goals shedule and the diversity among them. Last month during a trip to Lyon I had…
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A good friend asked me recently to write an article about training for his magazine Kiss The Snow. I couldn’t really refuse because I owed one to him since a few years ago, when he was still a puppy and he blind followed what the elderly tell him, he came to my place in Chamonix…
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Since 2006 when I started racing in trail running as a complement for my ski mountaineering seasons my training and racing orientation were based more on quantity and diversification than quality. The main goal was to do complete seasons with good results in different kind of competitions, from skimo championships and cup and long distance…
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Uphill running performance is one of the easiest to evaluate, because it doesn’t involve much technique and reactivity as flat or downhill running, but it isn’t only about our “motor” and some other factors affect how fast we run the hills. Compared to flat running, uphill is characterized by a higher step frequency, increased internal…
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Running down is fun. Technical downhills are the funniest if you have a good technique, is like a dance with the elements. There’s no big secret, if you want to be a good downhill runner you need to train in the mountains, because is not about the strenght but about the feet and the vision.…
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It is 4 kind of activities we can do in the mountains; training, social, activities and tests. Yesterday was one of the last. If an activity is when you include different variables a test is when you isolate one of them to explore-it and push-it at your best. Here the variable was elevation and endurance.…
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We all love to go out to the mountains, and all for different reasons and goals; to get fit, to find peace, to exercise, to win a race, to climb a summit, to spend time with friends, to have unspected adventures or achieve a technical route. So what do we do when we go out…
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.Ueli Steck was one of the most polyvalent alpinists ever. Steck is a true all-arounder and has put up M11 mixed routes, free soloed 5.13/8a and WI6, and sport climbed 5.14/8c, done first ascents in 8000m peaks, speed solo ED routes and he has also participated in Ultra Trails. Among his achievements he has open…
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