Endurance training is a long-term endeavor, and progress may not always be linear or immediately noticeable.It requires patience, persistence, and a focus on gradual improvements over time. Tracking progress over longer periods and considering trends rather than short-term fluctuations is essential. Athletes may have varying interpretations of their progress, and subjective feelings of fatigue, effort, and perceived improvements may not always align with objective measurements. Athletes may experience periods of plateau where progress seems to stagnate despite consistent training efforts. This can occur due to the body's adaptation to training stimuli, requiring adjustments in training variables such as intensity, volume, and variety to continue progressing. Each athlete responds uniquely to training stimuli. Some individuals may experience rapid progress, while others may require longer periods to see noticeable improvements. Factors such as genetics, age, training history, and recovery capacity contribute to this individual variability in progress. Endurance training progress can be affected by various external factors, including work, personal life, and environmental stressors. Four ways to measure your progress Without objective metrics and measurements, tracking your progress in endurance training can be challenging. It is important to incorporate tools and methods to obtain quantifiable data for evaluating progress accurately. Here are four Suunto tools that help you objectively measure your progress.   Chronic Training Load (CTL) Chronic Training Load serves as an indicator of an athlete's fitness level, representing the accumulated training load sustained over an extended duration. You will find your CTL graph in the Suunto app Training Zone’s Progress section. Each activity adds load to the overall and impacts the chronic load. (To get reliable data, make sure your individual intensity zones are set correctly in your Suunto. Learn more here.) A consistent engagement in high-intensity or high-volume training leads to an increase in CTL, signifying an improvement in fitness. Conversely, reducing the training load or taking breaks from training results in a decrease in CTL, indicating a decline in fitness. It is important to note that CTL is not a direct measure of fitness. The CTL is indicating the long-term training load, which has a high correlation with fitness gains.   Chronic Training Load Ramp Rate The Chronic Training Load Ramp Rate measures the rate at which CTL increases over time. A higher ramp rate suggests rapid fitness gains due to an increasing training volume or intensity. You can find your current CTL ramp rate in the Suunto app Trainig Zone’s overview section as well as on your Suunto Race watch as a mini widget. However, a high ramp rate also raises the risk of overtraining or burnout if not properly managed. The ramp rate is a good tool to follow when preparing for a race or an event, while gradually increasing weekly training volume and intensity. Determining the ideal ramp rates for Chronic Training Load (CTL) can vary depending on several factors, including an individual's training history, fitness level, goals, and ability to recover. It is important to note that ramp rates should be personalized and gradually increased to avoid excessive stress and potential overtraining. For beginners or athletes returning from a break or an injury, it is advisable to start with conservative ramp rates. Aim for a weekly increase in CTL between 2–5 units to allow the body to adapt gradually without overwhelming stress. Athletes with moderate training experience and consistent training can aim for slightly higher ramp rates. A weekly increase of 5 units in CTL or 15–20 in a 6-week period may be appropriate to promote progressive adaptation and performance improvements while still allowing for adequate recovery. Experienced and highly trained athletes may tolerate higher ramp rates due to their well-developed aerobic capacity and training background. Remember, gradual and sustainable progress is key in training. It is generally safer to err on the side of caution and slightly underestimate ramp rates rather than risk excessive stress and potential setbacks. Regular monitoring, proper recovery, and paying attention to signs of overtraining are crucial to ensure a healthy and successful training progression.   Progress Follow-up with Testing Fitness tests are employed to measure and evaluate an individual's physical abilities and characteristics. These tests assess overall physical fitness while identifying specific strengths and weaknesses. Suunto offers various SuuntoPlus sport apps for testing purposes, such as the Functional Threshold Power Test, Anaerobic Running Test, Cooper Test, and the Beep Test. These assessments aid in monitoring progress and informing training adjustments based on objective performance metrics. (Learn more about testing your fitness with SuuntoPlus sport apps.)   