Feeling is an excellent metric for recovery. If your feelings after exercise start to trend downwards, something is not right. You may be pushing too hard, not recovering well enough or might be getting sick. Consider taking a break or doing something different for a change. But in addition to helping you track your recovery, feeling data reveals more. Here are six interesting findings about Suunto community, based on the data from Suunto app database. 1. Activity type does matter: The best feelings on average are recorded after dancing, downhill skiing, horseback riding, badminton and snowboarding. 2. Two activity types stand out as exceptionally poor: The feelings after running and trail running are clearly below other activity types. 3. Weather does not have a big impact on the feeling – unless it is a torrential downpour: The activity type, for example choosing cycling over running, has a much bigger impact. 4. Gender makes a difference: Women have more (or at least as much) fun as men in all other activity types except soccer. 5. Age does not matter: The age of the athlete did not have a correlation with the mood after exercise. 6. Country heavily impacts the mood: People exercising in Austria, China, Croatia, Poland and Serbia are generally feeling exceptionally well after a training session, while France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden are in the opposite end of the list with much poorer feelings after working out. In addition to fun facts, the data also reveals interesting trends: As an example, the feeling in cycling, swimming and walking rose to a new, higher level in March 2020 and has stayed on that higher level. Changes in other activity types since Covid pandemic started have not been as clear. Happy adventures – and keep on tracking your activity feelings for your own wellbeing and our shared interest! Lead image: Harald Wisthaler Bikewash image: Anthony Bonello

Verna Volker became a runner to lose weight, but instead fell in love with it and found it brought her closer to herself. She grew up in the Dzilnaoodilii area of New Mexico and is from Navajo Nation. A former second grade teacher, she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and four children. “My journey has taken me from a newbie runner to a marathoner and recently to an ultra-marathoner when I finished my first Ultra 50-mile race,” Verna says. “My desire is to use my running to inspire others.” In this article, Verna explains her experience as a native runner in the United States and what we can all do to make the running scene more welcoming and inclusive for indigneous runners. By Verna Volker Diversity isn’t new to me. When I started my running journey, I became aware of the lack of diversity in the running community. It wasn’t just at the races, it was also evident on magazine covers and in running apparel advertising. I remember scanning through social media, and only seeing one type of runner: thin, blonde, white and fast. I didn’t see myself so I decided to create a space for our native women to be seen running. On January 23, 2018, before there was a drive for diversity in the mainstream running scene, I created Native Women Running, an Instagram account for this purpose for native women runners across the United States and Canada. In the wake of the death of George Floyd, and other widely reported cases of injustice here in the US, running companies, individuals and organizations reached out to me asking for native runners to participate on their panels, teams or anything to show they were taking diversity seriously in their spaces. A majority of these were white-led spaces who wanted to make change and be good allies. Many focused on having diversity, but not necessarily having inclusivity. “Inclusion” is defined as “embracing all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need.” It’s about giving equal access and opportunities to people of color while eliminating discrimination and intolerance. Another way I saw this defined is, “diversity is being invited to the ball, inclusion is being asked to dance.” As a native runner, I wanted to put a spotlight on native runners. The running world, like so much of society, has failed to remember this land that so many of us enjoy running on is native land. For the native community it is considered stolen land. Native runners have a different perspective from non-native runners while out running. Yes, we run competitively, however our running focuses on healing, ceremony, and prayer. It’s been four years since I've been involved in the native running community. Time and time again, running organizations, companies, and everyone and everything running related ask me for ideas to help them become better allies to our native community. Though I don’t speak for all natives, here are a few of my best ideas for organizations looking to be more inclusive of native runners. Offer a land acknowledgment This is usually a formal statement that is written or a verbal recognition of the ancestral lands of native peoples. It’s recognizing the past, present and future of our native people. When delivering a land acknowledgment, it’s important to do careful research, educate the audience and think about your end goals of such a statement. Here is a great resource on appropriate ways for going about this: https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment Going beyond land acknowledgment Though It's important to give a land acknowledgement with true self-reflection and good intentions, it’s equally important to consider the action that underpins the acknowledgement. Often land acknowledgement is performative, vague, trendy or something to check off the to-do-list. To go beyond a land acknowledgement means to support local native running communities in the area of your events. That can range from compensating native runners for any emotional labor, to supporting native youth programs by donating funds or forming partnerships that will benefit native communities. Build real authentic relationships with native runners For example, two years ago, I reached out to Go-Guarded, a self-defense product for active individuals. I wanted to provide their products to the followers of Native Women Running. Shortly after my email, the company responded and provided a discount code for our followers. Since then, they have continued to support Native Women Running and my own personal journey. They have donated to and participated in our events. They didn’t just show up once, but continue to do so to this day. Platform native runners Give native runners opportunities to be on your board, panel, advisory team or serve as ambassadors. More importantly, listen to them, take them seriously and learn from them. Provide scholarships There are many native runners who are capable of competing but just don’t have the means to do so. Sponsoring allows more opportunities and gives more visibility to a group that is often underrepresented. Give exposure Give native running organizations, companies or individuals opportunities to have exposure at running expos. Exposure of their work to the general running community will allow others to support, build partnerships and form relationships. Offer a safe space for native runners A safe space not only provides physical safety but also psychological and emotional safety. White spaces can be due to racial harassment, microaggression and dismissing the experience and concerns of native people. Ask yourself questions such as: will native runners feel that accommodations are as welcoming as they traditionally have been for white runners? Will native runners feel welcome and included in that space? Educating, listening, learning, and getting uncomfortable will give you a greater understanding on how to show up for native runners. There are many ways to incorporate inclusivity into running, but it’s important to have a plan and have the will to act on the plan. This work is hard, but very much appreciated. As a native runner, I have personally experienced being in a white space where I was dismissed, misunderstood, used, gaslit, publicly shamed and unheard. It led to conflict that left me traumatized. Though it has been a season of healing and learning for me, I will continue to move forward with optimism and a hope and for the continued mission of Native Women Running.

