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Endurance training is more than just logging hours or kilometers; it’s about training smart. One of the most critical factors in effective endurance training is intensity. Training intensity determines the type of adaptations your body makes, how efficiently you improve, and even how well you recover. Whether you’re preparing for a marathon, a cycling event, or simply aiming to improve your fitness, understanding and managing training intensity can be a game-changer. Let’s dive into why training intensity matters and how to use it to maximize your performance. Stimulating the right physiological adaptations Every workout you do triggers specific physiological changes in your body. The key to endurance training success is to target these changes effectively by working at the right intensity: Low intensity (Zones 1-2) This is the foundation of endurance training. Low-intensity workouts improve aerobic capacity, boost your body’s ability to use fat as fuel, and enhance overall cardiovascular efficiency. These sessions are often referred to as “base training.” Moderate intensity (Zone 3) Training in this zone focuses on improving your ability to sustain effort over long periods. It’s ideal for tempo or threshold workouts, which help build endurance for race-pace efforts. High intensity (Zones 4-5) High-intensity sessions, like intervals or hill sprints, target anaerobic capacity and increase your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise). These efforts are shorter but crucial for building speed and power. Each intensity level serves a purpose, and balancing them ensures that you’re building all the systems needed for peak performance. Avoiding the "Gray Zone" One common mistake among endurance athletes is spending too much time in the “gray zone”—a moderate intensity that’s too hard to be easy and too easy to be truly effective. While these sessions might feel productive, they don’t provide the distinct benefits of low- or high-intensity training. For example, too much moderate-intensity training can leave you fatigued without significantly improving aerobic capacity or speed. This is why many elite endurance athletes follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of their training is low intensity, and 20% is high intensity. This polarized approach maximizes gains while minimizing the risk of overtraining. Balancing stress and recovery Training intensity isn’t just about pushing hard; it’s also about knowing when to back off. Low-intensity sessions play a crucial role in recovery, allowing your body to repair and adapt while still maintaining movement and circulation. High-intensity workouts are effective but stressful. Without sufficient recovery, they can lead to burnout, injuries, or overtraining. A well-designed plan alternates between different intensity levels to ensure that you’re challenging yourself without breaking down. Periodization and progression Endurance training isn’t static; it evolves over time. Periodization—the systematic planning of training—relies heavily on varying intensity to achieve peak performance at the right time. Base phase Focuses on low-intensity workouts to build aerobic endurance and lay the foundation for harder efforts later. Build phase Introduces moderate and high-intensity sessions to develop specific fitness qualities like speed, power, and endurance. Peak phase Prioritizes high-intensity efforts to fine-tune your performance for race day. By manipulating intensity throughout your training cycles, you can ensure steady progress without hitting a plateau or risking overtraining. Mental benefits of intensity variation Training intensity doesn’t just impact your body; it also affects your mind. Low-intensity sessions can be meditative, helping you relax and build mental resilience. On the other hand, high-intensity workouts teach you how to push through discomfort and develop mental toughness. This variation keeps training engaging and prevents monotony. Knowing that each session has a specific purpose can also boost motivation and focus, making it easier to stick to your plan. Tracking intensity: tools and techniques To train effectively, you need to measure and monitor your intensity. Here are the most common methods: Heart rate Heart rate monitors are a reliable way to track intensity. Zones are typically calculated based on your lactate threshold. Low-intensity efforts should feel easy and keep your heart rate in Zones 1-2, while high-intensity efforts will push you into Zones 4-5. Pace Runners and swimmers often use pace as a guide, especially for interval or tempo workouts. Knowing your lactate threshold pace and training at different percentages of that pace can help fine-tune your efforts. Power Power meters are popular among cyclists and increasingly among runners. Power provides an objective measure of effort, regardless of terrain or conditions. It’s especially useful for maintaining consistent intensity during intervals or long efforts. Suunto ZoneSense Suunto ZoneSense measures heart stress through heart rate variability (HRV), offering real-time insight into training intensity. ZoneSense is driven by the advanced DDFA index, which tracks changes in metabolic state, and provides accurate feedback on whether your intensity is aerobic, anaerobic, or reaching VO2 max levels. This helps you to stay in the optimal training zone regardless of the activity type or the day.  