2012 training/racing review

Trailplodder's 2012 highlight was finishing Trail Verbier St-Bernard 110 km - my 3rd start there!

2012 was a good year of racing for Trailplodder. I turned 50, but thanks to my new high-carb/low-fat plant-based diet (quite a change from my previous paleo low-carb/high-fat diet) I stayed 100% healthy (not even those ubiquitous flus) and definitely recovered quicker.

The only downside is that all that water in fruits and veggies can make you feel colder in winter, but that can actually be a huge advantage in warm/hot weather. That's a great tip to keep in mind with global warming - or global weirding as some choose to call it.

I grabbed tons of UTMB points by finishing Transgrancanaria 123K, Trail del Monte Soglio 63K, Trail Verbier St-Bernard 110K as well as the epic trail journey Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC).

I ran a marathon in Paris and a 50K around Lidingö island in Stockholm. And I finished Challenge Barcelona, a full ironman-distance triathlon along the scenic Maresme Coast in Catalonia.

I ran only 2,425 km (1,506 miles) in 2012. Even if I add the 387 km of walking, it's still only 54 km/week. This was because I wanted the hamstring that was torn in 2011 to heal and to get rid of my 2011 plantar fasciitis. The pain has now reduced to tolerable levels, although Leadville 100 founder Ken Chlouber probably hit the nail on the head when he said "Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone."

Normally I run about twice more in a year. For example in 2008 I ran more than a marathon as my long training run once every single week of the year. Last year my long runs were typically close to a half-marathon.

With 7,785 km cycling (mostly on wireless Taxc Bushido trainer) and 260 km swimming I totaled 10,862 km (6,750 miles) in 2012. In addition to that I used some EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulation) to prepare my quads for those Alpine downhills.

What's planned for 2013? More running training and longer long runs. Focusing on three key ultra trail running races in the summer: 80km du Mont Blanc, Eiger Ultra Trail (101K) and Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB 168K).

The last one depends on the results of the lottery in two weeks. They say there's about 30% chance of winning. Let's hope for the best.

I'd like to finish with another Ken Chlouber quote: "You are better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can." Have a great 2013 everyone and see you on the trails!