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Relentless pursuit

Olympic Trials

World Mountain Running Championship – Patagonia

Don’t mind this

fra_puppinho

Oggi iniziano le Olimpiadi. Probabilmente per la

Oggi iniziano le Olimpiadi.

Probabilmente per la prima volta ho diversi amici e compagni di gare, allenamenti e raduni che vi parteciperanno, Atleti poco più grandi o più giovani di me che si sono guadagnati con merito la qualificazione. Mi sentirò coinvolto anche emotivamente dalle loro gare, le attese, le speranze, la tensione, la gloria olimpica. È stato incredibilmente bello e fonte di ispirazione seguire la loro crescita agonistica e personale, culminata quest’anno con il minimo olimpico, una performance che certifica l’eccellenza nella specialità senza sconti e senza scuse. Alcuni ci sono arrivati molto vicino a hanno accarezzato la possibilità di diventare olimpionici, mancando lo standard di partecipazione di pochissimi centimetri o secondi.

La specialità in cui sono più vicino a un minimo olimpico è la maratona, ma anche lì mi mancano 4’48” per ottenere lo standard di partecipazione. Sono tanti oppure relativamente pochi, a seconda della prospettiva da cui si valuta il mio risultato di quest’anno. Invece la mia specialità principale, il mountain running, non è ancora parte del programma olimpico. Lì probabilmente avrei maggiori chances di partecipazione anche se non sarebbe per nulla scontata una eventuale qualificazione. Per anni ho sperato, e anche provato a sbloccare alcune dinamiche a livello istituzionale e mediatico, che la corsa in montagna o il trail potessero entrare a far parte del programma olimpico. Ora non sono più così certo che questo approdo sia ciò a cui il nostro sport deve ambire. Le idee e le speranze cambiano e si evolvono nel tempo, e di certezze ne ho comunque poche. Un interessante esempio da seguire sarà lo sci alpinismo, entrato a far parte del programma tecnico di Cortina 2026 pochi giorni fa. Sono curioso di vedere quali dinamiche e sviluppi questo importante traguardo porterà alla disciplina.

Agli atleti olimpici volevo augurare il meglio, di vivere questa esperienza che nell’atletica è il più grande traguardo agonistico nella maniera più intensa e completa possibile.

#olympics #tokyo2021 #maybe2020 #olimpiadi #olympicgames #trackandfield #mountainrunning #trailrunning #fromwhereirun #athletesunfiltered #goodluck

Home for another week Uncommon location for an al

Home for another week

Uncommon location for an altitude training camp - a short one, just two week of acclimatization- but just what I need now to recover my running mojo and hopefully get into that sweet spot where training feels the most natural thing. Ready for some good work 🤟🏾

Spot: Saint-Barthélemy Valley, Nus, (Aosta Valley), 2000m - rifugio Magià

#fromwhereirun #altitudetraining #aostavalley #vda #madness #elevationgain #strengthtraining #endurance #oxygen #gravel #summit #goosvibestrailcrew

It’s a story of uphills and downhills, of summit

It’s a story of uphills and downhills, of summits and valleys, of confidence and fears, reflections and thoughts. La Montée du Nid d’Aigle included all these emotions, for me, and in the end it was extremely rewarding to finally feel in tune with my body and the mountains surrounding me.

From a technical point of view I think we (with Xavi and Henri) ran fast, all three of us being under the old course record, objectively approaching the race in a very competitive way from the start. In the final part, a steep and almost skyrunning style of climb, I struggled a bit keeping the concentration and pushing as I should have, but the first 1h20’ of competition was really good. Xavi didn’t let me catch him, always keeping me as close as 10-20” for most part of the race. Henri managed to bridge a good part of his gap during the last 20’ but it wasn’t enough to catch me.

I hope this race will give me some answers that I have been looking for over the last few months, now that we are really close to the main goal for this summer. It almost seems like things are starting to come around and I hope to treasure this feeling.

@montee_du_nidaigle is 100% one of the best races I have ever done and I’m so glad the organizing committee had the will to invest on athletes and become a Mountain Running World Cup stage. I would like to thank with my warmest thoughts @poncet_elise for such a great work. Many races, organizers and athletes should look at her example to keep growing the sport.

Thanks to my adventure mates @xavidecoursa and @henriaymonod for the nice push push and to Paoli for resetting my crooked body.

Three more weeks.. until then.. Montée du Nid d’Aigle 2021, 2nd place - 1:45:49 19km - 2000D+

@nikerunning @corositalia @corosglobal @wmramountainrun @worldathletics @corsainmontagna.it @saintgervais_montblanc

#mountainrunning #worldcup #niketrail #endurance #uphill #kindlethefeeling #fromwhereirun #vertrun #montblanc #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Pictures by @marcogulberti.it and myself and someone else I don’t remember who was super kind to send me a few!

