Suunto became compatible with TrainingPeaks this spring. We got in touch with Canadian ultra runner Rodney Buike to learn more about the service. Rodney Buike started his athletic career as an alpine ski racer and a mountain biker but has since evolved into an endurance athlete covering longer and longer distances. First he competed in duathlons and triathlons, but has recently started to run ultras, too. Buike has been using TrainingPeaks as his main tracking application since 2011. “I initially started with the free version of TrainingPeaks but soon switched to TrainingPeaks Premium for some of the added capabilities,” says Buike. “For me the best feature is the Performance Management Chart. It gives me a real ability to manage my fitness and fatigue levels over the course of my racing season.” TrainingPeaks’ Performance Management Chart (PMC) tracks chronic training load (CTL based on activities older than 15 days) and acute training load (ATL based on the last 14 days of activity). These numbers are based on the athlete’s thresholds which allows TrainingPeaks to calculate the intensity (IF) and Training Stress Score (TSS). This is then used to calculate Training Stress Balance (TSB). All this data can be used to monitor progress and ensure a smooth steady build up and then taper to main race or races. Here’s Buike’s own PMC starting with the beginning of training for his first 50K race. Rodney Buike’s 180-day Performance Management Chart “The first vertical red line is the peak of training with the longest run before tapering began for the race (the next vertical red line). Then you can see the recovery period and the final vertical red line indicating when training began again,” Buike explains. “There are a few important things you can see in this graph: First off you can see a long slow steady build with the gradual increase in the CTL (the blue line). There are smaller spikes along the line, which individually identify the key long runs followed by short recovery periods – but an overall steady climb. The TSB (orange line) moves into the positive as I recover and taper for the race while the ATL drops as training load is decreased.” Over the course of time the Performance Management Chart can help you plan your taper and recovery to ensure you are doing just enough to maintain fitness while recovering properly to ensure your best performance on race day. SET YOUR ZONES FIRST While this all sounds very complex there are a few very basic things that all athletes can take advantage of immediately. “The first thing I recommend is to set your zones. If you are using HR based training you can set different zones for all activities. For specific activities you can also define additional zones. I highly suggest runners to set their pace zones, which can be done using the results of a recent 10KM running race. Cyclists, who have a power meter, can input their functional threshold power (FTP) and use that to build power zones.” In addition to the Performance Management Chart, Buike highlights the premium version’s advanced charts that you can use to drill deeper into the data (power analysis, scatter graphs, etc.). He also finds the planning tools very useful. “With the premium version you have the ability to plan out your upcoming week, month or longer and have that sync with your calendar in Outlook, Gmail, Apple iCalendar or any calendar tool that supports ICS files. When you upload activities they will automatically populate the related activity in your TrainingPeaks calendar,” says Buike. So how does your own calendar look for the coming weeks? “I have decided to move into the ultra running world and completed my first 50 km and 80 km races recently. In May I have a 130km race coming up.”

In the third episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series you will meet a lightning fast mountain man, Kilian Jornet. Kilian is more than a record-breaking trail runner and a world champion ski mountaineer. He has also set speed ascents on the Matterhorn, Mt Blanc and Denali among others, and redefined what it means to be a mountain athlete, moving into territory once the preserve of elite alpinists. Read also Kilian's profile here. Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Emelie Forsberg – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 1 Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4 Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 5

What makes ski mountaineer and trail runner Kilian Jornet tick? It’s not winning races or setting speed records, although he does excel at both. For him, it’s all about the mountains. “I am just a person who loves the mountains. I spend every day in the mountains,” says Kilian, “I love them because the landscape is amazing and full of challenges but I think the mountains gives a lot back. When you are in the mountains, you feel that you are nothing. When you have nothing you have everything to discover.” That passion stems from his childhood – Kilian grew up in a mountain hut in the Spanish Pyrenees where his father worked as a hut keeper and mountain guide. From a young age, Kilian was living and breathing mountain life. “The first time I walked for five hours alone in the mountains I was two years old!” says Kilian. He went on to climb his first 3,000er aged three. “I have conditioned my body to long distances from an early age!” he says. It clearly paid off. These days Kilian is known for dominating not one, but two mountain sports; ski mountaineering in winter and trail running in summer. As a trail runner he’s proved himself to be one of the world’s best – dominating ultras and setting a slew of records from the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc to the Hardrock 100 and dozens of races In 2012 Athletics Weekly argued that he was the ‘world’s best runner’ and he has one of the highest Vo2 levels recorded of an athlete (85-90). When the snow comes Kilian switches over to ski mountaineering where he has been world champion four years out of five since 2010. “Ski mountaineering is hard because you want to go fast. You have to push, you have to power through every step,” says Kilian. But again, it’s the lure of the mountains that ultimately win Kilian over, not the battle of competition: “Sometimes it’s in the forest, sometimes in couloirs. You can go wherever you want. You don’t have to follow a trail. You make your own track. It’s this feeling of freedom you get from ski mountaineering.” Yet Kilian is more than a record-breaking trail runner, a world champion ski mountaineer. With his Summits of My Life Project, in which he has set speed ascents on the Matterhorn, Mt Blanc and Denali among others, he has redefined what it means to be a mountain athlete, moving into territory once the preserve of elite alpinists. What beckons next for the athlete is never certain, but one thing is for sure – it will take place somewhere in the mountains. “The day I stop winning I’ll continue to go the mountains,” says Kilian, “I don’t run for victory. I don’t practice sport for competition. The reason I ski or run every day is to be in the mountains.” 