All photographers have been there: you’re heading up into the mountains to capture that long sought after moody landscape, but arrive just as the light gets that touch too low or too bright. It can be so frustrating, right? Pro adventure photographer Maximilian Gierl knows the feeling well. He says that’s why it’s so exhilarating to finally capture the perfect shot. It takes patience, time, often disappointment, which makes it that much sweeter when he nails it. Take for example the shot below of him jumping on a trail in Chamonix with Mont Blanc in the background. He had it in mind for years, but the conditions never played ball when he visited. And then finally he got the sweet taste of success.“This is a shot when everything just aligned,” Maximilian says. “I love being in Chamonix in autumn - the clouds, lakes and forest are so special. When we got to Chamonix, I saw I could finally get this mood I had been searching for for years. I ran up 1400 m as quickly as I could to get it.” Climbing 4000ers and mastering timing From Germany and living in Switzerland, Maximilian has recently finished an alpinism challenge he began in 2015: climbing all 48 of the alpine nation’s 4000 m mountains while documenting the adventure. “It’s pretty good for someone who didn’t grow up with mountaineering,” he says. “I started mountaineering in 2015 and climbed most of them in the last two years.”For Maximilian, the best outdoor shots are moody with a mix of cloud and light. “I love to shoot landscape scenes you can’t shoot one day later again,” he says. “It’s a challenge and hard to plan. If it happens and you nail the shot, it’s super crazy.”With timing being everything, Maximilian uses his Suunto 9 Peak to manage his photography adventures.His watch helps him get to his shot locations on time for the best light conditions. Here are four ways his Suunto helps him nail epic shots. Navigate in the dark The last of Switzerland’s 4000 m giants Maximilian climbed was Lenzspitze (4294 m), which is famous for its imposing north flank - a 50-55-degree ice wall. Maximilian and his climbing partner followed a route on their Suunto watches to climb the face and reached the summit before sunrise. “When going to shoot in new places, I plan the route in Komoot and transfer it to my Suunto,” Maximilian says.” This is especially helpful when I’m ascending in the morning when it’s still dark out. Then I use the navigation and it’s super helpful and easy and means I get there on time.” Read more: How to find routes that rock How to create your own routes Set sunrise and sunset alarms Maximilian uses his watch to make sure he’s on location for the golden hour (the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise) and the blue hour (one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset), when the light is best for photography. His watch also shows him how long the blue hour, his favorite time for photography, will last. Maximilian sets sunrise and sunset alarms to help with time management so he’s in the right location at just the right time. “Knowing the time of sunrise at my location helps me to get as much sleep as possible while still being on time at the planned spot,” he says. “I time the alarm 10-15 minutes before I need to go.” The sunrise/sunset alarms in Suunto 9 watches are adaptive alarms based on your location. Instead of setting a fixed time, you can set the alarm for how much in advance you want to be alerted before the actual sunrise or sunset. Read more: how to set sunrise and sunset alarms. Get key info at a glance with Suunto’s Outdoor watch face The Outdoor watch face for the Suunto 9 Peak, Baro, 9, 5 and 3 watches allows users to track conditions and daylight hours with just a quick glance. No need to press buttons or scroll – the essential info is presented on the main screen. Maximilian uses it to help him stay on time and to determine when is the best moment for a shoot. “Just a quick look on my watch tells me all the important information like the current altitude, moon phase and time until sunrise or sunset” The watch face features a sun gauge that displays the number of night and daylight hours before sunrise and sunset. Tap the screen once, and the watch face displays the number of hours until sunset or sunrise, plus the battery life remaining, or the moon phase, which is helpful because on a full moon night you know you’ll have extra light to stay out a little longer. Read more about the Outdoor watch face here. Following the moon phases Maximilian uses the Outdoor watch face to track the moon phases on his watch so he knows when is a good night and time to shoot the night sky. “It tells me when the night sky will be at its darkest,” he says. “I can then plan when to shoot the Milky Way.” Read more about tracking moon phases here. All images: © Maximilian Gierl Photography

