Gabriel’s trail running adventures
One morning, a little over one year ago, I decided to change my daily routine and start doing more sports. The idea was to discover new horizons, explore different paths that would lead me to mountains and natural wonders. But how to climb mountains and discover their hidden gems without the famous seven-league boots? It took me a few days to solve this riddle… The answer was: trail running! I had just found the key to a priceless treasure, full of extraordinary places and multitude of flora and fauna that are not accessible to motors and cars. My legs would be the only means of transportation. I was about to start running, not after the time anymore, but on grounds far away from asphalt.
You’ll probably tell me: “Why not hiking then?!” If I wanted to see landscapes and walk all the trails without having to pitch a tent, trail running was the only way to cover longer distances in less time. Dreaming is good but I knew I was not going to last long if I did not use all the resources at my disposal. Inexperienced in the field with a body that was rather accustomed to a soft computer chair, a smooth transformation was needed. So, I contacted a coach that loves trail running, who introduced me to this sport thanks to a daily workout plan and personalized monitoring to make things right and without harm. Thank you, Christophe Malardé!
Regular trainings and perseverance are good but only if accompanied by appropriate nutrition. I thus asked a dietitian/sports nutritionist for help. What an effort it was to change my nutrition habits and adapt my lifestyle to endurance sports. Thank you, Nicolas Aubineau!
Moreover, some applications have been accompanying me sportingly. Strava allows me to have a look at the trainings, paths, monthly challenges and encouragement of the followers. Well One encompasses many features that motivate me each day and allow me to live a healthy lifestyle and have a training regularity. Thanks to the Health Score I have an objective view of my quality of life and the little things that can be improved. My daily Well One use is very simple. After tracking the workout with my Suunto watch, Well One synchronizes the data automatically through Movescount and all the necessary information is directly transferred to the Well One app. This way I can see my tracks and my workout history in the timeline of the application. I enter manually steps and sleep. Well One thus serves me as agenda: it allows me to keep an eye on my daily activities and, thanks to the Health Score, helps me track my lifestyle. In order to keep a high score I need a balanced life in terms of food, sports, sleep, stress management, etc.
But wait, I am note done: there is a workout journal, and even small amusing challenges organized by the Well One team. For instance, in the last one, in December 2015, people could track different activities with the aim of burning the most energy (MET h). I had the chance get second and as prize I received a Withings scale. Isn’t this application nice?
To get back to trail running… It’s been a year now since I started trail running. I have not found my seven-league boots, but I have enjoyed certain trips, marvelous places and adventures. Summary of my 2015:
- 1860 kilometers of trail running, 50300 meters of difference in height in 182 hours;
- To vary a bit: 1200 kilometers by bike, 16400 meters of difference in height in 61 hours.
Gabriel Souleyre, 34 years old, France
Here some adventures:
June 21st 2015: Traces of Laudun (20.5 km)
4th place and 1st in my category: Happy of the good result in my beloved hills. Good knowledge of the territory helps.
July 21st, 2015: a 42.4 km run
First time I did more than 30 km, a treat in the Vercors!
December 13th, 2015: Hivernatrail (19 km)
Happy with the result!
