

Suunto Blog

Emelie Forsberg's tips for getting running fit
Finding your running legs after a long winter or a period of inactivity is always a challenge. Emelie Forsberg offers some old school advice: Just get out there and run!
For the trail runner Emelie Forsberg, there is only a small window to get fit after winter. The first race on the calendar is the brutal 80km Transvulcania in mid-May, which doesn't leave a lot of time to train if, like her, you're into ski-touring and other mountain sports! But the Suunto ambassador says there is a way to quickly regain your running fitness:
“I'm old school! I was recently in Chamonix and was worried I had heavy legs. I spent four days there. I ran for three hours on the first day and three hours on the second day. On the third day I felt good so I ran for six hours!
My tip is just to never give up. You may not feel good the first time or even the second time but you will feel good soon. You just have to get over the hard part and then you can start to enjoy it and you'll be running fit again.”
However, there are some running specific exercises she does practise.
Emelie's five running specific exercises
“I do five exercises that are really good for working the small muscles that are important for running. You just need to do them a few times to wake the muscles up.”
1. Plank, sideplank and reverse plank: “This is good for the core, back and hamstrings.”
2. 'Paddling' with rocks: “This is good for the abs.”
3. Side leg raises: “I do this to wake up the small muscles in the hips that connect to the IT band.”
4. 'Swim' with rocks. “This is great for the lower back and shoulders. I lie on my stomach, lift up my chest and 'swim' with a water bottle or rock in one hand.”
5. Hip flexor stretch: “This is important for running.”

Adventure is all about discovery, says Kilian Jornet
In between a super busy race schedule, we managed to catch up with the recently voted National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Kilian Jornet. The Suunto ambassador shares his thoughts on adventure, reveals who his heroes are, and what Apps he never hits the trails without. Congratulations! Thanks! It's great to be an ambassador for running and mountaineering and to see these sports get recognised. And if I can inspire other people to fulfil their dreams, that's really motivating.
What are you up to right now? I'm very busy. It's the middle of the ski mountaineering season and I have two world cup races coming up. I'm really doing a lot of meters now for the next month and a half.
And then? I go to McKinley (Denali) in June and then Aconcagua in winter to continue my Summits of My Life project.
“The summit is just an excuse; it's more about the way, and not the goal.”
What is your definition of adventure? Adventure for me is about discovery. It's about going to new places, whether physical places or new sensations that you haven't experienced before. You can go to the high mountains but if you have all the information, it may not be an adventure. Equally, you can go behind your house and if you don't know what's there, then it can turn into an adventure because you're going somewhere unknown. When you want to explore, adventure comes.
Do you see yourself as an adventurer? People like to give labels but I don't think like that. I feel like a person who simply loves the mountains.
You have a huge fanbase. But who are your heroes? When I was a kid, I was always looking to the big mountaineers like Walter Bonatti or Reinhold Messner but also people like Ueli Steck are a huge inspiration. Bonatti started the idea of light alpinism and Messner did the same in the Himalayas and Ueli is taking it one step further. The summit is just an excuse; it's more about the way, and not the goal.
Favorite App? I use Current Incline for when I'm climbing or skiing, Total Ascent-Descent for counting the meters - I will do up to 700,000 a year - and Vertical Speed. I really like the way I can personalize my Ambit to have just the sports I want.
Next year you plan to climb Mt Everest. After that...? I don't know, I will see what I will do. It's important to have goals but also listen to the feelings of today and stay in the moment. For me, adventure and exploring is more than just achieving a list of things.
Get more adventure on our Facebook page. Find out and follow Kilian's next adventures on his website www.kilianjornet.cat.