In part two of this three part series, Suunto ambassador Ryan Sandes offers more tips to help you become an ultra runner. 1. Focus on your goals It's important you have a schedule and that you know where your peak weeks are and when you need to back off and at the same time that schedule needs to be really flexible. Some weeks you just might not feel up to it, whereas others weeks you feel on top of the world and can maybe even do a bit more. The training schedule allows you to know where you're going and enables you to focus on your goals. South African ultra runner Ryan Sandes. ©Kolesky/Nikon/Red Bull Content Pool 3. Mix it up by cross training Strength work, a little mountain biking. cross country skiing, ski mountaineering are really great to help become a stronger runner. Doing strength work is a completely different stimulus and good balance to long distance running as it helps to prevent injury. For guys who are really heavy a long run can really take it out of you. Doing it on a bike might be better. Swimming can also help. Aqua jogging is also quite good as it stimulates your cardiovascular system and also aids recovery. 4. Go hot and cold Doing regular sessions in a sauna also helps. It increases your production of testosterone and stimulates recovery. Cold showers, cold tubs... they reset your neuromuscular system. Try different things and see what works for you. A lot of people break themselves by doing the same type of training so it's important to mix it up.Ryan checks his Suunto Ambit once every 30 minutes. ©Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool 5. Warm up properly Often before I run I do ten to fifteen minutes of basic mobility work to make sure everything is moving. People working a full time job might say they don't have the time, but I think you can do two or three minutes to warm up before you start running. Doing side bridge, push top leg back, basic mountain climbers bear crawls, basic lunges etc. 6. Quality over quantity Running a high mileage works for some people, but it’s important you don’t follow others blindly and instead find out what works best for you. Doing more quality training and dropping the quantity is definitely a good idea. For beginners, it’s better to do less and to focus more on recovery. Click here to read the first installment in this three part series from ultra running champion Ryan Sandes 7. Find your breath It’s important to train your diaphragm as well as your legs. One of the first things that will slow you down and make you fatigued is poor breathing. Your diaphragm is almost like a muscle so you need to train it as well. Practice deep belly breathing and you will improve your oxygen intake. 8. Break it down With ultra distance running you’ll constantly go through highs and lows and how you manage those will decide how your race will end up. It’s so important to stay positive. To help with this, try to break a long run or race down into lots of mini goals. Focusing on getting to the next aid station, for example, or getting up the next climb or to the next tree can trick your mind and make it all more achievable. 9. Get absorbed When you’re doing your long trail runs it’s important to have fun and to get absorbed in your surroundings. I know a lot of guys who come from a marathon or 10 km background and they constantly look at their watches and worry about how many minutes each kilometer is taking. This makes it difficult for them to enjoy themselves. I look at my watch once only every half an hour because it boosts my motivation to know how long I’ve been out, how far I’ve gone or how much I’ve climbed. Setting mini goals throughout the race helps to stay positive. ©Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool 10. Go social A lot of people like running on their own, and that’s cool, I enjoy it too, but it’s also nice to mix it up and run with other people. It makes it more fun. You’ve got to be careful if your trail buddies are a lot faster than you. It can be good for them to push you a little bit, but don’t do all your runs with them if you’re a lot slower. Do half your long runs with them and then go off on your own. Regular strength training helps to prevent injury, Ryan says. ©Kolesky/Nikon/Red Bull Content Pool

In the fifth episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series four time XTERRA world champion Conrad Stoltz talks about going fast, suffering and over 25 years of competing in triathlon.  Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz, #SuuntoAdventure Video Series Episode 5  Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Emelie Forsberg – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 1 Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with Kilian Jornet – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 3 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4

When it comes to experience, there are few athletes who can equal the triathlete Conrad Stoltz. The four-time XTERRA world champion has been competing since 1988, was at the Sydney Olympic games of 2000 and today, he's still feeling as strong as ever. Stoltz says he’s just as fit as he was 20 years ago, and the proof is there as he regularly beats guys half his age. He puts it down to smart training and experience. Says Stoltz, “My power on the bike is as good, if not better than ever.” He says this is partly due to the rigorous training program and partnership he has with his coach, Ian Rodger. Stoltz also uses training data to optimize his training, sharing his stats with his trainer Rodger alongside a thorough report on how felt during and after the session. Rodger then analyses the data, and fine-tunes training for the following day. It’s effective, he adds, but completely different to when he started out. “Back then I wanted to train super hard every day, I wanted to race every weekend, and I wanted to win every race! It's simply impossible – I made every mistake in the book, and learned all the lessons first hand.” And those early years as a pro athlete may have seen him race hard, but they were far from glamorous. According to Stoltz, “I slept on benches and in a Police station (willingly) before a race and I’ve won races on cheap, borrowed bikes.” It’s this hand-to-mouth lifestyle combined with a reputation for being hard on equipment that earned him the nickname “the Caveman”. He competed in two Olympic games as a triathlete but switched to XTERRA early on. “Triathlon boils down to how much pain you can take — you just go as fast as possible. But with XTERRA there's a whole lot more to it. For a start the courses vary hugely, from volcanic beaches in Hawaii to the mountains of the Alps to the forests of Brazil. That adds a new strategy to it, from your suspension set-up to what tires you select. And along with the lactic acid you get a lot of adrenaline and that's what makes it fun.” Nonetheless, Stoltz is also well-known as a humble and popular competitor. After winning his 50th XTERRA competition, he remained at the finish to high-five the last competitor to cross the line and share in his accomplishment of simply finishing the race. While he maintains a pure love for the outdoors, Stoltz readily admits that breaking the tape at the finish line feels great. When asked how he stays competitive he says it’s his experience that gives him the edge but, in the end, it’s his love of sport and a positive attitude that keep him motivated.

