Chris Zehetleitner's Blog

Wie plant man eine Rennsaison (#141)

Wie plant man eigentlich eine Rennsaison? Und was macht man wenn einen kein Rennen wirklich “ruft”? Muss man überhaupt an Wettkämpfen teilnehmen oder kann man auch mal ein Jahr Pause machen? Legitime Fragen die nicht beantwortet aber zumindest angerissen werden.

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Passender Das Z Letter

On Repeat: AT THE GATES – Blinded By Fear

“On Repeat” Spotify Playlist (mit allen Musik-Tipps der letzten Wochen)

Sprachnachricht cool? Dann gib mir einen Ko-Fi aus!

Die Das Z - Sprachnachricht ist kein L...

Season Planning Without Soul

There are races you pick.
And there are races that pick you.

The second kind? They mess you up. In the best possible way.

Last week I stood at Tor des Géants. Not as a runner, but in the trenches of support for our friend Juliane. Her absolute A-race. Her dragon. Her dream. Months of sacrifice, sweat, and sleepless nights. All for this one week in the Aosta Valley.

And it hit me again: you don’t find these kinds of races. They find you.
Or better: they call you.

(Photo by Chris Drüke)That Thought ...

Support bei der Tor Des Géants (#140)

Unsere Freundin Juliane Bruneß ist die Tor Des Géants gelaufen und wir hatten die große Ehre sie dabei zu unterstützen. In dieser Sprachnachricht gibt es ein paar Einblicke was es aus Supporter-Sicht bedeutet ein so großes Laufprojekt zu begleiten.

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Passender Das Z Letter

Tor Des Géants

On Repeat: CODEFENDANTS - Bad Business

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Die Das Z - Sprachnachricht ist kein Lau...

Walking Beside the Giants

The Giant’s Tour

Right now, as I type these words, Lisa and I are sitting in Courmayeur. Our friend Juliane is still out there, two hours from the finish line of the Tor des Géants (TOR). One of the most unreal foot races on this planet, though the word “race” barely does it justice.

The TOR is 330 kilometers long, with over 24.000 meters of vertical gain. The race circumnavigates the Aosta Valley in northern Italy, crossing 25 mountain passes, many higher than 3.000 meters. For most, the TOR is n...

Let’s Say It Out Loud: I Am Injured

Naming It

I’m done downplaying it: I am injured.

Yes, I can run. Yes, I can line up at races. But when my knee flares up after every single workout, and that irritation lingers for months without leaving, then it’s not just a “niggle.” It’s an injury.

(This article is difficult to illustrate. Hence, the cat photos)The First Whisper

You know the story already. It started in May. A faint irritation in my right knee. Barely noticeable, but unusual. Normally, post-run aches calm down after a night of re...

Rennbericht vom Mountopolis Vertical (#139)

Trotz Off-Season an der Startlinie? Klingt so als würde es keinen Sinn machen. Macht es auch nicht. Aber vielleicht war es genau deshalb cool.

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Passender Das Z Letter 1 und Das Z Letter 2

On Repeat: FEVER RAY - If I Had A Heart

“On Repeat” Spotify Playlist (mit allen Musik-Tipps der letzten Wochen)

Sprachnachricht cool? Dann gib mir einen Ko-Fi aus!

Die Das Z - Sprachnachricht ist kein Lauf-Podcast von Chris Z, dem Gründer der Laufsportmarke Willpower und Autor der Bücher Runhundred und...

Into the Red Zone: Racing the Mountopolis Vertical

Finish Line Face

There you go, crossing the line with full war face after 1:21 hours of pure uphill running.

(Final sprint on top of a mountain)

But let’s rewind.

I was passed by an eleven-year-old. Twice. He must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I was surprised when he suddenly reappeared behind me. I was less surprised when he ran past me for a second time. After all, I had already noticed and accepted his boundless superiority by that point.

A Pre-Race Espresso and Five Minutes To Go

But back to ...

Off-Season, On-Startline

Off-Season, Yet on the Startline

It’s off-season. By design. I’ve ticked every running box I wanted this year, and I’m content. Full. Satiated. The kind of fullness where the body and the mind agree: take a step back, breathe, recover.

And yet tomorrow, I’ll stand at a startline.
Under less-than-ideal conditions.

The Handbrake Knee

Real talk: my knee is still not what it should be. Not broken (I'll provide a more precise update in an upcoming Das Z Letter), but not free either. Like a handbrake that...

Warum mich der UTMB nicht los lässt (#138)

Der UTMB lässt mir keine Ruhe. Schon seit Jahren nicht. Die Gründe dafür sind aber andere als ihr glaubt. Sie gehen zurück bis in das Jahr 2017.

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Mehr oder weniger passender Das Z Letter

On Repeat: ORBIT CULTURE – The Tale Of War

“On Repeat” Spotify Playlist (mit allen Musik-Tipps der letzten Wochen)

Sprachnachricht cool? Dann gib mir einen Ko-Fi aus!

Die Das Z - Sprachnachricht ist kein Lauf-Podcast von Chris Z, dem Gründer der Laufsportmarke Willpower und Autor der Bücher Runhundred u...

My Complicated Affair with the UTMB

The Race That Won’t Let Go

I had planned to write about UTMB all week, but now it’s almost over. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. The supreme discipline, the 100-mile loop around Mont Blanc, doesn’t even start until tonight. But the hype has been in full swing since Monday.

Like every year, I carry mixed feelings into this weekend.

UTMB is the big elephant in the room of trail running. You can’t ignore it. You can’t escape having an opinion about it.

The Corporate Shadow

For the last few years, it was ...