Compare Similar Efforts Comparing similar workouts allows for the evaluation of performance changes and an understanding of current fitness levels. By performing workouts of comparable duration and intensity every week, athletes can track changes in heart rate, pace, and power. For instance, maintaining a steady heart rate during weekly long runs while observing a progressive increase in pace signifies improved aerobic fitness. Similarly, comparing the performance in threshold tempo runs or easy morning runs provides insights into an individual's anaerobic and aerobic conditioning, respectively. It is essential to consider heart rate and pace data alongside subjective fatigue sensations and overall workout and race performance. You can use the new summary tool in Suunto app’s Training Zone to compare efforts. For example, if you have been doing weekly long runs, it is easy to find these in the summary tool. The you can evaluate if your pace has been getting more efficient with the same intensity/heartrate. If you want to make it easy to find the workouts you wish to compare, you can also use tags in the Suunto app. Add a specific tag to your test workouts and you can easily find them all using the app’s search functionality.   Learn more Manage your training with Suunto app’s Training zone Understand and manage your training load with Suunto How to use HRV to optimize your recovery Get feedback from the Suunto coach

Train Put in the hard work, understand your training load and the different stimuli you are putting on your body. Figure out your training zones Key components to improve your fitness are frequency, duration and intensity. Frequency and duration are easy to understand, but training intensity is a bit more tricky. How hard is hard? And why should I care? Read on to learn about intensity zones and about defining them. Read more Manage your training with Suunto app’s Training zone A progressive training load with adequate recovery and ways to follow progress will lead to a successful adventure or race. The new training toolset in Suunto app’s Training zone is vast. Read on and learn what’s available. We are sure you will find your new favorite dataset to analyze your training and follow your progress. Read more Understand and manage your training load with Suunto Suunto app’s long-term analysis view tracks your training load and helps you stay in balance – whether that means progress, maintaining your fitness or avoiding over-training. Here are four scenarios to help you understand the graphs. Read more Training with TSS and hrTSS What are TSS and hrTSS and how can these training metrics help? Read more View TSS and other power-based cycling metrics in real-time Normalized Power, Intensity Factor and Training Stress Score are key metrics for all cyclists who use power meters in their training. You can view these metrics in real-time on Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race, Suunto 9 and Suunto 5 watches. Read more Know your power source: the body’s three energy systems Understanding how your energy is produced can aid training and improve your quality of life. Suunto partner PerfectPace explains your main power sources. Read more Unlock your interval training and watch your running improve Follow Golden Trail World Series champion, Trail Running World Champion and running coach Stian Angermund’s advice and do interval training right to get results. Read more 3 interval sessions for trail runners Trail running world champion Stian Angermund explains three interval training drills to help you increase your speed and power. Read more Plan your interval workouts with Suunto app Build a workout in Suunto app and let your watch guide you through your session! Read more 8 Essential running form drills Improve your running technique with these essential running form drills – and follow them as a SuuntoPlus Guide on your watch! Read more Intro to distance running technique In this article we dig deep into the details of running technique with six key areas for you to focus on. Read on to learn more! Read more Improve your running with high-intensity hill repeats Hill repeats build your strength and improve your speed and coordination. This article presented by TrainingPeaks coach Steven Brandes highlights the importance of high-intensity hill repeats and how to do them successfully. Read more Boost your hill training with SuuntoPlus Climb Hill repeats are an essential part of an outdoor athlete’s workout repertoire. To make the hard work pay off, pacing is key. The new Climb SuuntoPlus™ feature does just that: it gives you real-time insights into your effort and motivates you to keep going. Read more Using the Track to Learn How to Properly Pace Your Run Using the track is a great way to improve your ability to pace yourself correctly. In this article presented by TrainingPeaks coach Todd Parker introduces a workout that helps you get in touch with the right pace for you. Read more 5 reasons why endurance athletes should do high-intensity strength training Boost your vertical speed and avoid injury by lifting heavy weights. To improve vertical speed and endurance, high-intensity resistance training should be an essential component of your training plan, says sports scientist, coach and athlete Susi Kraft. Read more 12 high-intensity strength training exercises for endurance athletes Follow our training video and SuuntoPlus