Home - Francesco Puppi

Un po’ di cose che ho scritto

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Relentless pursuit

Olympic Trials

World Mountain Running Championship – Patagonia

Don’t mind this

francesco.puppi

Confession: I am a trail runner but I suck in the

Confession: I am a trail runner but I suck in the downhills. Until I train and become really good at them. Watch out 🤟🏾😁

Utah desert, September 2022

#castletowers #moab #usa #niketrail #trailrunning #runthedistance #endurance #downhill #desert #goldentrailseries #madness #freerunning #motivation🤌🏾

Video: @anacufer x @goldentrailseries

So how should we train? What are we actually doing

So how should we train? What are we actually doing while we’re out there?

It’s a really good question. Let’s try to set some boundaries first and then give some general principles.

For well trained adult endurance athletes, I think the main idea is that - physiologically - we train to use a better % of our VO2max, and to sustain it for longer periods of time at a higher speed. During the course of a preparation or even an athletic career, we can’t expect our VO2max, which is largely predetermined, to change much. What changes greatly is the % that we use to run at a given speed, or conversely how fast and how long we can run at a certain % of our VO2max.

This has to do with two main factors:
- how close our lactate threshold is to the VO2max speed
- how good our running economy is

You can see the % of VO2max as the intensity of your effort (how hard you’re running): the higher your fitness, the higher the speed you can maintain at a similar intensity.

When we’re training for a long effort, we are basically using our time (a lot) and energy (pretty incredible amounts) to increase the speed at which the lactate threshold occurs and a higher % of our VO2max. As a bonus, our running economy - meaning both the mechanical and metabolic components - improves, if we show up with enough frequency (our technique will become more efficient and our muscles will learn how to produce the energy that is necessary for movement in a better way). This leads to improvement.

For a successful training, run easy or very easy often, hard occasionally and pay a visit to god just for the very special occasions.

For people who are not well trained, or whose body weight is not optimized, of course VO2max can change (if you lose weight, your VO2max will generally improve, but I’m not going to get into this tricky topic).

Does it really matter to know your VO2max? Probably not. Is it predictive for performance? To some extent, but lactate threshold and running economy have a better correlation with it.

I think having some basic training principles is very useful to any endurance athlete to handle their training. What do you think?

Photos by @glo_87 somewhere in the French alps

Turns out that, if you’re not ready to give your

Per me, che sono in continuo movimento, è diventa

Per me, che sono in continuo movimento, è diventato fondamentale prestare attenzione alla mobilità sostenibile.
Nel mio piccolo, cerco sempre di pesare meno sul pianeta, come mi ha insegnato @engieitalia.

Volete sapere come?

Venire a vedere 😉

@engie

#mobilità #mobilitàsostenibile #netzero #carbonfootprint #emissioni #co2 #engie

Had so much fun doing this muddy thing that I’ve

Had so much fun doing this muddy thing that I’ve signed up for another one!

Sunday, January 15th - five rounds of type II fun @cinquemulini.official 🤟🏾

#crosscountry #running #trailrunning #spikes #winter #madness #cinquemulini #runthedistance #fullyengaged #gasprices #climatechange

Photos: @lattugh_99

Cross country is basically trail running at 3’/k

Cross country is basically trail running at 3’/km pace 🤙🏾

(for the people in front of me even 2’50 pace, but they are not trail runners 😁)

Lungs burning, blood taste, all in from the first meter 🔥 that’s @campacciocross 🤟🏾

#crosscountry #trailrunning #anysurfaceavailable #niketrail #nikerunning #runthedistance #mileage #ponytail #dragonfly #speedcrossing #worlderunners #runlovers #runner #sweatelite #goneoutdoors

🎥 @riccardo_amadori

Always trying to find ways to better myself Always

Always trying to find ways to better myself
Always keen to put myself into the game
Always #anysurfaceavailable
Always my season opener at @campacciocross 🙏🏾

10k - 30:13 - 14th place

(from the color of my spikes, you can draw your conclusions regarding the amount of mud on the course 🤯😰 zero)

Swipe to see how much I improved from last year #itsakindofmagic 😁

@atletica_valle_brembana @nikerunning @worldathletics

#thisistrailrunning #crosscountry #madness #aprire #ponytail #worldxctour #campaccio #campaccio2023 #running #cyclocross #vedepe #befana #dragonfly #nikerunning #niketrail

Photos: @chiammmmonte 🤙🏾

Ready or not, we’re kicking off the 2023 season

Ready or not, we’re kicking off the 2023 season at @campacciocross tomorrow 🤟🏾

Pray for it 🙏🏾😁🚿🚿

#crosscountry #2023 #pressure #pidcock #xc #cyclocross #anysurfaceavailable #mudfest #campaccio #runthedistance #niketrail #nikerunning #religion #spikes

📸 (the serious ones) @emmiecoll @1_in_the_gutter

It’s the end of 2022 and everyone is listing his

It’s the end of 2022 and everyone is listing his or her own achievements and favorite moments of this year. But since my friends’ achievements seem way more important (and far better) than my own ones, I’m taking a moment to reflect on who has inspired me the most, who has taught me something or who has been in my mind during the countless hours of training, travelling, working and just living - in one of my favorite years of my life.