Skyrunning world champion Emelie Forsberg gives her tips on how to push your running comfort zone. Keep running To become a stronger runner in any kind of terrain you need to have continuity of training. You will always improve at something when your do it regularly for a long time with no breaks. For this reason, try to enjoy your running. Even if a run is no longer than 15 to 20 minutes, it’s so much better than nothing if it makes you want to run again. Sometimes I do short runs because I know I will feel better after a few minutes, even if I’m tired when I start. I do it because I love having the continuity. Continuity of training is key, says Emelie. © Salomon Push your comfort zone If you already love running and want to become stronger, push yourself every now and then outside of your comfort zone. Maybe one or two of your training runs can include some non-comfortable pace. That small effort will make you better. Play with speed To become a better uphill runner I’ve noticed uphill fartleks have worked for me. (Fartleks, a Swedish word that means ‘speed play’, is a form of interval training.) Run with speed for a few minutes, then slow down and then run again with speed and try this on different slopes for variation. Try to be fresh when you do this training! Emelie won the Transvulcania ultra marathon on the Canary Islands. © Selu Vega-Transvulcania Power the hills To improve your uphill endurance, try to run or fast walk the whole slope or mountainside, even if it’s a long ascent. Recovery is king Recovery is important. If your recovery isn’t good enough, training gradually breaks you down. I try to rest as much as possible when my body tells me I need it. It’s better to be fresh and able to keep training than to break down or get injured and not to be able to train. Remember to have fun and enjoy your runs! © zooom.at/Markus Berger Eat well Always eat and drink well for recovery. I love natural ingredients and avoid eating too much meat. I feel best when I eat a lot of vegetables and a big dessert!

From mastering the art of recovery to learning to hike, these are the tips from champion ultra runner Ryan Sandes that will see you through an ultra. This is part one of a three part series. Click here for part two and here for part three. 1. Listen to your bodyWhen you're training for a 100 km race it’s important to have a training schedule, but you must be flexible with it. A lot of ultra runners get hell-bent on achieving their goals, causing them to lose sight of the bigger picture. You really have to listen to your body. If your body is not feeling up to it one week, then back off. If you’re feeling on top of the world, maybe you can do a bit more. Remember, the schedule is a guide only. “Recovery is more important than running.” ©Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool 2. Stay mobileBefore I run, I often do 10 to 15 minutes of basic mobility exercises to ensure everything is firing when I start running. It’s important to build basic mobility exercises into your training, even if you only have time for two or three minutes before you start running. Side bridges, basic mountain climbers, bear crawls, A-marches, lunges and ABC drills are all helpful. 3. Better to be under than over trainedTraining for an ultra marathon isn’t just about how many kilometers you run each week. I know a lot of guys who came into the sport and for two years did high mileages and won races, but then burned out. If you're new to the sport and you're doing a high mileage, you're really risking injury. For me, I'd rather go to a 100 km race 20 per cent under trained than one per cent over trained. ©Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool 4. Have an off-seasonIt’s important to have an off-season. I don't mean taking three months off and doing absolutely nothing! It’s fine to take a month off and just hang out with your friends and have a party or two. But then spend the next two months doing strength work in a gym to prepare yourself for the season ahead. This helps prevent injuries. 5. Hike that long run When you're trying to build up for an ultra distance trail race, it's important to incorporate hiking into your long runs. It helps you get extra time on your feet. You might start with an hour or two of hiking and then run for two hours afterwards, or hike for an hour, run for an hour. ©Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool6. Keep a logKeep a logbook and write briefly after each run what you did and how you felt so you can look back and see what’s worked and what hasn’t. 7. Spend time on recoveryRecovery is more important than training! It's vital to make sure you're getting enough rest and sleep. If you're working full time then you need to be really careful, as it’s all a lot of stress on the body. Get regular massages, too. Our legs are like car wheels – you might have a Porsche, but if the wheel alignment is out, it's not going to drive well.Main image: ©Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool

Software update brings gas time, CCR mode, real-time gas consumption and compass bearing lock. Suunto EON Steel grows with you as your diving skills evolve, thanks to its customizability and durability. As communicated with its launch last fall, you can update the EON Steel software yourself. The update now coming out brings much sought after new features. Gas time The new gas time reading allows you to estimate how long you can continue diving, taking into account your current tank pressure value and breathing rate. Rebreather mode Closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) mode makes Suunto EON Steel a great backup dive computer on rebreather dives. Combined with the Suunto Fused™ RGBM, the CCR features give you extra confidence on your rebreather dives. Gas consumption A first for dive computers, Suunto EON Steel calculates real-time gas consumption. As you improve your diving skills, you’ll see your comfort level reflected in the rate: the more relaxed you are, the less gas you consume. Compass bearing lock The new compass bearing lock helps you orientate yourself underwater and ensure you maintain your direction of travel. For example, you can set a bearing lock for the direction to the reef before leaving the boat. You can download the free update to your EON Steel through the Suunto DM5 software. Check out more details about the Suunto EON Steel software update 1.1.