Home - Francesco Puppi

Un po’ di cose che ho scritto

Cadenze

Relentless pursuit

Olympic Trials

World Mountain Running Championship – Patagonia

Don’t mind this

francesco.puppi

Hey, hi, hello. Just a quick update: I’ve been a

Hey, hi, hello. Just a quick update: I’ve been a bit sick since last week.

My HRV has dropped dramatically, HR was very high in the morning and since today I’ve had a temperature. My energy levels have been really low and I have felt pretty tired and fatigued, especially during any physical effort.
I did 3 covid tests over the last 3 days and they were all negative.

It’s not an ideal situation to be in, but I’ll see what I can do tomorrow morning. I don’t want to put my health in jeopardy or take a month to recover from a stupid sickness just because I’m stubborn and I want to race. With total respect to the race, the other athletes and the organizers, I’m sure they will understand regardless of my decision.

Not sure why I’m really writing this, since it may not be all that interesting for you. But just in case you don’t see me on the live or in the rankings..

I think I have a partial answer for my underperformance at Pikes Peak, so at least this situation has allowed me to connect some dots. I’m not a machine and as I’ve already said, I think I’ve underestimated my recovery needs after OCC. Sometimes it strikes me how we understand so little about our bodies, probably even less at these elevations; currently sitting at 2401m.

This pretty much means that I’ll have to put aside any hope of racing at the Golden Trail Series Final, since I won’t have enough points to qualify. It’s silly how my overall season has been kind of decent, so far, and that all my bad races have been in the @goldentrailseries, but it is what it is. I’m not going to blame myself or beat myself up too much for it. There are many other reasons to be content for.

Still feeling incredibly grateful to be here and in a pretty good mental state. Beyond my physical issues, it just means that I’ll have to come back to give these races what they deserve from my side 😊

Racing or not, see you tomorrow!

#trailworks #runthedistance #mammothlakes #mammothtrailfest #runsteepgethigh #california #highsierra #trailrunning #fuelyourultra #publiclands

Photos: @lise_neukomm and @the.adventure.bakery 🍩🙏🏾

I’ve come to realize how the stories that we hea

I’ve come to realize how the stories that we hear and tell ourselves about the places and territories are primary elements in shaping the way we see ourselves and our place in the world.

I’ve always been driven to look to the landscape for guidance and inspiration - it’s where I can truly connect with my inner self.

It’s hard to put into words what places like Mammoth Lakes and Flagstaff, Whitmore Track or Lake Mary Road have represented for my imagination and the way I approach distance running. And getting to experience those places, breathing their thin, crisp air, feeling the sunlight and watching the shadows as they stretch with the sunset in an endless nuance of colors, gives me an incredible sense of gratitude.

I still don’t completely understand what it is, whether the vastness of the horizons or the inclination of the sunrays, or the numb feeling that nothing really matters except living the moment.

But I’m here, I’m breathing, feeling and living.

Perhaps I’m a little closer to grasp this concept. I had to get here, somehow

#openspaces #freetobe #publiclands #altitude #runthedistance #niketrail #mammothlakes #fromitstruemeaning

POV: your enjoying the process 🥰 It’s not al

POV: your enjoying the process 🥰

It’s not all about times, results and performance. It’s about having fun and enjoying the process when we run

I was very sad last week after my poor race at @runpikespeak ascent, and I have reflected on the reasons why I didn’t perform as I expected. Running with an amazing group of people, through some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen, has truly helped me get over it.

It’s not about pretending to control our emotions, it’s about dwelling on them and giving ourselves the time and space to understand how we feel, without judgement or stigma. It’s about being kind to ourselves, not being afraid to seek help and talk to people. It’s about how and why we run.

Yosemite, you have a piece of my soul 🥰

@goldentrailseries @yosemitenps @yosemiteclimbingassociation @visitcalifornia @nikerunning @naakbars @corosglobal

#process #trailrunning #yosemite #california #freeclimbing #runthedistance #niketrail #trailtothepeople #sharethetrail

🎥 @roberto_delorenzi

Simply put, I found myself tired at @runpikespeak

Simply put, I found myself tired at @runpikespeak ascent this year. Not fresh, not efficient, not able to put my best foot forward. Simply put, I think I underestimated my recovery capacities after @utmbmontblanc OCC, just 16 days ago.

Regarding Pikes Peak, I thought that repeating my same performance as last year - when I was way less prepared than this year, and in a much worse physical and mental state - would be almost automatic, but reality is: it’s not. And yesterday’s finish line, with no mercy, was a good reminder of all this.

I have been reflecting on whether I have asked myself too much this year. Running wise and beyond, since I have many things besides my life as a pro athlete.

