The key aspect of progressing in your fitness is your ability to increase your training load over a longer period of time. The variables you can play with are training frequency, duration and intensity. With long-term analysis tools powered by TrainingPeaks you can now manage your training better than ever. To get started with the graphs it is important to understand the basics: Every workout gets a Training Stress Score (TSS) that is based on the intensity and duration of the workout. That’s the base for calculating training load for both short and long-time averages. Training Stress Score (TSS) is based on your anaerobic threshold power, but it can also be calculated based on your threshold heart rate or your threshold running pace. You can learn more about TSS values here. These single activities with their automatically calculated TSS values are then used to show your long-term training load. This long-term load is called Chronic Training Load (CTL) or simply “Fitness”. It is a 42-day weighted average of your TSS. The more you train – the more TSS you accumulate in your training – the higher your fitness is. While your long-term load is shown as “Fitness”, the short-term training load is called “Fatigue” or Acute Training Load (ATL). Fatigue is a 7-day weighted average of your TSS. When increasing training load your fatigue increases faster than fitness. These two values, fitness and fatigue, are shown in the upper graph in your Suunto app’s Diary’s ‘Progress’ view. The lower graph shows your “Form”, or Training Stress Balance. Form is basically the difference between long-term, chronic training load (CTL) and short-term, acute training load (ATL). This graph helps you understand if you are training in a way that is progressive or not. Too much load and you are too tired, too little and you are not moving forward. In Suunto app the Form graph is divided into four areas: losing fitness, maintaining fitness, productive training and going too hard. When your long-term, chronic training load is quite a bit higher than your acute, short-term load, you will start to lose fitness. Short-term hitting this area is good, for example when you want to be fresh for a race. However, training easier than you are used to for a longer time, will lead you to losing your fitness. When your current training is roughly in balance with what you are used to doing, you’ll be maintaining your fitness. To improve, add variety and load in your training. Adding more load will take you to the productive training phase: your fitness and fatigue are increasing in a manageable way. This means you are adding load but not too much compared to what you are used to doing. If you push too hard and add a lot of training stress compared to your long-term load, your form will drop. This will increase risk of illness and injury and hinder your improvements. Take a step back and allow your body to recover. Adjust the time frame When viewing the long-term analyses graphs, you can change the time perspective. Really long-term trends can be seen in the yearly view, that shows the latest four years of your training. In the monthly view you will see the latest 13 months and can easily compare your loads to a year ago, for example. The weekly view with the latest 26 weeks and the daily view with the latest 41 days are more appropriate for managing your current training loads. If you want to plan your training and see how the graphs will evolve, you can do that with TrainingPeaks’ Performance Management Chart. The activities you track with your Suunto can be automatically synced to TrainingPeaks so you can also use their advanced tools for managing and planning your training. As part of Suunto Value Pack you can get 30 days of TrainingPeaks Premium for free. Four examples of training load To make it easier for you to understand what to look for in the graphs, here are four different scenarios: Example 1: Overload This graph shows the impacts of a two-week training camp: The training load increases quickly, and at the same time the training stress balance drops very low. In this case the CTL before the camp was 66 and was pushed to 93. At the same time the training stress balance dropped to -79. These low numbers increase the risk of illness and injury. In this case, the training camp was followed by a recovery week that brought the training stress balance close to zero. Chronic training load still remained at an elevated level (close to 90), so the training camp had a positive impact on this athlete’s fitness. Example 2: Race In this graph race preparation is going nicely: The long-term training load is increasing over a long period of time meaning “fitness” is getting better. As the event gets closer, training gets lighter, fatigue goes down and the training stress balance, “form” goes up. The athlete is fresh for the big day. Example 3: Illness This graph illustrates the effects of an illness (or other break in training). At first training is going smoothly as CTL is ramping up, but then training stops for one week. ATL goes down quickly and also CTL gets lower. After the break the athlete starts training again gently. It takes about three weeks before her CTL/Fitness starts to be close to the same level she had before the break in training. Example 4: Normal This graph illustrates what quite a typical training load graph for an active person may look like: The long-term load is on a fairly good level, but not ramping up. To improve fitness, one needs to add load. Read more Training with TSS and hrTSS Training stress score in Suunto app 3 TrainingPeaks training metrics to adjust your running on the go View TSS and other power-based cycling metrics in real-time Figure out your training zones Main image: © Roger Salanova / Suunto