Learn more about Suunto ZoneSense here. Perceived exertion The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is a subjective but valuable tool. On a scale of 1-10, low-intensity efforts feel like 2-3, moderate efforts like 5-6, and high-intensity efforts like 8-10. RPE can be used alongside other metrics or when technology isn’t available. Combination of metrics For the most accurate picture, combine multiple methods. For example, use heart rate and perceived exertion during a long run to ensure you’re not pushing too hard, or pair power or pace with heart rate to track fitness gains over time. If your heart rate is lower with the same power or pace as before, it can indicate improvements in your fitness. Conclusion: train smarter, not just harder Training intensity is the cornerstone of effective endurance training. By understanding how different intensity levels impact your body and incorporating a mix of low, moderate, and high-intensity sessions, you can optimize your training, avoid plateaus, and achieve your goals. Tracking intensity with your Suunto watch and utilizing tools like Suunto ZoneSense you can ensure that every workout meets its purpose. Remember, endurance training isn’t just about working hard; it’s about working smart. Prioritize intensity, listen to your body, and watch as your performance soars. Read more: Suunto ZoneSense revolutionizes intensity insights with heart stress measurement Figure out your training zones and supercharge your fitness

Courtney Dauwalter swears by the power of mantras like “Believe” to push through ultra-running challenges. Inspired by her, the ultra community shared their go-to phrases.   Courtney Dauwalter, one of the greatest athletes in ultra running, has long emphasized the importance of mental toughness. Known for her resilience, Courtney breaks races into manageable milestones, using simple yet powerful mantras such as "embrace the pain" and "right foot, left foot" to manage pain, maintain rhythm, and stay focused. “Believe is a mantra that I use pretty often,” Courtney shares. “If you just repeat it over and over in your head, there’s no room for anything else but to believe that you can keep on going no matter what it looks like.” For her, the "pain cave" is a mental space where growth happens, a place she visualizes as chiseling away at endurance barriers. Courtney recently asked her Instagram community: What’s your go-to mantra when it gets tough? The response was overwhelming, with thousands of runners sharing their perseverance-boosting phrases. Common themes from the ultra community The responses revealed several themes. Many runners focus on self-empowerment and resilience, with mantras like “I can do hard things” and “You got this” encouraging inner strength. Others emphasize breaking challenges into smaller steps with phrases like “One step at a time” or “Just keep swimming.” Some runners use humor to cope, with playful mantras like “Don’t die!” or the sarcastic “This is dumb... keep going!” These bring levity to grueling moments. Gratitude also emerged as a motivator, with mantras like “Get to do this” reframing hardship as privilege.  Whether it’s Courtney’s “Believe” or the community’s “I can do hard things,” mantras anchor runners through challenges. They transform overwhelming distances into achievable milestones, carrying runners through the pain cave and beyond. Try one on your next run—you might be surprised how far the right words can take you. These were the most liked comments on Courtney's post on Instagram: “I got sober, this is a piece of cake.” "It is how it is". When my son was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor age 7 this is what kept him going. Now I carry his memory with me on every trail and know: it is how it is. "Pain is just French for bread." "I get to do this" ✨️🏃‍♀️ ...but did you die? Left foot, Right foot, Left foot, Right foot, Left foot, Right Foot. 👣👣👣 "The faster you run, the faster you’re done.” “Be savage, not average!” My 11 year old came up with it and I love it I like to quote Dory from Finding Nemo with, “Just keep swimming” "Just one more" ....mountain, loop, step....Just one more (ps tattooed in my forearm, from the late Gabe Grunewald, "it's OK to struggle, it's not ok to give up" “”I’m here for the food 🤤🤤🤤🤤”” “This is what you came for” “How bad do you want it?” I “get” to do this ❤️ What if?..what if I actually pull this one off... Check out the limited edition Suunto Race S Titanium Courtney sports watch. When the going gets tough, its glow-in-the-dark strap will remind you: Believe! Learn more about SUUNTO RACE S TITANIUM COURTNEY

New season, new adventures: Antti Autti continues his search of epic, unique and unridden lines in the frigid reaches of the Nordic north.   Arctic Lines is already in its fourth season! Get a sneak peek of the upcoming episodes in the season trailer, featuring Antti and his crew—including Jeremy Jones, Elena Hight, Tailer Gray Spinney, Miikka Hast and Fredrik Aspö. The series is filmed by Jaakko Posti, Markus Kumpula and Mikko-Pekka Karlin. Mikko-Pekka also edits the videos.   Freeride snowboarding in Finnish Lapland   In the first Arctic Lines episode of the new season, Antti Autti invites you to explore the incredible freeriding opportunities near his hometown of Rovaniemi, Finland, located right on the Arctic Circle. Join him on a journey through the breathtaking landscapes of Finnish Lapland, featuring nearby fells, national parks, and boulder fields—hidden gems for freeriding adventures when the conditions are just right.   Exploring the untouched freeriding terrain of Nuvsvåg, Norway In the second episode of the Arctic Lines season, Antti and his crew discover some of the most pristine freeriding lines we've ever seen—perfect snow, great access straight from the road, and a touch of problem-solving to make it all the more rewarding. Enjoy!   Stay tuned for the third episode of the Arctic Lines season!   Lead image by Simo Vilhunen   More content with Antti Autti How to use avalanche terrain maps 8 steps for planning trips in the mountains