@kilianjornet for raising the bar one more time, alternating long and short distance races and achieving performances that cannot be understated. For being really open about what he’s done (check out his latest blog post) and for starting the @protrailrunners association with me and @pascalegli and the help of all the other elite athletes. Think, for a moment: what else could he have asked to a sport that has given him almost everything, and yet he’s still there at the top of the game and striving to leave a legacy that is better than what he’s found.

@nienke.brinkman @adampeterman_ and @patrick.kipngeno for their incredible seasons and consistency at the highest level.

The performances and the madness of @alliemc3 @remi_bonnet @andreublanes @blandinelhirondel Samuel Kibet @petter_engdahl, Andrea Mayr @courtneydauwalter @davidemagnini @cecemaestri. You rock!

The comeback of athletes like @thatdakotajones @zachmiller38 @tinaemelie, new huge talents like @sophialaukli, @chadoflife, athletes continuing their growth like @daniel_osanz @anthony_felber @saraalonso5 others being extremely consistent through the years: @stianangermund @ruthcrofty

@maude.mathys for another incredible season despite barely running - an example for everyone who’s injured.

The FKT king @jackkuenzle

Athletes who run well and write better, or who say very interesting things: @corrinemalcolm @runwidkeel @kylemerber @allie_ostrander @ultra_damo @fastwomen @dylanbo @stevemagness and many more.

Countless other athletes I follow, care about, read about, get inspiration from, on the track, road, trails.

My favorite athlete, the one who’s inspired me the most and that I could relate to more than anyone else, @bygolly.molly.

Thank you!

Onto the next #2023

Spiking up for the season ⚡️🤌🏾🛼 Athl

Spiking up for the season ⚡️🤌🏾🛼

Athletically, I guess 2023 has already started for me just like for a lot of other people. It always feels good to go back to my first love and take the less conventional approach to the trails and possibly the ultra distances. But one thing that is 100% true about training is that it works, as long as you do it! How is another chapter which is interesting to compare and discuss among different athletes and training philosophies.

You guessed it: I’m opening 2023 with the two biggest and most competitive XC races in the world, looking forward to getting my ass kicked and fighting for every position. But also learning and being more comfortable in the uncomfortable 😉

06.01 @campacciocross
15.01 @cinquemulini.official

Kudos to the camera runner @glo_87 for choosing the shittiest (literally) field available around our house 👏🏽

#crosscountry #xc #anysurfaceavailable #2023 #skiingday #spikes #nikerunning #niketrail #dragonfly #madness #camping #mudfest #probably #vedepè #mileage #ponytail #runthedistance

In case you need a last minute idea for Christmas,

In case you need a last minute idea for Christmas, here we are 🤟🏾🤌🏾🤗

#chriswhat #madness #gifts #usa #roadtrip #baouw #colorado #trailrunning #camp #bellaciao #xmas #auguri

Photo 1 by @jsaragossa 😁

Took selfies with a bunch of cool people in 2022 ✌🏽
Hoping to keep that up in 2023 #goals

#2022 #approx #bonked #vibes #ontothenext #hillspaythebills #running

A pretty historic moment for our sport. Today the

A pretty historic moment for our sport.

Today the first general assembly of the @protrailrunners association was held.

It’s time for the elite athletes to unite and stand for the issues they deeply care about.
To have a voice at the same level as the different stakeholders involved in the sport, not as individuals but as a structured group, united in a non-profit association.
To preserve the values which make trail running so special and to work to ensure a better future for the next generations.

Huge thanks to @kilianjornet and @pascalegli for helping me give form to something I deeply care about, for starting this project together and for the work we’ve done over the past few months.

Together for a fair and responsible sport

#protrailrunnersassociation #united #trailrunning #mountains #athletes #future

I wanted to give you a small example of what progr

I wanted to give you a small example of what progress looks like to me, a progress that is not measured by times or performances but nonetheless it’s something that I’ve worked really hard to achieve.

Last night I came back from Turin after watching the @europeanathletics cross country championship and - according to my training plan - I was supposed to do a 30-40 min easy run with strides (my second session of the day after a 15km easy run in the morning). By doing that, I would have reached a 160km (100m) week, something that mentally gives me confidence that training is going well, mileage is quite high and that I’m pretty much on top of everything. I knew that going out for the run wasn’t the smartest decision, because I was pretty tired from a whole day outside and because I had some hip pain that I have been dealing with over the past few weeks (ok actually months 😬) and honestly yesterday’s morning it felt pretty bad during and after the run.

