Re-discovering My Love for Trail Running
To be a competitive runner may seem pretty straightforward: You train. Or even better, you train a lot and compete a lot. But it’s not that simple. Delivering at your highest level requires not just plenty of solid training, but a combination of everything around you. Sleep, personal stuff, mental strength, self-belief, nutrition - the list goes on.
This year, as part of the Adidas Terrex trail running team, the first half of my season went well. Everything I had worked for slowly started paying off. I felt good. But then the second half of the season took a turn for the worse.
Initially, I didn’t really understand what was going on. All I knew was that finding the motivation to keep training became more and more of a challenge. My training plan started to feel like a prison schedule and every session felt repetitive - like I was just trying to tick boxes and get through it.
“It was at this point I realised I had to stop competing for as long as necessary and to find my love and passion for running again. To just be “free”. ”
However hard it was, I decided to take a step back from training to reflect and understand what was affecting my performance. I came to the conclusion that I’d overtrained not only my body, but also my mind. Once I’d stopped to notice it, I realised I was tired and had put far too much pressure on myself.
Deep down, I knew I had to stop competing for as long as necessary and rekindle my love and passion for running. To just be “free”. It was tough but after a while, I felt my body come back to life, the desire for intensity burnt through me once again, and a need to challenge myself bubbled to the surface. This tough decision had been incredibly good for me and my career.
One day, while I was running a loop with friends, the idea of completing the Berliner Höhenweg bumped into my mind. This mountainous loop spans roughly 90km, with 7,500 metres of climb on very technical terrain. I felt ready.
Then came the planning stage. Even though I didn’t know the entire route, planning with FATMAP helped me to visualise it, know how to pace myself, where I could pause in mountain huts, and thanks to the app’s 3D animation I got a better understanding of the terrain and could plan where to refill my water bottles.
In order for my run to count, I had to make sure to run the official Berliner Höhenweg loop. I was easily able to import the route as a GPX file and upload it to FATMAP, so I’d have it at my fingertips whenever I needed it. Navigation was also key. I couldn’t just rely on my tracker watch, so I downloaded the entire map to my FATMAP app on my phone to use offline.
Then I had to ask myself if I wanted to run the loop supported or unsupported. I decided to run it unsupported. That meant I had to make sure I had enough clothing for the whole route, carry a first aid kit - which can be your life insurance in the mountains, - and all my food. Running unsupported certainly makes things more complicated, but for me, it is the purest way to experience this sort of challenge.
“Planning with FATMAP helped me to visualise it, know how to pace myself, where I could pause in mountain huts, and thanks to the app’s 3D animation I got a better understanding of the terrain”
The big day arrived and after my 4am start at Europahaus, I found myself getting back into the trail running flow and enjoying every single step. I was running fast and moving smoothly over the arduous terrain, realising I was pushing myself, this time, in an enjoyable way.
However, even though I was having a good time, this run was still challenging me - and it wasn’t just the rocky terrain or its length that was pushing me. On my first attempt I had to turn back - the weather is a major factor in any event and even though I’d attempted to start the loop earlier in the day to make the most of the good weather, the fog was intense. As I reached the first hut, I realised I had to turn around and head back down the valley. It simply wasn’t safe to continue.
Ultimately, I stopped the route after six hours. I had already covered the length of a marathon and climbed 3,330 vertical metres. I knew I still wasn’t ready to go over my limit and dig deeper. Even if my body was fit enough, my mind also had to be ready for this kind of “type two” fun, and I simply wasn’t quite there yet.
All in all, though, I am proud of myself. I know I’ll perform again at the level I’m aiming for. We all just have to keep pushing ourselves and understand what we, and our bodies, need!
Adrian Niski | Trailrunning & Outdoor Athlete
📍Innsbruck - Achensee
I’m Adrian, a 31-year-old ultra runner, mountain lover, and social worker based in Achensee, Austria. About four years ago, I moved from Germany to Innsbruck to give my life a push in a new direction: conquering trail running. As a former triathlete, I swapped my road bike and speedos for some trail shoes, and hit the mountain trails. Now, I’m part of the Adidas Terrex trail running team, and compete in national and international races, conquering mostly the ultra distances at these events.