Guide to get stronger. In this article, sports scientist, coach and ski mountaineer Susi Kraft explains and demonstrates how to perform 12 strength-building exercises correctly and safely. Read more Is the ultimate cross-training… breathing? Sports coaches worldwide talk about 'good fundamentals’ – you’ve got to own the basics before you can even begin to achieve mastery in a discipline. But former pro freediver Mike Maric takes that deeper than most, by addressing one of the most basic functions of life: breathing. The medically educated forensic scientist from Italy has taken what he’s learned from free diving and applied it to a multitude of other sports – with stunning success. Read more Control your core body temperature and get better performance results Your core body temperature can massively impact your performance. That’s why athletes pour water over themselves during races. They’re trying to cool down because they know once their core body temperature reaches a certain level, they’ll lose power and their performance will deteriorate. Like heart rate and power, core body temperature is a crucial metric for elite and recreational athletes alike. Read more   Recover There’s no one without the other: put in the hard work and rest to rise to the next level. Four ways to follow your recovery with Suunto Am I able to recover from my workouts? Is my mental recovery at the same level as physical? Do I ensure recovery with a good amount of sleep? Read on to learn how Suunto can help you in your recovery! Read more How to use HRV to optimize your recovery Heart rate variability (HRV) is a helpful metric for endurance athletes. Read on to learn why there’s a buzz around it and how to use Suunto to track heart rate variability. Read more Learn how sleep can make you a better runner Sleeping well should come naturally, right? Yet many of us feel tired most of the week. A sleep doctor gives six tips to help you improve your running and overall quality of life. Read more 4 tips to recover well for your best performance One often ignored component to keep your training steady is ensuring you are getting enough recovery time. It can seem like taking a break from running will disrupt your momentum, but oftentimes it does the exact opposite – it freshens you up and reinvigorates you. Read more   Progress Is your fitness having an upward trend? Understanding your progress is both motivating and helps you understand if your training has a positive impact. How to follow your progress with Suunto The essence of training is to improve physical performance. But how do you know if you are progressing? In this article, you will learn how Suunto can help you. Read more Test your fitness with Suunto Here are five SuuntoPlus sports apps that will help you find the right intensity zones for your training and track your progress. Read more  

First, it is good to understand what Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is. As an example, when your heart rate is 60 beats per minute, each interval is not exactly one second. There’s a slight variation in the duration between the beats. HRV is a quantitative measure of the variation in the time intervals between consecutive heartbeats. The interesting point with HRV is that it serves as an indicator of the balance within the autonomic nervous system and offers valuable insights into an individual's overall health and stress levels. More variation generally means the parasympathetic nervous system is doing its job as a regulator. Various factors, such as heavy training, mental stress, or the presence of an illness like the flu, can influence HRV readings. Suunto Race, Suunto Vertical and Suunto 9 Peak Pro GPS watches can track your HRV during your sleep. Nighttime measurement is a reliable and easy way to gather comparable HRV data. Continuous HRV monitoring allows for the calculation of the average Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) value, a commonly employed metric for quantifying HRV. You can see the HRV data anytime as a mini widget in your watch and in the Suunto app’s Training zone.   Your recovery status is evaluated by comparing your 7-day average HRV with your normal range.   Interpreting HRV Data Heart rate variability is highly individual. As said, higher HRV values generally indicate better autonomic balance, although the assessment should always be contextualized within an individual's normal range. At Suunto, we define your normal range over a 60-day period and then compare your rolling seven-day average with that baseline. A minimum of 14 measurements needs to be gathered over the 60 days to define your normal range. For the seven-day average, a minimum of three measurements is needed. So, if you are new to measuring HRV with Suunto, you will have HRV data even after the first night, but the data will get more defined as more data is gathered. By comparing the long-term values with short-term trend, you will get an understanding of load and stress you are putting on your body. If your HRV values consistently fall below your normal range, it is an indication of a compromised recovery state. This could be caused by chronic stress, inadequate sleep, overtraining, or an underlying health condition. It is normal that after a very hard effort or a race, your HRV drops below the normal range for a day or two. If your HRV rises abnormally high (above a certain standard deviation) within a day or a few days, the app indicates with a yellow or red that you are likely experiencing abnormal amounts of recovery (parasympathetic nervous system activity). This is often in response to accumulated amounts of stress. Suunto app visually represents your HRV recovery status as a bar indicator, offering insights into your recovery.   