Florian Donno: For my first marathon I wanted to choose a special location

 

"It was a fantastic event! Everything was perfect: organisation, weather, people, the city, my condition ;-)
I really enjoyed Tomsk and the event and it was an incredible experience for me!"

 

 

One of our Tomsk Marathon participants — Florian Donno from Switzerland — went to Tomsk last June to take his first marathon. This is the message we received from him after he successfully finished the full marathon distance in the heart of Siberia. Below is the interview he gave us before the start.

 

 

Photo: Florian Donno

 

We asked him about his experience and achievements in running and also about his expectations from Tomsk Marathon.

 

Running movement is now developing rapidly in our region and we in Tomsk Marathon team are trying to show to as many people as possible that running is hugely popular in the world and that it is a great way to take on a healthier and happier lifestyle.

You were one of the first overseas runners to register for our marathon and we would much appreciate if you could share your experience with Tomsk Marathon participants and other people who are just thinking about starting running.

 

So, could you tell us about yourself: where are you from and where do you live now, what do you do?

Florian: I’m living in a small town in Switzerland with my wife and our two small children. As a mechanical engineer I’m working currently in the sales department of the local utility. During leisure time I like to spend the time in the open countryside and the woods. In winter I prefer skiing, in summertime bicycling, hiking and climbing.

What about running?  How long ago did you start and why was it running over other kinds of sport?

Florian: In my 20s I wasn’t really into sports. Later on I realized that I had to do something for my personal fitness. Since I’m not the team sports guy and I have a very irregular personal calendar, I had to choose something that is flexible as to time and place. Running is the perfect sport: efficient, effective, healthy and cheap.

Five years ago I ran my first 10km competition. Since then I participated some other 10km contests and once a half marathon that I finished far better than my personal target. Later I joined a team for a triathlon and did the running part, and a year afterwards I did the same triathlon alone. Last year I decided to do a marathon once in my life.

Do you have a special training plan that you follow?

Florian: I searched for free training plans on the internet, and with my personal experience I created a custom 16 weeks training plan that I follow thoroughly.

 Could you give us Just a little bit more details on your 16 weeks plan?

Florian: The 16 weeks are filled with 4 training sessions each week; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. During the week the sessions are shorter and more intense, between 45 and 75 minutes with higher heart rate. This could be 8…10km training distance with competition pace or intervals. On Sundays I train long jogs, meaning low heart rate but long distances, e.g. 20…32km. Every forth week is less intense and serves as recreation week. On 5th May I planned to do a test half marathon competition at the Wings for Life World Run.

  If you have to work every day — how well it all goes with running?

Florian: This is indeed a challenge on its own. I work full time, my wife part time and I’m a father of two small kids. I still want to spend time with my family after work, therefore during the week I get up very early in the morning for my training sessions. This is hard, especially when it is still dark and with bad weather conditions.

Do your close ones support you in your running practice?

Florian: My wife supports me by considering my training when doing family plans on the weekend and shows full understanding if some days I go to bed very early.

 What is your favorite marathon to date and have you run many?

Florian: Tomsk Marathon is my first one!

 And about coming to Tomsk: How did you learn about Tomsk Marathon and what influenced your decision to go?

Florian: For my first marathon I wanted to choose a special location to reward myself. By coincidence, I stumbled over Tomsk Marathon.

I was always fascinated by the Siberian region and thus this was a perfect fit.  Registering was easy, although some websites I had to translate via Google. But the support via email is very helpful and supportive and all my questions were answered.

 Have you set yourself the target time you want to run this marathon in?

Florian: My target time is below 4 hours. If I reach 3:45, I would be very proud of myself.

 

Thank you very much, Florian, we hope to see you and your running friends in Tomsk again!