Jonathan Wyatt needs no introduction in mountain running circles. He's the eight time winner of the world mountain running grand prix series. Below, he offers seven tips to help road runners transition to trail. Running on changing, uneven terrain develops muscles that road running doesn’t really reach. The body responds to the terrain by using stabilizing muscles, balance and core. But transitioning from road to trail requires care. These seven tips will help you make the change. 1. Start progressively Following Killian Jornet up the Matterhorn might look like fun, but you’ll enjoy it more when you move up the technical scale over time, adding more technical and longer runs as your confidence and trail fitness increase. If a normal run for you is one hour on city streets then start by running 30 minutes road and 30 minutes trail to make a gradual transition. Start on easier trails before hitting the mountains, Wyatt says. ©Jonathan Wyatt 2. Shorter stride A soft and slippery trail will give a greater workout sometimes resulting in fatigue or strain in the hamstring area. Don’t fight against a slippery uphill or downhill, instead reduce your stride length and increase your leg speed (turnover) so you’re putting less power down through your feet on each step. This reduces slipping. Running on sand is a good way to train this. 3. Scan ahead Read the trail ahead and don’t just react to what’s immediately below you. With road running you can look at your feet, but not so out on the trails. You want to scan ahead rather than looking down at where your feet are going to land. By instead reading the terrain ahead, your feet will follow where your eyes are leading. 4. Learn to play the trail Look for good lines to find the most efficient part of the trail and use banking on corners for smooth, fast entry and exit speeds – especially downhill. Learn to play on the trail where you can use terrain features to slingshot out of corners, accelerate from downhill into ascents and, most importantly, to have fun! Trail running reduces overuse injuries common with roadrunners. ©Droz Photo 5. Care for your ankles Roadrunners often twist an ankle when they take on more technical running terrain. To improve ankle proprioception – eye-foot coordination – trying using a wobble board or practice standing on one foot, making sure the knee is centered over your second toe as you look down. Tendons and foot muscles can take a pounding if you’re not used to uneven terrain and these exercises strengthen them. Close your eyes and do slow knee bends to spice it up too. 6. Find local trails for your level Finding the best trails is not always easy so if you’re new to off-road running, talk to trail runners, go online or find popular routes in your area on Suunto App's heat maps to find suitable running trails. Remember safety is first, so you’ll need more equipment, preparation and common sense when running in the great outdoors. Jono Wyatt is an eight time winner of the world mountain running grand prix series. ©zooom.at/Markus Berger 7. Remember, hills are your friends The changing terrain will help you avoid overuse injuries that can occur when running on repetitive flat surfaces. Add more hills as you grow stronger off road. Remember too, the softer ground and grass on many trails also help to reduce the impact of downhill running on joints and muscles.

In the first episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series you will meet Swedish trail runner, ski mountaineer and mountain lover Emelie Forsberg. Emelie is all smiles – but don't let that fool you: she is fiercely competitive, too. Read Emelie's profile here. Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with Kilian Jornet – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 3 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4 Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 5

Talk to Emelie Forsberg and you'd think she's just another mountain-loving adventure girl with a fondness for baking home-made cookies. But behind the fun-loving Swede is a phenomenal podium-winning athlete – one who has excelled in several trail running disciplines – as well as competition ski-mountaineering.    A three-time Sky Running World Series champion (2012-2014), Emelie exceeds at marathon and ultra distance events. These are mountain trail races which feature several thousand meters of vertical ascent and range from 30 to over 50 km long over terrain that can range from loose rock to high altitude snow fields. To mountain runners these are races that are steeped in legend and lore, races like Zegama, Pikes Peak, Kima and modern classics like Transvulcania and the Diagonale des Fous. She is fiercely competitive and has an impressive medal tally – too long to list here – but it's clear that winning is not her primary goal. “I'm not going to remember a win in 40 years time — I will remember the view or the feeling,” she says. There's a photo of her taken just before she crossed the finish line of the 80 km Mt Blanc marathon, a race that would crown her 2014 Skyrunning Ultra champion. It's distinctive for one feature – an enormous smile she can't contain. She looks as if she's just run a 5 k, far less a gruelling double marathon. “From my heart I can truly say I enjoyed every second of it,” she wrote on her Facebook page shortly afterwards: “Pure skyrunning. J´adore! I love!” It's Emelie's infectious love of running that shines through above all else. “It's hard to describe it's so good,” she says. “You get a really good feeling in your legs. You feel so light – you're just flowing over the ground. You feel like really wow, I could go on forever, or wow, what a great feeling.” It was this feeling that propelled her onto the professional circuit. One of her first wins was a local uphill mountain race in Norway's Yotunheimen national park in 2010. What is extraordinary is that prior to the race, and on the same day, Emelie decided to go for a run that became a 50 km ultra with 4,000 m of vertical. “I was free that day so thought I would run around,” she says by way of explanation. “It was super beautiful.” Not all races are beautiful experiences however. During the 2014 Kima she took a wrong turn and dropped from 1st to 5th position. She still finished 2nd. And besides official races, she's also a fan of the Fastest Known Time (FKT) movement, which are self-organized and (often) solo attempts to break speed records on mountains. In 2014 she set the overall record on Sweden's highest mountain Kebnekaise, shaving 15 minutes off the previous record. Big mountains play a big part in her life. When she's not competing Emelie loves to hang-out in the mountains, camping, hiking, climbing and skiing in winter. Of course, that also means competing on skis too, in the ski mountaineering world cup. Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, 2015 brought Emelie her first podium, a third place in the Trofeo Marmotta. “I like to be out in the mountains in the winter too,” she says, “and this is just another way. The training is the same as before just different on skis. It's fun to race, it's good training – actually the hardest training I have ever done!” Where next for the Swedish athlete? Whatever it is, it's bound to involve some big mountain adventures. “The best times are when you're in the mountains, where the clock and the world outside don't count. Mountains are simplicity, freedom and responsibility — everything that I love!”