Photo: Loris Joseph Kaufmann

Four years ago, Florian Vogel retired from a successful career as a professional mountain biker. He has now turned his hand to competitive running. And what a runner he is! For his debut at the Zurich Marathon, Vogel flew along the 42.195 km course in 2:25:59. For the half-marathon distance, his personal best time is currently 1:08:51. 

You spent years travelling around on two wheels as part of the World Cup. What made you decide to switch to running?

Even during my career as a professional mountain biker, I always wanted to run a marathon. I've generally always been interested in other sports and am fascinated by the various requirement profiles, training issues and pacing or tactical aspects involved. So, following my professional career, I decided to enter a few ski mountaineering competitions for fun and gave sport climbing a go (which I've put on the backburner for now as I'm investing more time in running). All of this is just a hobby really but I benefit from a reasonable head start thanks to my sporting background. It goes without saying that you can also perform well in other types of endurance sports.

If you could turn back the clock, what would you do differently if you were preparing for the MTB World Cup?

I'd focus less on quantity when it comes to training and start off at a relatively lower level. I would also try to approach major events in a more relaxed way. This was my undoing at both of my Olympic Games - I demanded too much of myself and was overzealous. 

What are the similarities and differences between the two sports when it comes to a successful race? 

Both running and cycling are endurance sports that demand high aerobic capacity. Unlike running, however, cycling involves very little eccentric load and the general absence of impact allows for a much greater training volume than running. Cycling is like swimming or rowing in this regard - you can train at a really high volume without running much risk of injury.

As a training tip, I'd advise runners not to increase their training by simply running further but to integrate other endurance sports that place less stress on the body instead. Cycling is particularly ideal for this.

In your view, what are the most important factors for success?

1. Consistency: it’s probably the most important thing in endurance sport. Although it sounds obvious, in my experience as a trainer it’s the thing that most amateur athletes fail at!
2. Proportionality: another aspect that becomes a trap for many amateur and professional athletes. People often spend too much time and energy focussing on the little things such as supplements, the right running top, that new state-of-the-art watch or other gadgets and they tend to forget about the really important things. One example: spending money on various recovery measures if you're only sleeping four or five hours a night is just plain daft!

Do you have an insider tip with regards to training, equipment, nutrition and recovery?

Nail the basics - Get the basics right first, such as consistency in training, plenty of sleep, a good diet and sufficient recovery ;-)