We've set our goals for the season and the strategy - or training plan - in order to achieve them. It's now time to train!

How can we better handle and execute our training plan? How can se make informed decisions on whether we should take a rest day or not, whether we're running too much or too hard, what should we do if life gets in the way and we need to skip one or two sessions? What should we prioritize and what are the things that matter the most when we are out there trying to achieve a training session?

How do we know when and if we should change plans and deviate from the program?

We like to look at training in a holistic way, and there's always a certain level of independence when it comes to managing your training. Communication with your coach is key, and so are many other areas of your life that are not directly related to training, but have an impact on it: nutrition, sleep, recovery, work and family life.

These are the main topics of discussion of this episode in collaboration with Daniel Rowland, a Vert.run coach and an accomplished endurance athlete.

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Anthony Felber is a French pro trail athlete running for Team Sidas Matryx. 

Anthony is very young but he’s already established himself as one of the best trail runners in the world, especially in the short distances. In 2022, he took 9th place overall in the Golden Trail World Series, he placed 7th at Pikes Peak Ascent and 5th at Flagstaff Skypeaks, he won Eiger Ultra Trail 50k and he ran 2:37 at Sierre-Zinal. 

In this episode will learn more from him and about team Sidas Matryx, a very interesting French reality that develops young talents in trail and mountain running. We will talk about the Golden Trail World Series, how Anthony has gradually improved over the years, how he combines skimo and running over the winter, his relationship with his coach, his studies in architecture, his passion for cooking and much more.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Kaytlyn Gerbin is a professional trail runner sponsored by North Face living in Washington, United States.

Kaytlyn has established herself as one of the best endurance athletes in the world: she’s been on the podium of two of the most iconic and competitive ultra trail races in the world - Western States in 2017 and UTMB in 2022 - and she’s a true lover of the sport, of the mountains and the wild spaces of the Pacific North West.

After the pandemic, Kaytlyn decided to take a break from her job as a scientist to fully focus on running professionally, and now she’s not only active as a pro athlete but she also has a strong voice inside the trail running community.  She’s part of the board of the Pro Trail Runners Association - a non profit association with the mission to help the athletes share their opinions and needs, and be an active part in shaping the future of our sport.

In this episode, we talk about her growth as an athlete, her decision to leave her job as a scientist, the differences that we see between trail running in the US and in Europe, her involvement in the pro trail runners association, its idea and mission and how she’s contributing to the project.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help other trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Thomas Krejci is the founder of Run2gether, an Austrian road and trail running team supported by On Running. 

The motto "Run2gether" does not only refer to just running training together. The team is made up by European and Kenyan runners who want to learn from each other, support each other, achieve goals together and benefit from each other on different levels. Run2gether is more than just a running team, it is also active with many educational and humanitarian projects in different villages in Kenya and it organizes training camps in Austria and Kenya.

Two of the strongest mountain runners in the world are part of this team: the Mountain Running World Cup 2022 winners Joyce Njeru and the world uphill champion Patrick Kipngeno. Some athletes, like Geoffrey Ndungu (a 2:08 marathoner) are also competing in the Golden Trail World Series.

Run2gether is a reality not just within the sport of trail running, and is a great example of how through sport we can have a much broader impact on our society.

Discover more about the team.

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

How do we go from setting our goals for the season to actually setting up a plan or a strategy in order to achieve them?

This is the main topic of this episode with coach Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science. 

We will talk about the concept of microcycle vs macrocycle, what should be included and how long it should be; how to set up your microcycle, the key elements, matching the focus of the macrocycle and the choice and order of the sessions; how to monitor your training load and the key metrics for it. Finally, we will give a few practical examples to better understand how your typical microcycle (which often coincides with your training week) could look like.

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Jim Walmsley is a professional trail runner from the United States running for Hoka. 

He's one of the absolute GOATS of the sport, an athlete that should need no introduction. I’m lucky enough to be able to call Jim a friend, and I’ve shared with him some of the best racing moments of my career.

In his personal quest to win UTMB, and most importantly chasing the best version of himself in the process, Jim has moved to Beaufort, a small village in the french alps where he’s currently training and living. I’ve reached out to him to see how he’s doing, how his training has changed over the past few years, how some decisions and defining moments have changed the course of his career, what are some of the goals and objectives he wishes to achieve in 2023 and in future years.

Check out the YouTube series Walmsley by Wahoo

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

Greg Vollet is the creator and director of the Golden Trail World Series, a circuit that exists to celebrate and grow the sport of trail running to the highest level. Zegama, Sierre-Zinal, Mont Blanc Marathon and Pikes Peak are just some of the most iconic events that are part of this global series, races that any trail runner from all over the world dreams of running at least once in his lifetime. 

Thanks to the Golden Trail Series, the sport of trail running has grown and become more professional, allowing many athletes to make a living from it, broadcasting the races, inspiring and celebrating the fans. 

In this episode, we talk about how the concept of this series was born, what opportunities the athletes have to get involved, what's behind the races and the live coverage, how the 2022 series went and some anticipations for 2023. 

Check out the new TV Series CHASING DREAMS

Follow the Golden Trail Series on Instagram

Get in touch https://www.goldentrailseries.com/contact.htm

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

This is the second part of "How to plan your trail running season" with Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science.

After talking about how to choose your goal races or objectives, understanding your starting point and what are the key factors in planning the season, this episode will cover:

1) training phases and elements in the preparation

2) accounting for the specificity of your goals

3) philosophy and approach to training

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

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Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

It's easy to get excited about races and goals, but how much can we really handle until it's not sustainable anymore? How many races is it realistic to plan? What is a good way to plan the season in order to perform well, recover enough and have fun? Should every athlete have an off season? What should our periodization look like? 

Just a few of the questions that we will discuss with Daniel Rowland, a trail and ultramarathon runner and Vert.run coach, one of the most interesting Twitter profiles I follow and a great expert in endurance science. In the first part of this conversation, we will cover in particular:

1) choosing goal races or objectives

2) what is your starting point right now?

3) key factors in planning the season

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

_____________________________

Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website

2022 was a memorable year for many reasons. We wanted to close it with an in-depth review of what happened inside the sport of trail and ultra running over the past 12 months.

Some topics that we covered:

Enjoy!

Please rate, review and share our show: it will help more trail runners discover this podcast!

_____________________________

Follow @vert.run on IG

Download our app and sign up to our training plans on vert.run

You can send us a message with any questions for us or for our guests! https://anchor.fm/vertrun/message

Francesco's links: Instagram | Twitter | Strava | Website