I’ve had really high highs and some very low lows throughout this season. That’s not something easy to handle, at least for me. Bad races are always a hit for self confidence. As the raw emotions start to wind down after the finish, you start questioning your training, your approach and what you choose to pay attention to. Training hard and racing hard is not possible at the same time, and for me it’s always such a delicate balance.

Is it worth, coming all the way to Colorado to climb up a mountain in the shortest time possible? Even if I performed so poorly and so far from my best abilities? Maybe, despite everything, the answer is yes, since this is my way to feel alive.

I can’t finish without the expressing an immense feeling of gratitude and inspiration for what @remi_bonnet did yesterday. It was special to be part of such a historic race, in a similar manner as @kilianjornet’s 2019 @sierrezinal_officiel.
Keep redefining limits 🙌🏽

#pikespeak #goldentrailseries #trailrunning #forwhatisworth #niketrail #fuelyourultra #runthedistance #sharethetrail

Photos: @reddgoat and @philippreiter007 🙏🏾

Nonchalantly ignoring the fact that @runpikespeak

Nonchalantly ignoring the fact that @runpikespeak climbs up to 4300m, but we’re going to attack it just like as it was at sea level, despite what everyone here claims 😁😂

21km with 2382m of elevation - 13.1 miles with +7815ft for the lovers of the imperial system 🤌🏾

The @goldentrailseries crew is ready (or not?! I’m not ready!) for tomorrow. It’s really cool that it feels like we were all part of the same team, despite representing so many different countries and brands.

If we survive the hypoxia and the #madness, see you tomorrow!

@goldentrailseries @runpikespeak @nikerunning @corosglobal @naakbars

#colorado #pikespeak #kokopelli #manitousprings #niketrail #fuelyourultra #goldentrailseries #fullgaz #runthedistance #dontstopthemadness

Video: @anacufer x @the.adventure.bakery 🙏🏾🥰

Finally the #madness trip that everyone has been w

Finally the #madness trip that everyone has been waiting for is here! Let the USA tour begin 🇺🇸🤘🏾

Stoked to be back to @runpikespeak ascent and to visit for my first time the state of California for @mammothtrailfest in the home of the legendary @mammothtc and @timtollefson 😊

So many emotions and personal stories involved. USA is the country outside of Italy where I’ve spent most of my time. It’s where many of my friends live and it’s part of the culture him that has shaped who I am.

The west of the United States has something that you just cannot find in Europe. I’m not sure exactly what it is, whether the balance between humanity and nature leans more towards the latter, or something about the inclination of the sunrays, or the vastness of the horizons..

Besides racing, this is truly why I feel grateful to be back here 🥰

Thanks @goldentrailseries for the opportunity and support!

Will keep you updated as usual 👋🏽😉

#usatour #goldentrailseries #madnesstour #pikespeak #mammothlakes #colorado #california #runthedistance #sharethetrail

Photos: @goldentrailseries media / @philippreiter007 @jsaragossa @mickael.mussard

School starts tomorrow 🤌🏾 Just what we’ve

School starts tomorrow 🤌🏾

Just what we’ve been up to during August - for the most part 🌳🚲🍫🥖🌦️🦔

One mile from the finish of OCC I wasn’t aware t

One mile from the finish of OCC I wasn’t aware that I had just a handful of seconds on @antonio_runner.

It was only as I crossed the scaffold bridge that goes over Route de Praz that I realized how close he was: as I was running down the stairs, Antonio was climbing up on the other side.

I kinda freaked out and sprinted as hard as I could over the final km along the Arve towards the center of Chamonix. I just thought about making it to the finish as quickly as I could, without giving Antonio the opportunity of a sprint finish - you never know how it goes 😜

In the end, only 19 seconds separated me and Antonio at the finish.

I didn’t get to enjoy the final meters of my race, to wave and give high fives to the crowd, to cross the finish with tranquillity. But that’s a good example of how I think a competitive race should be: you run to the finish, you never let your foot off the gas, you go all in.

In some ways, I’ve always aimed at making my role in the sport obsolete. I just don’t think that in a sport that is as competitive as it could be there would be much room for me at a high level - I don’t consider myself very talented or anything like that. On one hand, this thought has fueled my ambition and has made me strive to be better, to run faster - and I honestly think that I’ve got some good things out of myself in the past few years, from an athletic perspective. On the other hand, it’s great to see how at every race that I choose, there’s a higher density, with athletes always pushing the boundaries forward.