Training load is an essential metric of goal-oriented training. Gradually increasing load will improve fitness and performance. Suunto app quantifies training load using Training Peaks’ Training Stress Score, also known as TSS. The idea of quantifying training stress was first introduced by E.W. Banister and his research colleagues in 1975. Their model is called “Training Impulse'' (TRIMP). TRIMP is calculated using heart rate and duration: a short but intense workout got a higher score than a longer, easier workout. Since then several different training load models with the same basic principle have been developed: Quantify the training load by taking into consideration the workout duration and intensity. The most well-known training load metric is Training Peaks’ Training Stress Score, TSS™. Also Suunto app uses TSS to quantify training load. TSS is calculated based on duration and power-based intensity. (When calculating intensity, anaerobic threshold power, normalised power and intensity factor are taken into account. Learn more about the details here.) To get a better understanding of the TSS values, it is good to know that a one-hour time trial effort equals 100 TSS. At the same time a three-hour easy bike ride can accumulate the same amount of training stress. As said before, the value always depends on the intensity and duration of the effort.   TSS can be based on power, pace or heart rate While TSS is originally calculated based on anaerobic threshold power, it can also be based on threshold heart rate or threshold running pace. The suitable TSS calculation method depends on the activity type and data available. Suunto app chooses the method and calculates the TSS automatically. Usually heart rate data is used, but in activities like running and swimming TSS is calculated based on threshold pace and in cycling threshold power. If there are no measurements available, then Suunto app calculates TSS based on a statistical MET (metabolic equivalent) value. The MET based calculation only considers the duration and the activity type and gives a very rough approximation of the TSS. In order to get good quality TSS metrics, use Suunto heart rate, power or pace. TSS values in Suunto app TSS (r) –- Running pace TSS (hr) – Heart rate TSS (p) – Power TSS (s) – Swimming pace TSS (met) – MET base TSS- – user has edited the value manually   Correct anaerobic threshold is key Since TSS is based on workout intensity, your intensity zones need to be correctly set up in your Suunto watch. Suunto has five different zones where the upper limit of zone 4 should be your anaerobic threshold. The default zones in your watch are based on heart rate, but you can also set up advanced zones for running (based on heart rate or pace) and cycling (based on heart rate or power). Adjust your intensity zones on your Suunto 3, Suunto 5 or Suunto 9 at ‘Settings’ -> ‘Training’ -> ‘Intensity zones’. There are basically three ways to define your heart rate zones: an estimate based on your max heart rate, a field test and a lab test. Learn more about intensity zones and about defining them in this article.   TSS quantifies also the long-term training load When each of your workouts has a Training Stress Score calculated, long term values can be derived from this. Suunto app Diary’s ‘Progress’ view tracks your training load over time and helps you keep your training in balance – whether that means progress, maintaining your fitness or avoiding over-training. You will be able to see the long-term load as Cumulative Training Load (CTL) and short-term load as Acute Training Load (ATL). When your CTL and ATL are compared, you will get Training Stress Balance (TSB) that helps you follow changes in your freshness or “form”. Learn more about long-term training load analyses here.   Read more Training with TSS and hrTSS Understand and manage your training load with Suunto app 3 TrainingPeaks training metrics to adjust your running on the go View TSS and other power-based cycling metrics in real-time Figure out your training zones   Reference E.W. Banister, T.W. Calvert, M.V. Savage, T. Bach. A systems model of training for athletic performance. Australian Journal of Sports Medicine, (1975) 7:57-61. Lead image: © Matti Bernitz/Suunto  

Childhood buddies Philipp Reiter and Martin Schidlowski set off bikepacking from Berchtesgaden in south Germany yesteday following the same historic journey undertaken 85 years ago by German climbers and friends Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser. In 1936, early in the Nazi period, Kurz and Hinterstoisser deserted from the German military, and under the cover of darkness began cycling from Berchtesgaden to the base of Eiger in Switzerland, some 600 km away. Their goal? To become the first climbing team to solve the last unsolved climbing problem in the Alps – the sheer, unforgiving North Face of the Eiger (3967 m). However, their climb ended in tragedy, with both climbers, and two Austrian climbers all dying on the wall. The tragic story was captured in the 2008 film, North Face. “What is cool for me is we will get a little glimpse of an idea of how tough it was and what challenges Kurz and Hinterstoisserand had to face,” Philipp says. “It’s cool to discover how it really was for them.” The intimidating North Face of Eiger. © Wikimedia Commons User: Terra3 / CC BY-SA 3.0 Philipp and Martin, both