Here to run @montee_du_nidaigle and mostly to be r

Here to run @montee_du_nidaigle and mostly to be reunited with my great friend @poncet_elise!!
She did an amazing job organizing this race, taking care of every runner…and tomorrow she’ll line up with us to run the 19,5km and 2000m of elevation from Saint Gervais to the Refuge du Nid d’Aigle, on the slopes of Mont Blanc!
Start is at 9:15, make sure you follow the action on @wmramountainrun @corsainmontagna.it @montee_du_nidaigle

@nikerunning @corosglobal @corositalia

#monteeduniddaigle #courseenmontagne #mountainrunning #fromwherewerun #runforgood #worldcup #montblanc #saintgervais #unlimited #sharethetrail

I have been thinking a lot about how I use social

I don’t understand how I can possibly have a pic

I don’t understand how I can possibly have a picture from @marathondumontblanc in front of @stianangermund but apparently, I have 👐🏾

#marathondumontblanc #trailrunning #chamonix #mountainrunning #niketrail #marathonmadness #vertrun #goldentrailseries #letour #stianangermund #sharethetrail

Shot: @claudiobellosta

Fifth place at @marathondumontblanc! Less than th

Fifth place at @marathondumontblanc!

Less than three months after my road marathon it was everything but trivial to run another one on trails and perform well. Today I had some indications that the work is going in the right direction, despite some highs and lows, and I feel like I learned a lot from today’s experience.

This race has everything, from beautiful landscapes to fast and technical trails and a stacked field of athletes! It was meaningful to be here.

Congrats @stianangermund, your power is unlimited, and your sportsmanship too! Well done to @davidemagnini @b.przedwojewski @remi_bonnet who were faster than me today and to everyone who shared the trail with me today 🤗

I must say I had a top supporting crew who ended up in Chamonix with different numbers of wheels.. @glo_87 @tito_tiberti @bani.barbara

@nikerunning @goldentrailseries @chamonixmontblanc @corositalia @corosglobal @trailaddicted @runlovers

#marathondumontblanc #puppinhoèmalatomastabene #solo? #sevolevovincevo #trailrunning #mountainrunning #chamonix #madness #marathonmadness #fromwhereirun #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Photos: @martiskka and @jsaragossa 🤟🏾

And the thing I’m really looking forward to is t

And the thing I’m really looking forward to is to have fun, enjoy the race, the people, my friends, the mountains, to share greatness and most importantly… to feel myself

Chamonix here we come!

#madness #marathondumontblanc #niketrail #trailtothepeople #fromwhereirun #running

Cover photo: @claudiobellosta

One thing that strikes me when you train for a big

One thing that strikes me when you train for a big competition is that your body is not ready one day before the race. He’s not ready one day after the race. He’s ready exactly on race day.

Hopefully I’ll nail it this time as I have nailed it other times in the past. Or maybe not. I really don’t pay too much attention to it. As you can honestly see, things have not been always linear and easy, there have been days when the struggle was real and days when I have felt better. This week I took a rest day, did an easy tune-up workout with really really bad feelings yesterday morning, a massage last night, and from today on it’ll just be easy running and resting as much as I can. I feel ok I guess, just trying to be patient and getting some work done before I leave for Chamonix. But I’ll tell you, if my rest goes well..

See you on Sunday, start is at 6 am, better set your alarms.. ⏰

#raceready #yesbelieveit #marathondumontblanc #borntired #marathonmadness #montblancmarathon #chamonix #montblanc #alpinerunning #anysurfaceavailable #niketrail #wanderingsoon #fromwhereirun #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Shot: @glo_87 #pixel4 #madness

This coming Sunday I will run the Marathon du Mont

This coming Sunday I will run the Marathon du Mont Blanc in Chamonix. It’s a marathon (this year it has been shortened to 38km) with basically 2700m of elevation gain that the best runners usually complete in under 4h, and it is part of the @goldentrailseries circuit.
@glo_87 will ride her bike to Cham, a 290km journey split in two days passing through Domodossola, Simplon Pass, Brig, Martigny and Col de la Forclaz. I don’t know whether I’m looking forward to seeing her and @tito_tiberti arriving with their bikes or me running the race itself more. For sure it’s going to be super cool, as well as catching up with many friends and finally get the chance to meet my @vert.run crew and daily working mates @kirsten.kortebein and @moises.jimenez.
I will be sharing more about the race and how I feel going into it these coming days. For now, I just know that today is a rest day 😍 and I have a lot of work to catch up with so I better get it done soon.

Pictures by @claudiobellosta from my 2019 experience at @marathondumontblanc (didn’t end up so well but was worth trying) and myself during my multiple trips to Chamonix valley.