If it’s not in Strava, it didn’t happen! And if it did happen, you can (try to) do it, too: Simply save the route and sync it to your Suunto for navigation. In addition to sharing your activities with the community and chasing segment crowns, Strava is also a huge source of routes. You can, for example, create your own routes, use route suggestions, and save your friends’ routes for navigation. To get started with using Strava routes together with your Suunto watch, connect the two accounts in Suunto app (Go to Profile -> Partner services -> Strava). If you have already connected your Suunto account with Strava, you will need to reconnect the two to enable the route sync: Simply disconnect and reconnect to get the new feature in use. Reconnecting will allow the route content to flow to your Suunto app. Once the two accounts are connected the routes marked with a star in “My Routes” in Strava will be synced to your Suunto app and Suunto watch. Strava routes work as any other route in a Suunto. “Unstarring” a route in Strava will also remove it from Suunto app NOTE: Syncing routes from Strava to Suunto app requires a Strava Premium subscription. You can get a 60-day trial as part of the Suunto Value Pack or by starting your free trial here. Learn more about routes on Strava

Living a more sustainable life starts with small, everyday choices. And, when done often enough and by enough people, these small changes will add up and start to have an impact. To support you in this, we have added the ability to track your human-powered commutes with Suunto app: In addition to seeing how much you have exercised on your way to work, you will also see the climate impact of your commuting choices: Suunto app compares your commuting activities with driving the same distance and gives an estimate on the CO2e emissions you have saved. To start tracking, you don’t need to do more than ride, run or walk from point A to point B and save your activity. On the first occasion a commuting activity has been tracked, you will be asked if you would like to activate the automatic tagging with the “commute” tag. Suunto app can automatically tag one-way trips that start and end at least 500 meters (0.3 miles) apart as commutes. The reduced CO2e emissions for a single activity will be shown in the workout summary and the new commuting widget on the app’s home page will show your monthly total for CO2e saved. You can easily encourage your friends to follow your example: add a photo to your commuting activity and share it with the CO2e value as a data overlay. Happy commuting and CO2e saving! Calculating Saved CO2e emissions CO2e demonstrates the global warming potential (GWP) of all six greenhouse gases in one number. We calculate your emission reduction by comparing cycling, walking or running to driving your car. About the calculation CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) emissions of travel by car (average of a petrol/diesel powered car). Emission factor: 0,170652 kg CO2e/km. CO2e demonstrates the global warming potential (GWP) of all six greenhouse gases: CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, NF3 in one number. Data source: Govt of UK, Dept. of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 2022. Read more: Committed to be better – Suunto’s approach to sustainability

It’s almost become a cliché: our biggest obstacle is usually ourselves. It’s not “out there”, but usually “in here”. Recognizing this marks an important transition in life. It’s often when we really start to fly as individuals. In endurance sports our inner obstacles get magnified and compressed into a short period of time. Especially at the elite level, our head space has a massive impact on our game. Suunto ambassador Anton Krupicka has had a long career as an elite endurance athlete. Through the years he’s had ample opportunity to explore what it takes to build mental toughness. It’s a slippery thing, he says. Something we must take hold of again and again. Read on for Anton’s eloquent take on the secrets of mental toughness.   Waiting for the start at Unbound XL 2022. Photo by Sami Sauri   By Anton Krupicka   Unbound XL 2021 In 2021, when I first rode the Unbound XL–an approximately 350-mile (563 km) gravel race in the Flint Hills of Kansas–I came away from the weekend a bit, I don’t know, unimpressed, I guess. Underwhelmed, nonplussed. I hadn’t found the experience of riding my bike over the course of 28hr as emotionally affecting or significant as I had expected or hoped. Pedaling back into Emporia at the finish contained none of the end-of-race euphoria, relief, or satisfaction that I’ve come to associate with such ultra-endurance pursuits. After letting the effort marinate for a few days, however, I realized the flatness of my experience was on me. For the first 250 miles (402 km) or so I had done a relatively good job of staying focused and engaged, riding to the best of my abilities. In the last 100 miles (161 km), though, I had let heat and drowsiness (the race starts at 3pm; riding through the night is mandatory) dominate my mindset; I basically soft pedaled the last 100 miles. At the finish, I already knew I had let myself down, and as a result, the whole event left me feeling unfulfilled. This didn’t sit well, and after some reflection, I was determined to return in 2022 with a more resolute attitude and give the event the opportunity to have an impact on me. There’s a certain kernel of truth to the cliche “nothing risked, nothing gained”. I hadn’t taken any chances, and I was, appropriately, not rewarded.   