Berchtesgaden locals, are undertaking the same journey, with the aim of summitting Eiger via the North Face, to experience firsthand what their compatriots went through. It will take them three days to cycle 600 km, with 6000 m of vertical gain, to reach Grindelwald Valley and the base of the face where they will attempt the 1600 m vertical climb. A snow dump made the first day a tough ride. @ Nicolas Holtzmeyer Philipp, a photographer, alpinist and history enthusiast, and Martin, a climber and mountain guide, have been friends since childhood, and having been going on adventures together since 2006. Each year they try to share one adventure that combines endurance and mountaineering. “Martin is totally not into biking,” Philipp says. “I’m more experienced with biking, and he’s expert in climbing. We make a good team. He’s afraid of the long bike ride, and I’m afraid of the challenging climb. This will be my biggest alpine project. It’s 1600 m straight up!” The two friends will track their journey with Suunto watches and provide live updates via Suunto Instagram. @ Nicolas Holtzmeyer This isn’t the first history focused adventure Philipp has initiated. In 2020, he and some friends did a relay run of the 850 km front line where Austrian and Italian troops battled during the First World War. In 2019, Philipp and his friends did the same on the 1400 km border that once divided Germany. “Back in 1936 it was the Germans against the Austrians, and the Austrians against the Italians,” Philipp continues. “Climbing teams from each country wanted to become the first to scale the North Face. It created a super big hype, like the equivalant of a Superbowl TV broadcast.” Philipp and Martin won’t have to cope with any competition or a medic circus, but a Bavarian television crew will follow them to document the historic journey. You can follow them on Suunto Instagram!

In 2020 Alenka Artnik dived to 114m, deep beneath the surface of the Red Sea on a single breath, her mind and body working seamlessly together. Arriving on the surface fully aware and in control, Alenka claimed the title as the deepest female in freediving discipline CWT, Constant Weight, diving with a monofin. Discovering the sport at a time in life when she needed inspiration and was ready for a change, Alenka was 30 and living in Slovenia when she hit the water running! Following a freediving session with friends, she quickly blew the other divers out of the water with her unearthly natural talent for apnea. Alenka’s potential was identified early on by both her fellow divers and later her first instructor. Seizing the day, she packed her fins and moved to the vibrant diving hub of Dahab. Immersing herself in its freediving community, she found the bottom of the Blue Hole at about 100m on a breath-hold in her first season of training! The new Suunto ambassador and freediving world champion Alenka Artnik summed up her passion for the sport with these words: “We come from the sea and so it feels natural... It isn't just physical, it is mental, spiritual, and mind-blowing. I use the tool of freediving to explore my spirituality and carry it through into each part of my life.” Eat, sleep, break dive record, repeat! In 2016 Alenka celebrated her first World Record at the CMAS World Championships diving to 92m CWT wearing bi fins. The following year the record-breaking freediver won gold again at the same championships and graduated to the 100m club (CWT) at the Caribbean Cup, making her only the fourth female freediver to be crowned in the club. Alenka, like so many other freedivers, has always dived with Suunto. Her Suunto D4i Novo was her first freediving computer, and now she dives with a Suunto D6i Novo, but soon she will be going deep with the D5. It is fair to say Suunto dive computers have always been at the centre of Alenka's training. World Champion Alenka explained that she currently uses multiple Suunto devices when diving, "At the moment I'm using my two Suunto D6i Novo devices. One is for notifications of my depth that I wear on my neck weight close to my ear and the other I wear on my wrist so I can check my dives during training." She went on to say that analysing her dives afterwards is a key part of her dynamic training schedule and Suunto’s high performance in this area is one of the many reasons she chooses Suunto every dive, “I record all my dives in my training logbook with the help of the MEM Logbook function. I always rely on the logbook function of my Suunto dive computers to study my dives.” Finding her flow In recent years Alenk has continued to win competitions and break records but her focus has shifted from “winning” to a quest to optimize her performance, she summed it by saying “getting better motivates me.” The gains from this new approach are evident in her calm and collected surface protocols, something she attributes to entering the flow state, the world champion describes what she means by this: “In the end, I think that it is all about the flow state. You put yourself in a mental state of flow. It is the peak performance, the maximum performance- but effortlessly.” summarises Alenka "For me, it is about how to do the best performance with the least effort possible. More with the mind and less with the physical effort. Good awareness, being super present the whole dive and less with the physical effort.” 100% commitment Ten years on since Alenka discovered freediving, as she approaches 40 and with future hopes of freediving being billed at the Olympics, she is continuing with her hard push to dominate the depths with ease. Alenka is also part of a growing number of athletes in this discipline that are trying to demystify the sport, increase its popularity and ultimately help save our oceans. “Freediving promotes a healthy lifestyle, but best of all more freedivers promotes more Ocean Ambassadors to protect our water planet.” Alenka Artnik All images from Alenka Artnik ©

