Overview of 2020 - Notes for 2021

Summary (of last 365 days)

Total hours: 462h46m09s (in 2019: 372h22m26s)

Total km: 4757.47 km (in 2019: 3958.40 km)

Total elevation gain: 126763 m (in 2019: 91059 m)

For the first time in my running life I had to stop running almost completely for a month, which it can be clearly seen in the curve above (September). As I started to come back to running  slowly (the whole process of my injury and how I resumed running is written in another blog post) I did not consider the fact that due to some minor pains that I still had in my ankle, my running would deviate from its optimal form. I tried to continue, increase the volume, but at the same time I felt a pain around my knee. It was obvious that it was due to the bad running form that I in the last weeks. So last week I slowed down, reduced the volume and did some short runs and only focused on running with a right form: putting my left foot with a correct angle on the ground, position of my hip, my core etc. And as I did these runs I noticed a substantial improvement in the pain.

Things I have developed

From beginning of the preparation for the new season (as I had no idea that a virus would stop all the important competitions), I focused on developing my endurance. Therefore the basic goal of my weekly plan was to be able to carry long running times, with minimum focus on the speed. I did not do any routine interval training for my speed.

I did a lot of hill sprints. And as a matter of fact I enjoyed the result of all the sufferings that I had to go through during those lonely dark evenings, as I was repeating hill sprints like Sisyphus.

I did a lot of trail running as well. Without the feeling of being lost, as I was getting to know the best trails around my city my confidence to explore, and my confidence to push further helped me to get ready to the spring and summer.

My weaknesses

When I started to do some competitions (FKT speed trail, and two other races) I realized how slow I am during downhill and flat running. I could easily catch the runners during uphill sections, however when it came to downhill running, I was simply too slow.

Another thing I need to work on is technical flat terrain. During the races I enjoyed watching some runners passing me in faster paces. Another problem with this point is that during my normal life I am wearing glasses, so I don't feel that comfortable on the technical sections without glasses. Actually during a run I took my glasses with me, and tried running with them on a short section, just to see if I can see more clearly. In order to decide if it really helps or not I need to do try it more.

Races

Aug 2, 2020 - Lipizzanerheimat Berglauf: 8.40 km - 983 m elevation gain - 59m53s

Aug 29, 2020 - Phyrn-Pierl Speed Trail: 19.02 km - 1152 m elevation gain - 2h2m35s

Things to focus for the next season

I need to continue to improve my endurance. This is the single important strength that a mountain runner needs. As long as there is no endurance, a fast downhill running solely cannot help to finish a marathon distance on the mountains. I know already how to work on this.

The second most important thing to work on is to keep a routine interval training on a flat track. It doesn't need to be too often. But couple of times in a month would help me definitely.

Of course, doing hill sprints are going to be an important part of my training. But this time it would be beneficial to do them on a trail not on asphalt. Galgenberg climb can be an ideal playground for this.

I definitely need to integrate some downhill running on a trail into my training plain. I am aware that these sessions will be very high impact, therefore before and after these sessions a good recovery will be important before carrying on with my hard training units. I need to look for some ideal training grounds for these sessions. A terrain with a certain technical difficulty level, on which I can also work on the mental side of downhill running.

I need to learn to take a break sometimes. Experience has shown that when I don't hesitate to skip some runs, then I can recover better and do my other more important runs better. 

When I reached the finish line of the Phyrn-Priel Speed Train race, I was so calm, my feeling was that I went to a normal weekend run. I observed the other runners, and I saw in their faces how they were giving their best, how they were suffering. I had none of these feelings. If I also gave my best, I could easily finish with a much better time. Maybe it is because of my nature that I am not a competitive person, or I just don't like suffering. It doesn't matter, I definitely need to work on giving my best during the races. I need to find a reason for it. Otherwise running on a race does not have a meaning.

---

Finally, I will always remember my Reichenstein - Gösseck traverse: My mental readiness to do such a thing, my preparation from the first moments of that day, and how everything went so smoothly, and my exhaustion and feeling of hitting the limit in the last kilometers (something that I was striving for).