#montblancmarathon #chamonix #montblanc #goldentrailseries #fromwhereirun #restday #niketrail #vertrun #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Dolomites free running experience 🤟🏾 Yester

Dolomites free running experience 🤟🏾

Yesterday I did a nice uphill session - not much for how fast I climbed the 1200m up to Cima Rosetta, but because I wanted to approach it with a "just try to feel myself" mentality and for the amazing mountains around me. There's not much work left to do before Mont Blanc Marathon, which is now just little over a week away. I seriously thought about dropping out of the race over the past few days. I felt overwhelmed, inefficient and tired, my body wasn’t responding and my mind was blurred. Sometimes I feel out of control and I cannot rule my mind. Maybe I am not able to give myself enough time when I struggle.
I know the result in Chamonix won't define me as a person nor as an athlete, and I'll take it for whatever it will be, even though I will line up to do my best. I have at least two good reasons to stay positive: the work has been solid over the last 8 months (though maybe I haven't found some answers that I would have liked) and the best things that I did in my athletic career have always come after hard, complicated times. So I try to stay confident and navigate the highs and lows of life, just like in one my favorite workouts: hilly tempo runs

P.s. @chiccopelle how do you see my skiing stance?

Free running crew: @lucacagnati @lorenzocagnati @merliluca_

Photos and assistance @tito_tiberti @paologermanetto

#freerunning #anysurfaceavailable #niketrail #higherthanair #summermadness #dismoninightmare #cimarosetta #dolomites #paledisanmartino #ruleyourmind #notdoneyet

When the guys are nailing the workouts and I can o

When the guys are nailing the workouts and I can only watch or pretend to be fast for 10”… bring it on 🤟🏾

Thanks for not dropping me @lorenzabeccaria 🤗

Training madness 😱 mental illness 🐒 physical insanity 🐗just being @fra_puppinho I guess

#summermadness #training #sanmartino #workout #strides #getdropped #running #anysurfaceavailable #niketrail #borntired #plank #plankaddict #mountainrunning #flatflatflat #athletesunfiltered #anysurfaceanydistance #underdog #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

I am living this strange time of my life as an ath

I am living this strange time of my life as an athlete where I always feel like I am missing something. Like I am never good enough or I can’t live up to my expectations about training and racing. It’s not that I’m not enjoying what I do or that I have lost the mojo for running and training my ass off. It’s… I don’t know honestly. Maybe I’m just thinking too much or I am in a situation where I cannot see the bigger picture, because I feel tangled up in the everyday fatigue of training, working and just doing all the things I have in my life.

Today I dropped out from a long run, I was just dragging myself on the climbs and continuing wouldn’t have made much sense. I didn’t want to prolong my agony and called it a day after 15km (out the of 32-34 I was hoping to run).
It literally never happens to me. Like I can’t remember the last time I interrupted a workout, whether on the road, track or trail. That’s always been one of my strengths, to be extremely consistent and solid over the years, something I have exploited to make up for my little talent.
Mountain running has always come relatively easy for me, I used to have the fortune to feel in tune with the mountain and be at my ease on the climbs, to feel light and efficient on the trails. This year I have never found such feelings, for some reason that I wish I knew but I just can’t make up my mind. I don’t know.

I thought I’d just share this because it’s really part of what I’m going through, instead of pretending to be in total control and always focused, motivated or positive like most athletes seem to be.

#running #training #racing #dolomites #niketrail #athletesunfiltered #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

And we keep showing up 🤟🏾 Punk run on my fav

And we keep showing up 🤟🏾
Punk run on my favorite lake 🐟
We feel the heat inside 🔥

@nikerunning @corositalia

#comolake #fridaymadness #getyourvaccine #villaerba #niketrail #anysurfaceavailable #lunchbreak #vertstyle #punkrun #exploreperfection #athletesunfiltered #weekendvibes #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Studies show that having @tito_tiberti alongside 🚴🏽‍♂️ shouting “come on #porcocane!” during a fartlek cut 6”/km to your average pace …more than @nike’s Vaporfly! #science

All inclusive tempo/fartlek/warmup whatever comprised of 5km fartlek (2’-2’), 5km steady tempo, 5km fartlek (1’-1’), in the heat, on my beloved Veniano Loop and my favorite gravel around home. Yes, that’s preparation for trail running 🤟🏾 Guess the splits!

