I am on the road, again.
My last marathon is dated back in 2012, in Milano, just few months before moving to
Shanghai, where unfortunately I stopped practicing any outdoor activity for about 2 years. Don’t get me wrong: I was fond of Shanghai but the city is just not the right one for serious (or amateur) outdoor athletes. Moving to Singapore marked my return to an active lifestyle: this time not only for running, but also for cycling, and my (totally unexpected) entry into the pool.
With the return to training, I attended few events: a half marathon, and two short triathlons. Now I am signing up for a 70.3 Triathlon (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run – the so called Half Ironman) in Taupo, New Zealand, end of the year. And that’s enough to make me happy.
Signing up for a half ironman requires a serious commitment, especially for someone (like me) who appreciates long hours of sleep. Setting up the alarm at 5am it’s not much fun, you ask yourself “why on earth am I doing this”, while at the same time you see young and not so young men and women returning home after night long parties. But then being on the road with your friends and enjoying breathtaking sunrises, that it’s worth all the effort – and you can just feel thankful for what you have, for the opportunity to do this. Then of course there is the fun part: competing with friends, getting technical on training plans, nutrition, and most importantly on gear (cycling it’s a universe on its own…).
I already wrote about this in my instant-book Runners Are Leaders (sorry friends, Italian version only), a charity project that raised 5k euro for International Help; and I often use the sport metaphor in the business context. Endurance sports can teach you a lot about life and work, they are the best coach you can get free of charge (sweating, physical pain, and few sacrifices are the only tolls you need to pay): they constantly reminds you that if you don’t like something, it’s up to you to change it; that change itself is good, energizing; that there is nothing more powerful than a challenging objective to push you at your limits, channeling your passion with focus, determination, and commitment. Endurance helps you to put things into perspective: what is relevant (health, first of all), and what is required to get you where you want to be (a planned, sustained effort). It tells you: it’s your journey, it’s easy to find excuses, but it’s better to go through the pain and enjoy the reward, rather then looking back and trying to blame someone else. Endurance sports build self-awareness, drive balance, and sustain focus. And they teach you about setbacks, acceptance, and recovery.
Endurance it’s an amazing journey, just embrace it. See you on the road. And maybe in Taupo.