Entering the "pain cave" is familiar territory for ultra and trail runners, where discomfort and exhaustion push you to your limits. How you handle this phase can make or break your race. Right foot, left foot: Staying driven in the pain cave Courtney Dauwalter, one of the greatest in the sport of ultra running, excels in this arena with her unmatched mental toughness. She breaks down races into manageable sections, focusing on the next milestone, and uses positive self-talk to stay driven. Phrases like "embrace the pain" and "right foot, left foot" are her go-tos, working like mantras to keep her focused, manage pain, and maintain a steady rhythm.  “Believe is a mantra that I use pretty often,” says Courtney. “If you just repeat it over and over in your head, there’s no room for anything else but to believe that you can keep on going no matter what it looks like.” When she enters the "pain cave," Courtney imagines “grabbing a chisel” and pushing further into that mental space, a place she describes as essential to building resilience.    A bright spirit in the dark moments What really sets Courtney apart is her infectious joy and vibrant personality. She’s often seen smiling, exuding energy, and decked out in colorful gear, reflecting her passion for the sport. This positive outlook not only helps her find joy in the grueling moments but also uplifts those around her. Embracing the pain while staying happy and colorful is Courtney’s signature approach, turning ultra running into a true celebration of endurance and resilience.  “When the sun sets at an ultra, it feels pretty special,” she shares. “It’s like you’re doing something not everyone else is doing. Sitting on your couch would be easier, but here you are, headed into the mountains in the dark to see what you can find.” And when she makes it to dawn? “Sunrise is this huge jolt of energy—like we made it through the night, and now we get to see the terrain again!”  Colorful, resilient, and ready: The Courtney-approved Suunto It’s this positive burst of energy that brought Courtney and Suunto’s design team together to collaborate on a watch that reflects her vibrant style and unique approach to ultra running. Inspired by Courtney’s philosophy of embracing challenges with joy and resilience, the new Suunto Race S Titanium Courtney design is more than just a sports watch; it’s a companion designed together with Courtney to empower athletes to conquer their own "pain caves" and honor their resilience.  Courtney made sure the watch matched her ultra-running needs: “When I’m running 100 miles, what kind of friend do I want on my wrist? Something lightweight, easy to read, and colorful enough to give off good vibes!”  Suunto Race S Titanium Courtney: High-definition AMOLED screen Battery life 120h (good GPS) / 30h (Best GPS) The lightest watch (53 g) in the Suunto portfolio Glow-in-the-dark strap  HRV recovery measurement Advanced training metrics 95+ sport modes Free offline maps Shop Suunto Race S Titanium Courtney here  

Trail runner Dakota Jones shares his perspective on the deep connection between trail running and environmental responsibility. In this piece, he explains how his Footprints Running camp empowers runners to create meaningful climate action in their communities. Article by Dakota Jones One of the best things about running is that you can do it almost anywhere. As long as you have some shoes and a few clothes, you can go for a run wherever you are. (And hey – you don’t even really need that stuff, depending on the context.) Trail running was born out of this desire to embrace the experience of running and its simplicity. But this pursuit is at risk due to climate change, which is impacting not only our ability to run but the general human ability to continue to use natural resources for life, health, and prosperity. It’s a big bad scary thing and I spent too much time worrying about it and not enough time trying to do something. In 2021, I decided to change that. I am Dakota Jones, a professional trail runner from Utah who has been running competitively for 15 years. I’ve also been trying to use my platform to address environmental issues for a long time. In 2016 I took a cargo ship across the Atlantic to race in Europe instead of flying. And In 2018, I rode my bike from where I was living in Silverton, Colorado to the Pikes Peak Marathon. Then I ran the race, and the following week I biked home.  