Full gas into 2021

A week ago, I started the winter training. Today, I was again selected for the national team. A great winter is ahead of me.

I’m looking back on a pretty unspectacular season 2020. In February and March, I spent time in training camps in Spain and Portugal, preparing for the races ahead and I was looking forward to them. But as you know, things turned out differently. Lockdown No. 1 arrived and spring was literally over. Instead of racing the first competitions in April, I was training more than ever. In June, I spent 3 weeks in St. Moritz with some friends in a high-altitude training camp. It was fun to train in smaller groups again and especially in a different place, and not always from my own front door. In summer, we actually had two competition weekends, but exclusively for the elite, and a training camp with the squad in Gstaad.

The anticipation of a more competitive autumn was big. At the only test races of the year I got qualified for the only international event of the year, the Euromeeting in Czech Republic. But the Swiss Championships in the sprint, middle and long distance remained the highest of the feelings. Lockdown No. 2 unfortunately ended the season early.

Nevertheless, my first season in the elite class was a success. I was able to increase the amount of training considerably, deliver some solid results and trying to blend in the team.

My first Elite Swiss Champs

After an unspectacular spring and summer, a handful of national races took place this autumn. As expected, I was not at the top of the ranking at my first individual Swiss Champs in the elite class. But I can still be satisfied with the 14th and 16th place in the sprint and long distance respectively. With these races, I also qualified for the only international event this year that isn’t cancelled yet, the Euromeeting in Czech Republic in the end of October.

At the Sprint Relay Champs, I won the silver medal with the OLV Baselland. After a long lead we came second in the end. It is great fun to run with such a strong team.

Preperation for an autumn full of competitions

I finally managed to edit a review video of the altitude training camp in Engadine. It gives you a little insight into the daily training during three weeks in June. Some numbers: 44h of training, 350km / 11'000m of running, 260km / 2'600m of cycling, thousands of calories burned and countless beautiful views enjoyed.

In July, I trained at home most of the time and tried to avoid the hottest hours. The training alone is a lot of fun, but I'm really looking forward to the autumn season to begin. Now there are 2,5 weeks left until the test races for the Euromeeting in Czech Republic. Next week, I will work on my orienteering technique with the swiss team in the region of Gstaad. Afterwards, I will concentrate on recovery to get the maximum out of myself at the test races.

The first competitions, finally!

Two of the three weeks of the altitude training camp in St. Moritz are already over. As a preparation for the very short competition season 2020, I'm training with the Swiss Team here at 1750m.a.s.l. The air is thin, the nature is beautiful and the weather is not great. In terms of training, it offers everything an athlete's heart desires, from the trails around St. Moritz to the winding Engadine villages, the alpine forests, the 400m track, the mountain pass roads to the Bernina and Julier, and the indoor swimming pool.

This weekend, the first competitions are finally taking place in the Lower Engadine, more than three months late. On Saturday, a middle distance will be held in Susch and on Sunday two sprints (Quali and Final) in Sent and Ftan respectively. I am looking forward to feel the tension before the start and the competition feeling again. Furthermore, I can compare myself with others in the serious fight and I am curious where I stand and what still has to be done. These competitions are not yet of the greatest importance, but a good first test regarding the test races at the end of August.

More training, new website!

After good basic training in winter and two intensive training camps in Spain and Portugal, I was ready for the start of the season in March. Now, as of today, the first important competitions of this year will take place in August instead of April.

Fortunately, the training during the lockdown as an orienteer, was not very limited. During this time, I was literally an "individual athlete" and trained alone from home every day. From time to time, my training motivation decreased a little bit. The lack of competitions makes it difficult to remind yourself why you train at all.

But after all, I do not only have goals for this season, but also long-term goals. That's why I saw this situation as an opportunity to develop a better basis with good, constant training, and to reduce the gap to the best in the national team.

In April, I set a new personal record with 473km and 12'200hm running training. It seems that I was pushing myself to the limit and I had to fight with known shin problems. But by reacting quickly and doing a little less running but more cycling training, I got rid of it quite fast.

The lockdown also gave me enough time to set up a new website. Here I will upload news regularly, as soon as there is a little more to tell. ;)