#venianoloop #madness #niketrail #fartlek #vaporfly #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Swipe 4 to 1 for today’s story 🤷🏽‍♂️

Swipe 4 to 1 for today’s story 🤷🏽‍♂️
Gonna win the next sprint finish tomorrow? @henriaymonod

Racing is a good way to put some intensity in the legs, which I never reach during training. The moment when you put on a bib should remain unlike any other and fortunately, for me, this is still true. I am using short, hard mountain running races to bring up my shape towards the main summer goals. Though I really hate not being competitive with the top guys, I know I need to give myself some time and not necessarily value today’s performance in a negative way. Helping my team taking a fifth place finish is still respectable and totally worth striving for..and yes, I gave everything I had. Thanks once again guys @pietrosonzogni_ @nadircavagna @atletica_valle_brembana

And finally, @cecemaestri @xavidecoursa @lucacagnati you won a national title! It was about time.. #zerutituli

@atleticaitaliana @corsainmontagna.it @sportdimontagna @sportivalanzada_asd

#relays #valmalenco #onmyown #racing #niketrail #endurance #mountainrunning #trailrunning #sprint #sprintfinish #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Photos: @maurytorri and @marcogulberti.it

Hey @kilianjornet is it good enough for a tired we

Hey @kilianjornet is it good enough for a tired weak #AnySurfaceAvailable athlete? Trying to get my climbing skills back!

Today I did a fun little workout that reminded me of Kilian’s VK10K challenge that he launched last year. It was just a 450m climb, with the downhill as the recovery (on the same course, mostly to kill my legs), followed by a flat 20’ road fartlek (1’ + 1’) at 3’12/km pace. Nothing crazy but I actually felt in tune with the run today. Finally, I should say.
We should remind ourselves to let the workout come to our body, not force some kind of workout into our body.

With some extra motivation given by our national mountain running champs last Sunday and a couple of days spent camping and wandering in the mountains with @glo_87, things might be starting to come around. Four more weeks 🤟🏾 will it be enough?

#vk10k #mountainrunning #trailrunning #comolake #climbingmadness #fucktraffic #inthemiddleofaroad #brunate #carescione #niketrail #athletesunfiltered #workout #vertrun #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Do I not look like a marathoner that has just been

Do I not look like a marathoner that has just been thrown into a mountain race? Well guess what.. I am 🤟🏾

Mountain running national champs - 10th place. My performance was actually quite satisfying for what my expectations were and what my shape currently is. Lots of work still to be done, but glad to have found some motivation to fight, even for a 10th place finish.
In five weeks there will be the first moment of truth. Congrats to all who ran!

P.s. Livello da campionato del mondo... o gara mai vista in Italia? No, tutt’altro. Un livello consono a un campionato italiano che si rispetti, come ce ne sono stati tanti altri. In cui si va per correre forte, senza sconti e senza scuse.. e se corri piano, arrivi dietro!

@nikerunning
@atletica_valle_brembana @atleticaitaliana @wmramountainrun

#mountainrunning #nationalchamps #niketrail #ronconebeach #classic #valchiesemadness #nonostante #vadopiano #campingtrip #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

WAKE UP!! @fra_puppinho!! It’s time for national

WAKE UP!! @fra_puppinho!!
It’s time for national champs again! (again?!)

Last time it went really bad - like really really bad. Can’t wait to see how I’ll embarrass myself more, racing the 11,5k - 750m elevation course set up by @atletica_valchiese with the boys. On to the next!

#racing #mountainrunning #badasses #morebastonate #magiccircle #cerchiomagico #porcocane #stellina #stellinarace #valchiesemadness #makepuppinhogreatagain

Photo: @damianobenedettophoto

Arrivi a un punto in cui 20km al giorno non bastan

Arrivi a un punto in cui 20km al giorno non bastano più, correre le ripetute a 3’ al km non è abbastanza soddisfacente, 160km alla settimana sembrano pochi, e vorresti aggiungere ancora due esercizi alla tua core routine, 1’ di corda, dieci minuti di propriocezione.
È facile cadere nel circolo vizioso del volersi spingere sempre un po’ più in là, del credere che di più sia sempre e necessariamente meglio, del pensare che la realtà sia solo quella che si vede. A volte penso che non è possibile che io sia arrivato a certi risultati, che sia riuscito a rendere accettabili ritmi e livelli di fatica che ritenevo impensabili, volumi di lavoro che erano quelli degli atleti che più ammiravo. In fondo sono solo io, Franci, o Fra, o @fra_puppinho, con i centomila difetti, le debolezze e le paure che mi porto dietro, da sempre. Certe volte li nascondo, li metto a tacere, altre si ripresentano prepotentemente nonostante io cerchi di affrontarli o li combatta, dentro di me, mentre dal volto traspare solamente un velo di malinconia. La volontà è una grande forza, ma nel mio caso è limitata. Di queste cose è giusto avere consapevolezza, ma non credo sia giusto far finta di niente.

Ho bisogno di stare con me e di tornare debole, per un po’.

#milesformiles #distancerunning #niketrail #may27 #filataloop #domore #weakness #athletesunfiltered #whythefuckamiwritinghashtags #puppinhosjourney #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Photo: @una_grana

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