A few weeks ago, Ramon Krebs impressively defended his gigathlon victory of the previous year. This year, the sports coach, who coaches himself, wants to again compete in his favourite race, the Inferno Triathlon, and also take part in the first gigathlon in the Czech Republic.

Can you give us an overview of what your training looks like? How many kilometres do you cover by bike, how much do you run, and how often do you swim? How often do you do strength training and how much time do you invest in recovery?

70% of my time is spent working as a sports coach, I coach at Day X Coaching, and I am also doing my Masters degree in "High Performance Sport" in Magglingen. This means I need to organise my training efficiently. I normally complete an average of 5 training runs per week. At least one of these is longer and combined with cycling training. I cycle or ride my racing bike 4 times a week. One of the cycling training sessions lasts approximately 4 hours, the others 1.5-2 hours. I like these two types of sports the best. Not least because I can also do them from home.

I swim 2 to 3 times a week. This costs me the most effort. And lastly, I go inline skating 1-2 times a week. All in all, it’s a lot but I can handle it pretty well.

I spent the entire year focussing on the gigathlon. I train according to «load». This means continuously increasing the scope and intensity until two weeks before the gigathlon. After the recovery I then reach my peak.

During the winter I embarked on consistent strength training for 2-3 months. I then stopped because the overall load became too great. It also became difficult to fit everything in. Needless to say, I continued to do core strength training on a regular basis.

With regards to recovery, I always made sure I got enough sleep as well as regular massages, including self-massage, and I used the Blackroll.

In mid-June you shone at the gigathlon and performed magnificently over two consecutive days. What does it take to accomplish such a performance at this high level and recover so quickly between the two days?

The intensity of the first day has a huge influence not only on what you can eat in the evening at the finish but also on how you feel both physically and mentally the next day. The key lies in intensive preparation training. If the load is great during training, the body gets used to it and is thus not confronted with anything new during the competition.

My preparation involved several gigathlon days or even gigathlon weekends. I could thus get my body used to the specific load and also prepare myself mentally.

With regard to recovery, I established a detailed gigathlon schedule for the time between the two stages to ensure I could do everything well. In the end, the only thing I lacked was someone who could have relaxed my muscles somewhat. However, I now have the wherewithal for future participation ;-)

What runs through your head during a race? How do you respond to any negative thoughts that pop up?

I motivate myself with the finish (podium), play calculation games, and make tactical considerations. Most of the time, however, I am fully aware in the moment and don’t scrutinise too much. My goal is to do what I do well. I rationally analyse negative thoughts and put them into perspective. By doing this they usually disappear very quickly. In the end, negative thoughts are the consequence of false goals and expectations and the realisation that you cannot attain them. You then need to remain flexible and make the best of the situation. Before a competition I also make "what-if" considerations... which also makes me better prepared if such a scenario arises.

You are not only successful as an athlete, but also as (your own) trainer. What are your most important training tips for the successful participation in a multi-sport event?

• Make a profile of your strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary effort to raise the level of your weakest disciplines so high that you become competitive. In doing so, follow the Pareto principle: try to achieve an 80% yield with 20% effort. Then start working on your strong disciplines and do what you enjoy.
• Make a rough plan for the long-term. The common thread helps to bring structure to your training and will give you the confidence that you are on the right track. A good plan gives you freedom instead of restricting you. This is because you can see when a training session is important, and when you can afford to relax a little bit instead of always having the feeling that you should actually be training.
• Get help from an experienced person or a professional coach if you don’t have the knowledge yourself. They can tell you what the key training sessions are and what is important when.

Foto: ZVG