When the tough get going ... Photo by Sami Sauri   Motivation & Racing Recently, I was asked by a friend, after such a long career in endurance racing—primarily as a mountain ultrarunner—why do I still line up for races like the Unbound XL? It’s a good question, and I’ve asked myself that often. Over the last 15 years, my motivations for racing have shifted significantly. Ten years ago, I think I was still firmly operating from a place of seeking external validation. I was racing for my ego, to beat people, to garner respect from the community and my peers as a top athlete. After years of injury, and a certain amount of maturation, however, my perspective has changed. I’ve realized that races are rare opportunities for us to try our best. To try to be at our best. Now, my motivation is not external—I would say my physical prime has passed, and, in general, I’m simply more comfortable with who I am and my place in the world.Today, my motivation to race is more internal. I want to embrace the opportunity of working with other competitors to confront a significant challenge and be pushed and pulled to give it my best effort. To be proud of the way in which I conduct myself in the face of absurd difficulties. To fully experience life at an elevated level. The intensity of racing ratchets up the richness of life. So many emotions are crammed into a race—by time you get to the end, you feel as if you’ve lived a year’s worth of experiences, not just a day. Those are experiences that I never want to take for granted or stop seeking. But, the nature of these events is such, that, to get there, you must, by definition, endure. This requires mental toughness. Last year’s Unbound XL taught me that a race is only as momentous an experience as the amount of effort that you put into it. Trying my best—regardless of finishing rank—is the essential ingredient to having an experience that will push me to grow, leave me satisfied and form a lasting memory.   Things don't always go to plan. Photo by Sami Sauri Sagebrush & Summits: A Tour of Enduring About a month after the Unbound XL last year, I embarked on a three-week, 2300-mile (3700 km) bike tour that involved running and climbing six of the highest, most remote peaks in the Rocky Mountains. It was arduous. Every single day I was forced to confront some kind of weakness about myself, some inadequacy to deal with the challenge. For the first week or so, it was really tough. By the end, however, I felt that I could detect a subtle, but important, shift in my mindset. When things got hard, it did not feel as mentally difficult to bear as it had at the beginning of the trip. I had realized an important lesson–when things got tough, they were only unbearable if I let my mind turn negative and project to somewhere in the future. If only this hill/headwind/washboard/rain/heat/dust (etc. etc. etc.) would end! If only I were already at the top of the climb, or the next gas station, or the next town! I realized that living with that future-focused mindset is untenable. If I let my mind fall into such a pattern, the task at hand would always feel interminable. The alternative, of course, is to strive for contentment in the moment. Once I could accept my inadequacies in the moment and make peace with the fact that all I could do was try my best, the angst would fall away. The present moment would become bearable, even enjoyable. That lesson was the great gift of that long tour.   One thing at a time. Stay in the moment. Photo by Sami Sauri Unbound XL 2022 In preparing for the Unbound XL this spring, I set out on a planned three-day tour of 150 miles a day in late March. My first night out went horribly. It was colder than I’d anticipated; my sleeping bag was too light. Out of desperation, I ended up sleeping in a Port-a-Pottie, desperate for any extra warmth. The next morning I woke up feeling depraved and haggard after hardly having slept at all. In defeat, I tucked my tail, and, after several cups of coffee, pedaled my bike the shortest distance possible back to my home (it was still over 100mi, but not at all what I had intended). I had taken the lesson of the 2021 Sagebrush & Summits tour for granted. I thought I was permanently more mentally tough. This overnighter taught me that cultivating mental toughness—which really means mental equanimity in the face of hardship–was necessarily an on-going process. One never arrives at a state of mental toughness; it is a trait that must be constantly born anew. I am satisfied to say that my experience at the Unbound XL a couple weeks ago was much different than last year. There were plenty of challenges. After only 70 miles I crashed hard, gashing my left knee, hip, elbow and hand. Despite all the raw wounds and torn up hand I was able to figure out a way to keep holding onto the handlebars for the next 280 miles. I fixed flats and didn’t give up when I no longer had anyone to ride with through the night. When the skies opened up with torrential rain in the last 50 miles, I just tried to smile and think about what a good story all the mud and water would make when we got to the finish line. I’m already looking forward to next year, but I know that having a satisfying race again won’t just happen. I’ll have to stay engaged and keep tending a mindset of contentment and equanimity. The trap of pining away for something different in the future is ever-present, but I’m now confident that with vigilance I can avoid it and have the adventure I’m looking for.   Lead image by: © Fred Marmsater