So I made the decision to just skip the run and use that time to do some really boring exercises and rehab to stretch and strengthen the area around my hips. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a hard decision, because after all it was only about skipping an easy run knowing that today I would have benefited from it, but it still required some mental effort to shift from a perfectionist perspective to a “I’m just going to do what I know it’s the best for me“ perspective.

It’s easy to get caught in a loop that validates the equation more = better, harder = stronger and so on, a belief that I’ve really tried to shift away from. Training well is not about being tough and showing to ourselves and to the others that we are always capable of doing better. Sometimes it’s about realizing what we need, spending some time doing yoga or just losing track of how long we’ve been on the sofa reading a book 👌🏾

#training #mindset #workharder #niketrail #nikerunning #shift #mentalhealth #trailrunning #runthealps #mileage #endurance #whatever #whywerun #athletesunfiltered

Photos: @stephan_wieser

POV: you’re an athlete and you live with another

POV: you’re an athlete and you live with another athlete (or animal.. Rita?! 🦔) 🤯😁🤌🏾

Just some regular madness going on in our house, pretty much on a daily basis

#paythebills #athleteslife #viafilata #madness #pov #holidayseason #tiredAF #mileage #anysurfaceavailable #andallthesponsorsiforgottomention

First week back to training was 🤟🏾🤯🤗🚿🐌😁🏃🏽‍♂️🚴🏽‍♂️🏋🏽⛰️👌🏾

It’s a process that continues and that I enjoying doing every year. Starting to put in the good work, the miles, the hours in the pain cave, while trying to visualize the goals, the races and places I will travel to, the new people I will meet and the still to be discovered trails. Not pretending to be perfect but surely being very consistent week after week.

I think this winter is going to be the first one ever that I won’t completely stop running in the mountains. I’m excited and motivated by that because it’s something relatively new to me. I will still compete in a few road and cross country races, but I want to start my trail season sooner than usual.

But first, a few more important things before the end of 2022 🤗

Ps no Rita was harmed in the making of this post 🤯

#season #niketrail #nikerunning #visualization #planning #runthedistance #mileage #vert #trails #trailrunning #ponytail #cap #squaw #unbounded #whywerun #highstoke #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

I might forget to water the plants in the house, b

I might forget to water the plants in the house, but for sure I can’t forget to water @maxkingor after a tough race 😁🚿

#cooldown #hydration #shower #maxking #likeabeast #worldchamps #madness #runlikecrazy #niketrail #amazingthailand #goat #team #runthedistance #oregon #dontforgettowatertheplants

Two things, because it’s super late and I’m re

Two things, because it’s super late and I’m really tired:

- today I started my 25th year of running. That’s true, though I look like an 18 year old I have been running longer than that 🤙🏾 Still looking for ways to better myself. Still wanting to take my best shot at discovering my full potential in competitive distance running. Still me, still moving
- there’s no number 2, I lied 😁

#niketrail #nikerunning #athlete #madness #athletesunfiltered #trails #chamonix #trailrunning #distancerunning #calendar #vertical #uphill #runthedistance #mileage #milesformiles #endurance #anysurfaceavailable #gotobed

Photos: @stephan_wieser

Off season ended (really!? Can we have off season

Off season ended (really!? Can we have off season for 2 months? 😁) with a nice and really slow, feel good loop between Switzerland and Italy, where we do most of our long runs and trail sessions. Just what we needed to make the most out of these still pretty warm November fall days.

I really enjoy running slow, walking and stopping on the trail several times, just taking my time to do whatever I feel like (and sometimes waiting for @glo_87 or taking a bunch of pictures of her!) and not having to worry about the training. And I’m actually feeling good, physically and mentally, which is never to be taken for granted.

But my feet are almost itchy to go again, does anyone have any recommendations of where they should go next year? 🤗 I have a few options in my mind, but I also like to hear different ideas 🙏🏾

#mountains #comolaketrailrunning #movember #lakecomo #niketrail #contrabbando #madness #offseason #summertimesadness #uphill #easydoesit #rita #ponytail #grassroots #foliage #slippery

🎥 @glo_87 🤯😱

On a side note, I wanted to let you know that toda

On a side note, I wanted to let you know that today I ran my 100.000th meter of elevation of the year, and that I’m close to matching the earth circumference since I’ve started logging my training on @strava.

Maybe I’ll run the whole loop one day 🤷🏽‍♂️ and maybe maybe maybe Strava will finally give me a pro account 😁

So I guess I can cement my status as one of the elite trail athletes who climbs the least amount of meters every year. I love climbing, but I like to do it with care and in small enough amounts.
And that’s good for me 😊

#climbing #earth #niketrail #vanoise #vertrun #trailrunning #stravamadness #summerstrust #rita #wandering #trailaddicted #sharethetrail

Photo: @kirsten.kortebein x @vert.run in Tignes 🖤 when I probably ran my weekly elevation gain record thanks to @moises.jimenez and @glo_87 and the beautiful trails in the Vanoise park 🤟🏾

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