The cancellation of many Trail Running Races, such as the Lavaredo Ultra Trail, the Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc, the Tor Des Geants and many others, have thrown the trail runners into despair. The reasons are various: the loss of the annual goals, the economic aspects, the disappointment of the cancellations and the difficulty of enrolling in the races still available … but they are not the only ones. Finally, the sense of deprivation of alternatives also adds to demotivation.
This difficult situation can be an opportunity to reflect on the approach to ultra trail running and on the real reasons that drive us to “run” the trail running competitions and in particular on our predisposition for ultra trail endurance.
It could console you the fact that Elite athletes also experience similar difficulties.
In an interview where one of the topics was “motivation”, the trail running champion Kilian Jornet underlined that: “Racing is definitely a fun thing. It’s an opportunity to measure yourself, but it’s not the ultimate goal. It’s just a tool for staying fit in a way. The ultimate goal is to run in the mountains, see the landscape and explore; to get different feelings and sensations “.
Kilian wanted to say that it is certainly important to find motivation in participating in the goal race, but this cannot be the only motivation for a male or female trail runner. An ultra trail runner must have the strength and intelligence to always find new or renewed motivations both in sport and in family and professional life.
If we share this thought, why not take a cue to find stimuli and alternative solutions to prepare for the races scheduled in Autumn.
Here are some tips:
Would you like some advice on where and how to train? Email us here: info@trailrunningmovement.com
Buy our Ebooks on Trail Running Training and Nutrition here: Ebooks Trail Running
Digital Strategic Marketing Director – certified Innovation Manager – in multinational companies, she is still today the only Italian female athlete to have ran 900 km and 55,000m D+ in the mountains in a single stage race (Transpyrenea 2016, 3rd women overall). She counts numerous Podiums and international Victories on races over 100k. She holds a SNaQ CONI certification as a Trail Running Coach, Athletic Trainer and in Nutrition and Sports Supplementation. Since 2014 she is President and sports executive of innovative technology startups and companies, including Trail Running Movement and Digital Sport 360. She trains elite trail running athletes and she teaches in trail running coach certification courses. She is an author of sports articles on training, nutrition and supplementation in trail running and running, both in Italian and in English and Spanish. She manages relationships and collaborations with Federations and Race Organizers.