Both of these trips were exciting adventures, and on paper they saved resources. But the problem was that neither of them was repeatable on a large scale People with jobs and families simply can’t take the time and money to travel by cargo ship or bicycle. These actions may not be the overall solution to climate change, but they had been effective actions for me personally, because I had a public platform as a professional runner. The question was: how could I help people create their own similar projects that made the best use of their own skills and circumstances? A space for runners to drive impact Footprints Running camp came out of that thought process, and out of the many conversations I had with smarter friends over the next few years. The basic ideas can be summed up as follows: Running helps people be healthy and it brings them together Running as a sport is a privileged thing to do, which implies you have the time and energy to attend to more than your basic needs Many runners want to address social and environmental issues but don’t know how We put these three ideas together and created a running camp that a) brought people together in person, b) centered the messaging of the camp around community service, and c) provided education and mentorship for environmental action. The key was that we don’t just want to raise awareness about problems, we want to create direct actions. And since we’re not all senators or the leaders of large corporations, we shouldn’t be expected to create global changes. Instead, each participant at Footprints arrives with an idea for how they want to address climate change in their community. During the camp, our mentors help campers bring these projects to life. Transforming ideas into local impact  Abbie Sullivan is from Canandaigua, New York, a small town on a beautiful lake. During the last few years the lake has experienced periodic algae blooms, which is when fertilizer from outlying farms pours into the lake and consumes all the oxygen in the upper waters, making it toxic. Abbie had studied the issue during her engineering degree, but she didn’t know how to bring about action on the issue.  Her mentor was Dr. Ryan McClure, a climate scientist (and ultrarunner) from Colorado. Together they worked to develop a race in Canandaigua that brought the community together around the issue. First they identified an action to take: they partnered with a local nonprofit working on the lake’s water quality. Next, they reached out to local businesses and created a festival to partner the race. The event became an opportunity for people from all over the region to come to Canandaigua for the race and to get to know the community. Local businesses benefitted, and the runners got to race down the town’s main street. In this way, Abbie and Dr. McClure turned an environmental problem into an economic solution: now the town can see the benefit of cleaning up the lake, and they have a clear partner (the race and the local nonprofit) to whom they can turn for help. Abbie’s project is one of more than two dozen that we have helped develop during the past three years of Footprints camps. If you want to read more, check out our website here. This fall, our fourth camp took place in northern Vermont, and we were proud to expand both our scope of education and our network of partners. During the last year we have adjusted our mission to focus on climate justice rather than simply climate change, with the aim of prioritizing the people most affected by climate change to help reduce the impacts they feel and assist them to be more prepared. In addition, we’re thrilled to partner with Suunto! Suunto is a watch manufacturer from Finland that has been operating for more than 80 years. They began by making compasses, and now they make state of the art smart watches that allow athletes and adventurers to travel to the most remote parts of the globe without ever being lost. Suunto supports environmental activism within their own brand and externally, by providing funds and products to organizations like Footprints. We’re thrilled to share this new adventure with them and excited to tell the tale. If you want to get involved with Footprints, take a look at our website and follow along on social media. We’ve found that when people have the support they need, they can do amazing things. As a nonprofit with a large and growing network of mentors and collaborators across many professional fields, we are excited to organize more camps and create more opportunities for people like you. What kind of project would you like to work on at camp? Reach out and tell us now!   Images by Ryan Thrower & Freetrail

Suunto athletes Iris Pessey, Abby Hall, and Dakota Jones reveal their pacing strategies during the UTMB Mont Blanc in Chamonix. Race tactics! How should you approach a trail race to get the best possible outcome? How do you pace a race right? We turned to three of our ambassadors – Abby Hall, Iris Pessey, and Dakota Jones – to get their tips. They each ran different distances at the UTMB Mont Blanc this year: Iris flew through the MCC, Dakota tackled the CCC, and Abby took the UTMB by its horns. In the video below, Iris, Abby and Dakota share their unique insights on balancing effort, conserving energy, and navigating the mental and physical challenges of ultra-distance racing.  Abby uses her Suunto watch's Climb Guidance to pace climbs and descents evenly, while Dakota, a strong climber, pushes harder on uphills, saying, "Racing is about taking risks." Iris breaks her race into sections, allowing her to mentally reset along the way, finding motivation in in each checkpoint.  Curious about how the pros pace themselves in tough trail races? Watch the video now to gain valuable tips on skill, strategy, and resilience that could make all the difference on your next trail race!