Bike adventurer Sami Sauri is no stranger to navigating on her bike. Currently she is working on guidebooks on gravel rides on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura. She is using komoot to plan the routes and her Suunto 9 to navigate and track them. ”I have several favorite features on komoot. For all users the highlights, that show community generated points of interest, and the way types, that show different surfaces, are some of the main things for planning routes,” Sami says. “And for the premium users the multi-day planner, dynamic weather forecasts and the collections are so good!” With komoot you can choose and plan where to go either on a desktop or at the trailhead on your mobile device – and sync the planned route to your Suunto for navigation. Read on to learn more!   First things first: establish the connection To get set up, simply connect your komoot profile with the Suunto app: Go to your profile on Suunto app and select ‘komoot’ under ‘Partner services’. Select ‘Connect with komoot’ and sign into your komoot account and allow requested permissions to connect. As soon as you have connected the two accounts the sync is automatic both ways: your activities that are tracked with your Suunto are synced to komoot and the routes created on komoot are available on your route library on Suunto app. Find routes on komoot  You can find a huge collection of pre-planned routes on komoot. You can search activity specific routes in a preferred location, use the routes your friends have shared or check out curated collections of routes for different themes or locations. Some examples of location and activity specific collections are “Best mountain hikes in Haute-Savoie” and Sami's own "Fuerteventura Gravel Route Guide". The themed collections can cover topics like “Long-distance hiking trails”.   Plan your own routes on komoot First of all, komoot’s route planning is sport specific. When you are planning a route from point A to point B, you are likely to get different results depending on the activity type you choose. For example, for a bike tour you can select between road cycling, bike touring, gravel riding, mountain biking and enduro mountain biking. As the type of riding changes, so does the route it follows. While planning a route you can view user generated, sport specific highlights on the map that you can include on your route when planning. You can also select POIs, like campgrounds, restaurants etc., to be visible on the map when planning. Additional nice details include topics like a surface type overview, altitude profile and a dynamic weather forecast: Simply select the time when you want to start your tour and the weather forecast is updated accordingly. That’s quite useful with temperatures in the mountains and wind for a road cycling tour, for example. Other useful features include sharing route plans with friends, planning multi day itineraries and creating your own route collections.   Navigate with your Suunto Once you have created a route (called a ‘tour’ in komoot language) it will automatically be synced to your Suunto account. To use it for navigation switch the ‘use in watch’ toggle on and sync your watch with the Suunto app. A key benefit for creating routes for your Suunto on komoot is turn-by-turn navigation: When navigating, the watch will alert you about an upcoming turn. This makes the navigation experience more enjoyable, as you don’t need to keep an eye on the navigation screen to see which way to take. There is one alert 100 meters before a turn and one at the turn. (komoot's turn alerts are shown on Suunto 9, Suunto 7 and Suunto 5 watches. With Spartan family no direction is shown, there is only an alert that you need to turn.) You will get a free map region on komoot when you connect your accounts and can start using the turn-by-turn navigation for routes in that region. When buying a new Suunto watch you will get additional two free map regions from komoot as part of Suunto Valuepack! Learn more about komoot at komoot.com. Multi-day planner, personal collections, on-tour weather, sport-specific maps and worldwide offline maps are komoot premium features. Action images by Sergio Villalba   Watch now: Getting started with komoot     Read more Six ways to plan a route for your next adventure

 One race you can definitely count on happening this year is the Wings for Life World Run. To be held on May 9, it will be a virtual race with app-based events happening in more than 70 locations around the world. Lock it into your race calendar because it’s going to be fun and for an awesome cause – 100% of the entry fees goes to finding a cure for spinal injury.   Suunto ambassador Ryan Sandes is also ambassador for the race and the captain of Team Suunto in the event. Every year, when he’s not off racing somewhere hardcore, he’s pumped to run it because of the fun atmosphere, the thrill of being chased by the Catcher Car, and because he feels passionate about running for those who can’t due to spinal injuries. Who better to ask then about how to prepare for the unique race? We caught up with Ryan and asked how he approaches it. “The cool thing with this race is the finish line is constantly moving according to the speed you’re running,” Ryan says. “Whereas with a marathon, you know you will run 42.2 km. Preparation wise this does change things a little.” Read on for Ryan’s nine tips!   