Ich habe keine GPS-Uhr, wie messe ich die zurückgelegte Distanz und mein Tempo?

Running can be as exact and precise as you want it to be or as free flowing as you want it to be. The important part is that you run within the zone that is prescribed that day. To help you figure out the proper pace we suggest the ease or difficulty it takes to talk while running the desired pace. You can follow the assigned training by running for time. Mapmyrun.com is a useful tool for measuring the distance of your running route and calculating your pace. If you're new to running then it may take a few runs to figure out what pace you're actually running and what that pace feels like. Going to a 400m track for a portion of your run is another way to get an idea of your pace (2.5 laps = 1km).

Soll ich auf der Strasse oder auf Wegen laufen?

It's best to prepare for your upcoming race by getting used to the surface which you will face on competition day. That being said, roads may lead to injury because of the hard surface also the camber of some roads forces you to run on an angle. We suggest you do the majority of your running (~60-70%) on soft surfaces, if possible, to avoid injury even when preparing for road races.

Soll ich stretchen?

We follow and recommend Wharton's Active Isolated Flexibily (AIF) routine pre and post running (www.whartonhealth.com). When you perform AIF you never hold a stretch longer than 2 seconds and the positions are all aided with a rope or your hands. AIF allows you to reach your range of motion without loosening your muscles too much. Static stretching has shown to decrease the muscle's ability to contract quickly and may make you more prone to joint injuries. These recent revelations about the negative effects of static stretching are well documented in many studies. AIF routine on Youtube: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3

Was, wenn ich ein anderes Training machen möchte, als das von VICSYSTEM vorgegebene?

If you meet up with friends and you want to jump into their training session, no problem. You can still enter the details of that run into the feedback session and VICSYSTEM will use that information in computing your personalized training program. When you do the training assigned by VICSYSTEM you can simply click on the "copy assigned training" icon and it will transfer all the details of that session immediately. If your training differs, either by running much different paces than assigned or performing a whole different session it's important that you fill in the feedback session with the new details.

Soll ich trinken während Trainings und Wettkämpfen?

There are two reasons to consume fluids while running, to stay hydrated and to get fuel by ingesting carbohydrates. If it is hot it is a good idea to consume a drink which has electrolytes (replenish what you lose). If you want to calculate if you should drink more (or less) during your runs you can weigh yourself directly before and after a run. If you're losing more than 3% of your body weight you should drink more fluid during your runs. If you weigh that when you started you may want to drink a little less. Remember to drink before you get thirsty. If you're running longer than 75-90 minutes you should also consume energy in the form of carbohydrates (carbs), otherwise you may run out of glycogen and "hit the wall". Energy drinks and gels are the easiest way to ingest carbs while running. You should ideally aim for 40-60 grams of carbs per hour (roughly 2 PowerGels per hour), depending on what your stomach can handle. It's important that, in your training, you practise what you will use on race day. Once again remember to take in energy before you get weak, aim to take in some carbs every 15 minutes. Drinking on the run is a skill in itself, practise from cups and bottles to prepare yourself for race day.

Muss ich die auf- und absteigenden Höhenmeter im Feedback angeben?

No, it is not necessary that you fill in altitude or elevation gain/loss. In fact, if you are running at a normal elevation (anything below 1000m) on fairly flat terrain there won't be much difference in the distance you ran and the calculated 'virtual' distance anyways. Also if you are racing in the same area as you are training then everything will be relative. However, if you are running at high altitude and/or very hilly terrain the 'virtual' distance is a great tool that will help you make sense of your training effort. You only need to fill in training details which are marked with *. For a streamlined screen click on the "minus" sign located to the left of the day of week. If you're filling out your routes (for regularly run routes) you can enter "0" for each altitude and elevation box if you do not wish to add those details.

Wenn ich verletzt bin und Trainings auslassen muss, wie steige ich wieder ein?

The first thing you should do before resuming training is get clearance from a doctor or physiotherapist that you are healthy enough to undertake your training. When coming back after a long layoff (two weeks or more) it's best to ease into training. That means shying away from fast paces and running less kilometres until your body feels strong and comfortable. If another training mode (cycling, aqua jogging, swimming etc.) is an option you can enter that activity in your feedback and it will calculate a 'virtual' running distance. Once you feel ready enough you can redo the time-trial so VICSYSTEM can calculate your personalized training plan from your current fitness level.

Was, wenn ich das Training heute nicht machen kann?

Most of the time if you miss a training session and the rest of your week is full you should just skip it and move to the next day. If you miss a key workout and you want to move it you can simply click on the calendar icon (to the right of "change date" on the "day to day" page) and move your missed training session to another day. However, make sure you are not compromising recovery by placing hard training sessions back-to-back.