How to use HRV in daily training with Suunto Suunto utilizes overnight measurements to capture HRV data. To obtain HRV measurements, it is necessary to wear the watch while sleeping and ensure that sleep-tracking functionality is activated. Sync your watch regularly with the Suunto app to see the latest data. Compare your HRV measurements with your training load. Look for patterns and relationships between your HRV values and the intensity or volume of your workouts. This can help identify how your body responds to different training stimuli. Compare your HRV values with your resting heart rate. Generally low resting heart rate and a high heart rate variability are good indicators of sufficient recovery. If your HRV readings indicate a decrease or significant deviation from your baseline, it may suggest a higher level of physiological stress or insufficient recovery. Consider modifying your training plan by reducing the intensity or volume of your workouts to allow for adequate recovery. Use HRV as a guide to schedule regular recovery days or lighter training sessions when your HRV values indicate a need for more rest. Remember that HRV can vary between individuals, so it is essential to understand your own personal baseline and response to training. It's important to note that with HRV it's good to look at other factors that impact recovery state such as training stress balance, sleep volume and changes in feeling. Heart rate variability measurement is available in Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race and Suunto 9 Peak Pro GPS watches.  

Words and images by Alba Xandri and Erreka Calmet   Last summer we bikepacked in Mongolia, across 1,800 kilometers of countryside. We discovered many paths and tracks, experienced inclement weather and pushed our bikes for kilometers, climbed 3000-meter passes, subsisted on the local fare of meat and milk.   Mongolians are warm souls and hospitable people. They helped when it was very hot and there wasn’t any source of water nearby, when the lightning and thunder wouldn't stop or when they simply offered their hospitality. Despite the language barrier, we were always welcome to their nomadic daily life and their yurt’s door was always open.   Mongolia far exceeded our expectations. It is a backcountry bikepacker’s paradise. You can both ride and camp almost anywhere. Only ten percent of the roads are paved and half the population lives in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. This meant that some days our only company was herds of yaks, horses, sheep, and goats.   Above all else, Mongolians have stolen our hearts. More than the endless landscapes, swimming in cold rivers, pedaling through remote areas, or camping under the stars.   WATCH NOW: NOMADLAND NOMADLAND from Bike2reality on Vimeo.

Automatic sprints, race nutrition, loop counters, marathon estimator and more! SuuntoPlus sport apps are easy to use watch functionalities that enhance your experience with your Suunto watch with use case specific benefits. To get started, browse the selection below and in Suunto app’s SuuntoPlus Store, select which ones you want to use on your watch and activate them before starting an exercise.  You can use all SuuntoPlus sport apps with Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race and Suunto 9 Peak Pro watches. Most of the SuuntoPlus sport apps are also compatible with Suunto 9 Peak, Suunto 9 Baro, Suunto 9, Suunto 5 Peak and Suunto 3 watches. Read on and find your new favorite sport app! Learn how to get started with SuuntoPlus sport apps   Training & Physiology HR zones This sport app shows you the cumulative time on each zone during the workout. Fused zones Fused Zones shows which intensity zone you are currently in, looking at different intensity metrics and based on that evaluating the best matching as a result. Peak Pace Peak pace gives you real time statistics of your peak efforts on your run. Peak Power Peak power gives you real time statistics of your peak efforts. Movement This sport app measures your movement with wrist acceleration. This gives new type of insights in sports which involve rapid movements. Trainingpeaks (HR) Helps to understand the workout effort and training stress in real time with Heartrate Training Stress Score (TSS(HR)) Trainingpeaks (cycling power) Helps to understand your riding effort in real time with Normalized Power (NP), Training Stress Score(TSS) and Intensity Factor (IF). Trainingpeaks (running pace) Helps to understand your pacing in real time with Intensity Factor (IF),Running Training Stress Score(TSS(r) ) and Normalized Graded Pace (NGP). Strava Get specific about how much work goes into your activities with real-time Relative Effort Burner The relation between fat and carbs burned by exercising depends on your intensity.   