Choose a goal With that moving finish line it’s helpful to choose a distance you aim to run in the race. Maybe that’s a 10k, a 30 km, a marathon, or going ultra distance. “Make that distance the focus of your training,” Ryan says. Use the official race Goal Calculator to determine how long, in terms of duration, you’ll run to achieve your desired distance, as well as the pace you’ll need to maintain. Go trail As a passionate trail runner, and like all trail runners being wary of road running, Ryan says preparing for the race shouldn’t stop you training off road if that’s more your schtick. With this year’s race being held virtually via the Wings for Life World Run App, it doesn’t matter where you run. But choose flatter, flowing trails so the Catcher Car doesn’t have too much of an advantage over you. Get road ready Wings for Life World Run races are usually held in urban locations that involve plenty of asphalt. If your goal is to stay ahead of the Catcher Car for as long as possible, then Ryan recommends getting used to running on the road and doing the race that way.   Two key sessions When Ryan trains for the Wings for Life World Run he focuses on two key training runs a week: one interval or fartlek session and one long run with stride bursts. Let’s look at each more closely. Interval or fartlek session: Fartlek is the Swedish word for “speed play”, and basically refers to a form of running training when you mix up the speeds you run at. Interval training is basically the same, but the focus is on running high intensity segments interspersed with a slower pace. Ryan recommends, depending on your fitness level, doing one of the following: – four eight-minute intervals – four six-minute intervals – four three-minute intervals Each interval should be a notch or two faster than your usual long run pace. Make sure you warm up first before starting them and be careful not to overdo them. You should have a good level of running fitness before trying them because it’s not uncommon for runners to get injured while doing interval training. The long run with stride bursts: Long runs can be anywhere from an hour, to three hours or longer, and the crucial point is to remember that to gain the physiological adaptations they can offer over time it’s essential to do them at an easy pace. Ryan recommends doing one long run a week and adding a little twist if you’re ready for an extra challenge – doing strides. Stride bursts, commonly called strides, involve running at 90 or 95% of your max pace in short bursts. Try doing six to eight 10 to 15-second long strides in the middle of your long run. These are an excellent way to improve speed and coordination.   Use the Catcher Car training feature with your Suunto Why wait to race day to know how you’ll do against the Catcher Car? Thanks to the partnership between Suunto and Wings for Life World Run you don’t have to. The partnership resulted in the Catcher Car training feature available on Suunto 5 and Suunto 9 watches. It enables users to train against a digital version of the iconic Catcher Car, so you’re ready to take on the real thing come race day. You’ll see how far back the Catcher Car is, and the estimated distance and time duration left before it catches you. Ryan also recommends using it on race day: “I use the Catcher Car feature on race day because it’s really cool to be able to look at your watch and see how far you are from the Catcher Car.” Try barefoot running “Something else I’d do is a little barefoot running on a rugby or soccer field, just 10 to 15 minutes once a week to strengthen your feet and lower legs,” Ryan says. “Because I find when I run on the road my calves get quite fatigued and tired.”   Stay mobile If you’re like Ryan and more of a trail runner and mountain athlete, then the repetitive motion of road running can be tough on the body. Over time it’s easy to lose mobility in key joints, especially the hips, back and shoulders. Ryan recommends doing dynamic stretching, mobility work or yoga to ensure you keep moving well. Get people involved Wings for Life World Run, like Suunto, is all about community. It’s a run we do together for the benefit of others. So, Ryan suggests signing up as many friends and family members as possible, both for your training and the race, and to join Team Suunto to raise money for spinal cord injury research. “It’s such an awesome cause,” Ryan says. “It’s a really fun and dynamic event so team up with some friends for some of your training and try to get people involved. Even if it’s just doing an easy run with a friend once a week.” Be smart on race day The race starts at 11:00 UTC, which is 11:00 AM in London, 12:00 PM in Berlin, 7 PM in Beijing, and 10 PM in Sydney. Depending on where you are in the world this means you’ll need to manage race day accordingly. “Maybe where you are you’'ll be running at night so get used now to running with a headlamp,” Ryan says. “If you’re running in the afternoon sun make sure you stay hydrated. Plan your mealtimes relative to the race time; don’t race on a full stomach or when you’re hungry. When I ran it in Melbourne the race started in the evening so it’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day, to keep eating, and maybe do some mobility exercises to stay loose.”   Images by Craig Kolesky READ MORE 5 reasons to run in the Wings for Life World Run Race the Catcher Car with Suunto