#2 Talk with the Flow

That was it, the 2023 running season. The major competitions are over and the medals have been handed out. Time for us to take a look at the past and the future. So we took the opportunity to talk to Flo Neuschwander, ultra runner and founder of RUN WTF, about the past season, injury frustration and his plans for 2024.

Constanze:
"Hi, Flo! 2023 wasn't really your year, was it? If I've got it right, this year was the first time in your career that you were injured for a longer time period. How did that go for you?"

Flo:
"Yes, that's right. I've been running for more than 25 years and this year I had a stress fracture in my sacrum. That was quite a long-term injury. You hear and read about this type of injury among athletes all the time. But when you're actually affected yourself, it's something else. For me, it ultimately meant that I had to give up my entire racing season. And my whole training programme had to be rescheduled from scratch."

Constanze:
"What do you specifically mean by this? What did you have in mind initially and were you still able to take any benefits from the season?"

Flo:
"In the first half of 2023, I was actually planning to take part in shorter and runnable trail races. In other words, races between 60km and 100km. My goal is still to race the UTMB. Seeing the coverage every year and people like Zach Miller and Jim Walmsely doing their thing inspires me immensely and I want to go to Chamonix straight away! But also the WSER, which I already raced in 2018. I really want to do it again. 2023 was supposed to be a preparation year. I actually wanted to kick things off by running the Wings for Life World Run in Vienna. But three weeks before that, I got injured..."

Constanze:
"Yes, it's certainly crushing for an athlete when suddenly nothing goes the right way anymore. And then? What happened next?"

Flo: 
"After a few examinations, I got the diagnosis from the doctor and it was clear: no running for the next few months. Fortunately, you can cycle with a stress fracture, which I often do on ZWIFT to compensate and improve the foundation anyway. So I took the time in spring to do some cycling. Every day. This year I actually wanted to support my preparation for the Wings for Life World Run with an altitude training machine. I simply did it all on the bike in the basement. It was lovely spring outside and I sat on the trainer in the basement with my mask on and pedalled. Crazy, I know. But somehow good too!"

Constanze: 
"Well, you simply have to make the best of it..."

Flo: 
"Exactly. And then I was lucky enough to be given a starting place for the Ötztal Cycle Marathon by Garmin, one of my sponsors. That was absolutely great, of course. And at least I was able to take part in a legendary competition. Even if it was on the bike...and after a good 10-week break from running, I slowly started running again. The first two weeks were still very, very easy. But it worked and I was able to run almost normally again from August onwards."

Constanze: 
"And then you had to run UTMB Nice 100K, or what?"

Flo: 
"I had a DNF in Nice in 2022. Lousy weather and not my day at all. I dropped out back then. I really didn't want to run there again, but after the poor season I had a look at what else was going on in Europe from mid-September. Not that much really. And then I thought that Nice should be worth a try after all."

Constanze: 
"You haven't had any rain this year!"

Flo: 
"Yeah, it was really hot this year. I actually just wanted to see if my body could withstand such a physical effort again before I go into winter training and build up for 2024. The sacrum isn't 100% yet and I had the feeling that it wasn't running smoothly, especially at the end. But I was able to run through it and now I know that I have to pay special attention to this area in the build-up."

Constanze: 
"Do you already have a race calendar for next year?"

Flo: 
"The Wings for Life World Run in May is definitely set. I'll also be running a UTMB qualifier in Europe beforehand. Otherwise, I'll let the luck of the draw speak for the 2024 season and I'll be in the lottery pots for the UTMB and the WSER. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to qualify in Nice, which was secretly my wish, but the field was so strong in Nice. But I won't let that demotivate me and I'll just keep going."

Constanze: 
"What does winter and build-up training look like for you?

Flo: 
"Well, the major competitions and autumn marathons are over. That means putting your feet up, chilling out and taking a nice break from the season. For me, this is the time of year when I build in a lot of alternative training. Off to the trainer and the skis. Since I've been living in Inzell, I've been doing SkiMo and cross-country skiing. But it's also important to prepare mentally for what's to come. I review the old season, look at what was good in order to maintain it and plan the new season. You can start thinking about it and write a list of potential competitions. And then organise your training accordingly. After the season break, winter training will slowly start. Initially with very easy runs and alternative training. A classic structure would be to lay the foundations in winter and do easy units and also integrate alternative sports from time to time. The main thing is to get in plenty of hours of basic training. I then use the occasional cross country or New Year's Eve run as a speed test to see where I stand at the moment. Trail running season is actually the whole year round. But here too, most athletes should definitely take a good break from the season after the autumn highlights.

Constanze:
"Due to the many competitions that now take place, planning the season isn't even that easy. Many runners are at some starting line nearly every month."

Flo:
"Sure, because every passionate runner wants to run and that's a good thing. But competing in too many races can also be backfiring. So it's not for me. I prefer to do less races and give my body more time to recover. But everyone has to know that for themselves."

Constanze: 
"Okay, last question, Flo. I have a Golden Ticket for you here, meaning you can choose a competition that you can start in 2024, which one would that be and why?"

Flo:
"Phew, let me think about it. I actually think it would be the Comrades Marathon. It's a real traditional ultra that I've always found exciting because of the course and the changing profile. If I could choose right now, I would favour the course with the uphill. Because it changes from year to year. Sometimes it's more downhill and sometimes uphill. And since it should be uphill for me in 2024, then the course should be uphill too!"

Constanze: 
"Thank you Flo. Best ending! With that in mind, all the best for 2024."

#beoutstanding and #runwtf