Training Tools Manual interval (pace) The manual interval sport app gives you a simple tool to follow your interval session on the fly. Manual interval (power) The manual interval sport app gives you a simple tool to follow your interval session on the fly. Manual interval (hills) The manual interval sport app gives you a simple tool to follow your interval session on the fly. Sprint (running pace) Track sprints automatically while running or cycling to see the number, distance, and time of each interval during your training session Sprint (cycling power) Track sprints automatically while running or cycling to see the number, distance, and time of each interval during your training session. Loop (speed) Automatic location-based lap insights help you analyze the stats for each loop. Loop (pace) Automatic location-based lap insights help you analyze the stats for each loop. Loop (power) Automatic location-based lap insights help you analyze the stats for each loop. Ghost Runner Catch the virtual ghost runner to practice your pacing or just for fun.   Fitness Testing FTP test Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test is designed to give riders an understanding of the highest average power they can maintain for one hour. Cooper test The goal of the cooper test is to run as far as possible in 12 minutes to estimate your VO2Max value. Anaerobic threshold The test will approximate the anaerobic threshold for running and estimate the anaerobic threshold pace and heart rate. Aerobic decoupling The aerobic decoupling will assess your aerobic fitness by evaluating the decoupling effect during longer workouts. Bleep test Bleep test – or Beep test – is the most common fitness test used in the world especially popular in team sports to test your current fitness.   Racing Race companion Race companion gives athletes a simple tool to get key information with them to the race. Race nutrition With this sport app, athlete can setup the timing for each intake and then follow the plan while flying down the mountains. UltraRace time When preparing for a long ultra race, it is motivating to see how this pace equals to the potential race time. Marathon estimator Marathon estimator gives you an estimated finish time based on your current pace, duration done and remaining distance. Half Marathon estimator Half marathon estimator gives you an estimated finish time based on your current pace, duration done and remaining distance. RaceTime This sports app helps you to see how your current pace equals to the potential race time over different race distances. Backyard ultra The Backyard Ultra is a running event where runners will run 6.7km each hour. As long as they last.   Sport specific Shoe tester The shoe tester app is a protocol on how runners can test the impact of different running shoes with a dedicated testing protocol. Cadence coach The cadence coach will show you live cadence and stride length, helps you use the right running technique to avoid injuries. Running Economy Running economy is the assessment of a runner’s efficiency by analysing their input (heart rate) and output (running pace with NGP). SwimRun The swim run sport app gives you key stats for your swimrun race with automatic transitions from run to swim and back as many times as needed. Duathlon Duathlon sport app is designed to automatically switch between run and ride views in hectic race scenarios to give you the right data. SwimTimer Swim timer is designed to provide swimmers with a better understanding of their interval sessions showing interval counts, rest time etc. Gym timer The gym timer can be used to follow the rest times of a workout. Tabata Tabata protocol is used as a high intensity workout such as circuit training, consisting of 20 seconds of hard effort and 10 seconds of rest. Surfer This sport app gives you all the key stats for your surf session. How many waves did you surf, time surfed and paddle. Golf score Golf score sports app is a handy tool for keeping count of number of strikes during the golf. Tennis score Tennis score sports app is a handy tool for keeping the tennis score on your wrist while playing. Badminton score Badminton score sports app is a handy tool for keeping the badminton game score on your wrist while playing. Soccer score Soccer score sports app is a handy tool for keeping the match statistics on your wrist while playing. Score counter Score sports app is a handy tool for keeping the score count while playing games. Disc golf A handy tool for keeping score and measuring distances during your disc golf game. Sail racer Enables you to synchronize your start time to the official start time of the race to get a countdown on your watch.   