I squeezed every once of energy out of myself in this one. That’s what I like to do. What’s even better is to see people who are doing it better than you, and to keep getting inspiration and learning from them

#utmb #chamonix #trailrunning #niketrail #occ #fuelyourultra #runthedistance #neverdone

Photos by the artist @shapirothehero

Singletrack and nachos 🎉 👋🏽 @courtneydau

Singletrack and nachos 🎉

👋🏽 @courtneydauwalter 😁

#trailrunning #alpine #runthedistance #chamonix #niketrail #forclazforcourtney #coldebalme #chasingpack #singletrack #nachos

Video: @herter_jules

Just let the legs do the talking OCC @utmbmontbla

Just let the legs do the talking

OCC @utmbmontblanc | 53.3km +3150m - 2nd place 4:44:58

@nikerunning @corosglobal @naakbars @vert.run @strava

#fullsend #utmb #walmsleyruns #runthedistance #niketrail #chamonix #whoyouare

Photos: @romainbourven

All the love 19:37:43 🖤 @walmsleyruns @utmbm

All the love

19:37:43 🖤 @walmsleyruns

@utmbmontblanc

#fullcircle #walmsley #nowords #forthemiles #utmb #allthelove

OCC @utmbmontblanc tomorrow. Sometimes it’s eas

OCC @utmbmontblanc tomorrow.

Sometimes it’s easier to give advice than to accept it ourselves.

Since one of the highlights of this week was definitely when I randomly met @bygolly.molly at the Chamonix track, I’m going to use her words for the final thing I need to tell myself. I hope she forgives me!

Molly has - completely unintentionally - made my relationship with running a better one. I dare to say she’s probably made me a better person overall.
It’s with this mindset that tomorrow I will attempt the longest distance I have ever run.

Full send 🤟🏾

#utmb #occ #trailrunning #chamonix #montblanc #niketrail #dontstopthemadness #fullsend #runningfree

Photos: @stephan_wieser

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Dacia UTMB, th

Gonna try to find out what this UTMB thing is all

Gonna try to find out what this UTMB thing is all about 🤯

Catch me on the north side of Mont Blanc one week from today. 56km +3000something meters on deck. Should be fun 🙂

In the meanwhile, as you might have noticed, I’ve been training on the cobbles, eating several waffles, doing a lot of cold showers 😍 but this doesn’t matter for the purposes of this post 🤌🏾

Oh, and for the skeptics, I think this certifies that I’ve graduated from the Instagram downhill university 🤟🏾

#niketrail #chamonice #trailrunning #fuelyourultra #runthedistance #bethemadness #utmb #daccia #flandersclassics #deronde

We gotta celebrate the bad races just like the goo

We gotta celebrate the bad races just like the good ones ☺️

Failure is part of the process. In distance running we often experience more failures than victories. It’s time to move past the narrative that wants us to perform and exceed our (or the others’) expectations all the times.
At this year’s Sierre Zinal I failed, but I can’t wait to be back next year

#distancerunning #sierrezinal #failure #process #traverse #niketrail #freetobe #athletes #trust #trailrunning #alps #thatsme

Video @alexx.lgt

It hurts a lot when a race where you’ve poured s

It hurts a lot when a race where you’ve poured some of the best things that you were capable of doesn’t reward you as much as you wish.

It’s been 5 long years since I ran well at @sierrezinal_officiel. Since then, I’ve changed a lot as a person and as an athlete. SZ has always been a chance to see what point I was at year after year.
I believe compared to 5 or 6 years ago I’m a better athlete, overall. Technically maybe less strong in pure climbing, but way fitter on any other terrain, more experienced, smarter when it comes to strategy and approach. So why doesn’t it translate into a good performance at this race?

Maybe because progress is non linear. Distance running is this weird thing that one day can give you everything, another one takes every away from you. No one has cracked its code yet, if there’s one. And that’s why it’s so interesting, that’s why we’re so addicted to the process of training, the challenge of the competition.

Yesterday’s result, after crossing the finish line, felt like the most important thing in the world, for a moment. I was tempted to define myself as a failure - just like my performance - but then I reminded myself why I keep doing this thing, why I keep coming back to this race, my favorite race ever, why I keep trying.

To everyone who struggled or failed like me, yesterday: you’re not alone. And I have the uttermost respect for you if what you did was your relative best on that day - which I’m sure it was. Let’s be kind to ourselves.