Outdoor experience Emergency Info (I.C.E.) Store essential contact information, allergies, blood type and other medical details under the “ICE” as a sports app. Safe Quick access to your GPS coordinates and other key information of your current location as well as your starting point. Climb Keep track of your effort while hiking up a mountain, rock climbing, doing hill repeats in your backyard or running upstairs. DirectPath The DirectPath gives you an understanding of the direct path between two points you have just covered and the efficiency on how well you were able to follow this line. Drink Alert Use the Drink alert to remind you regularly to rehydrate based on the weather conditions. LastKm/Last mile Pace In trail running, the pace can change drastically between uphills and downhills in, the last KM/mile app give you the live rolling kilometer/mile pace to follow. CO2e CO2e sport app shows how much CO2 you have saved compared to if you would have driven a car. Moon The app provides you with information about the moon phases. Sun The app provides you with information about the sunrise, sunset as well as time for dusk and dawn. Big numbers Sport app that gives you the data in bigger letters to make it clearly visible. Variometer The Variometer SuuntoPlus™ feature is a handy tool to keep track of your vertical speed. Weather Keep alert with storm alarms, measure water temperature or notice if your hike is going past the sunset. Weather forecast The sports app gives you the forecasted weather you can rely on during your long rides and hikes.   Devices CORE body temperature With this sport app you can pair your Suunto with a CORE body temperature sensor - to train smarter & perform better. ActiveLook With this sport app you can connect your Suunto to ActiveLook Smart Glasses and see key excercise data right in your field of view. TrainRed When using this sport app your TrainRed muscle oxygen (SmO2%) sensor will provide real-time feedback on the oxygenation status of muscles, helping you optimize your training and performance.   Learn how to get started with SuuntoPlus sport apps 10 SuuntoPlus sport apps for runners   Lead image by The Adventure Bakery

TDS was the toughest race of this year's UTMB week. Even in normal conditions, it is one of the most technical races of the week-long festival and, this time, the temperatures dropped and brought snow and poor visibility to make it even harder. The days before the race, it was over 30°c in Chamonix Valley. On the race day the temperatures barely rose to 10°c. The organizers had to change the route slightly which made it eight kilometers longer than normal. So, when standing at the start line in Courmayeur at midnight on August 28, the runners had 153 kilometers of mountain terrain ahead of them. The TDS stands for Les Traces du Duc de Savoy (“In the footsteps of the Dukes of Savoie”). The route starts in Courmayeur in Italy and circles Mont-Blanc on the west side to finish in Chamonix in France. It has over 9000 meters of total ascent. Suunto ambassador Christian Meier took his biggest international ultra-running win to date at the TDS with a winning time of 19:36:35. “This is definitely my biggest victory to date. As I am quite new to running, this has been the first year, I could considerably increase my training volume in line to what I believe you need to do at this level of the sport,” he said after the race. With “quite new to running” Meier referred to his background: he has built his strong endurance engine as a professional cyclist and turned to running only three years ago. “Even though fitness may not have previously been the factor, leg conditioning definitely was; too many miles and I would end up injured. Like all good things in life, it took time and patience to build up the resistance to be able to go the distance. I was fortunate to train the months leading up to the race with some world-class running mates so I knew my form was pretty good but at the end of the day you need everything to come together during the race. I thought maybe I could fight for the podium, but the win was a pleasant surprise!” Christian planned to race conservatively and at his own pace. He took the lead at around the 90 km mark and never looked back. “My best results have come when I have run within myself,” he says. “This race was going to be 6-8 hours longer than anything I had previously done, and I had a lot of respect for that. I did feel that the plan worked well and I managed to pace well, eat well, and look after some details that make the difference.” The severe weather was a big factor. It had brought freezing temperatures, and low visibility, and made trails muddy. The snow line was at around 2200 meters on the course that topped out at 2581 meters. In some places, there was 15–20 cm of new snow. “What really saved my race was navigation. There were moments when it was a total white-out. No trail, you could barely see the markers. Navigation really saved me there. And it was really an advantage. Some guys didn’t have navigation. They definitely lost time and it worked to my advantage. I am grateful for that.” Christian raced with a Suunto Vertical. Suunto Vertical has detailed terrain maps, route navigation, altimeter, barometer, 85 hours of exercise tracking on the most accurate GPS setting, and more. Get to know Suunto Vertical HERE.   All images by The Adventure Bakery READ MORE The athlete-entrepreneur who knows the value of hard work Courtney Dauwalter makes history at the UTMB