Congrats to the winners, to the athletes who had a great day, to the @sierrezinal_officiel people, always elevating the sport and keeping this dream alive for the 50th time 💫

#sierrezinal #distancerunning #failing #niketrail #fuelyourultra #traversing #chandolin #allthatmatters

Photos: @the.adventure.bakery x @goldentrailseries

Cosa significa che una gara “è competitiva” o

Cosa significa che una gara “è competitiva” o che “c’era un livello alto”

Significa che probabilmente non avrai il benché minimo controllo sullo sviluppo della competizione.
Che l’unica cosa per cui potrai prepararti è sentirti impreparato ad affrontarne l’intensità.
Che probabilmente correrai il primo km con 70m di dislivello in meno di 4 minuti e i battiti già a 180, ma sarai lo stesso 35esimo o anche di più.
Che se avrai un momento di down, o se ti volterai indietro, probabilmente ti passeranno venti atleti sopra la testa.
Che ci sarà per forza una parte di gara che non andrà come avevi previsto, in cui non sarai nella posizione che volevi, in cui farai immensamente più fatica di quanto avresti voluto.
Che dovrai avere il coraggio e la bravura per stringere i denti, e scavare fino in fondo, anche quando le cose non si metteranno per niente bene.
Che negli ultimi km dovrai fare violenza su te stesso, che sentirai i tuoi passi rimbombare nel cervello, che ogni parte del corpo farà almeno un po’ male.
Che le posizioni all’arrivo si giocheranno sui secondi, a volte sui decimi secondo.

Che non c’è alcun materiale obbligatorio, nessuna possibilità di nascondersi, nessuna scusa per i minuti che scorrono, le posizioni in classifica, nessun eroismo nel tagliare il traguardo.
C’è solo la corsa, pura, nella sua forma più alta ed essenziale.

Questo è, ad esempio, Sierre-Zinal

Questo è il tipo di gare che generano agonismo e interesse sportivo, per cui dovremmo si spendere gli aggettivi che invece utilizziamo a sproposito in contesti molto spesso inappropriati, solo perché non siamo in grado di scendere a compromessi con la nostra mediocrità assoluta, o perché spesso, da parte di chi racconta il nostro sport, non c’è alternativa al premere sul pedale del superlativo sempre e comunque fino in fondo, finché ce n’è, finché non rimane più nulla.

Non tutto il trail o la corsa in montagna devono ridursi a questo. Ma in relazione alla competitività e all’alto livello, io credo che sia questo ciò con cui dovremmo imparare a confrontarci.

#competitiveness #distancerunning #sierrezinal #trailrunning #agonismo #niketrail #tilltheend

Foto: @marcogulberti_photography

At the 2018 Sierre-Zinal, I placed 4th in 2:35. O

At the 2018 Sierre-Zinal, I placed 4th in 2:35.

One of the first comments I received after crossing the finish line was “I thought you would have run faster”.
On the moment, even though it came from someone very close to me, I didn’t really pay attention to it, but as my thoughts started to sink in, those words hit me and resonated with me.

I’ve always struggled with self-esteem and self confidence. The feeling of never being enough or not being worth besides what your times or results can tell, or besides what you imagine the others’ opinion about you is. Do I belong here. Do I have what it takes. Why would I care, if no one cares.

That’s a non negligible risk for all athletes, who easily tie their identity very tightly to the sport they practice, in particular in the case of such a self defining activity like distance running, which pretty much involves any aspect of life.

5 years later I still recall those words and I still feel the same way sometimes. I have come to understand how untrue such beliefs are, and how we perform better when we’re happy, but at the same time, subconsciously, this is not an easy thought to demolish.

I’m going to Zinal for a seventh time this year. I may run slower or faster than in 2018, I don’t know - the fun part will be to find out. Still carrying all the good and the less good that I’ve been able to build, all the miles, sweat and tears, all the experiences and people that I’ve met along the way.

But maybe also a little differently from five years ago. More aware that it’s not important to be strong, but to feel strong

#sierrezinal #anniviers #cleanestline #valais #mentalhealth #distancerunning #allthefeels

Last year - last and only long run before @sierrez

Last year - last and only long run before @sierrezinal_officiel

This year?!

#longrun #niketrail #greina #blenio #trending #trailrunning #forthelongrun #runthedistance #fuelyourultra

Route and special welcome @fraalberti_ 😊

Not 100% sure I was able to give them good trainin

Not 100% sure I was able to give them good training tips, but pretty confident I shared my whole pizza knowledge 🍕🤌🏾🤌🏾😁

Fun trail days in the mountains around Chamonix with @nikerunning @itz.davidlee and @andreariglez. Miles, dawns, laughter, vibes, food and some of the world’s most iconic trails 🏔️

Find us running around Mont Blanc in less than a month 🤟🏾

#niketrail #chamonix #montblanc #pizzacamp #madness #trailrunning #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

🎥 + 📸 @the.adventure.bakery 🔝

Load More... Follow on Instagram