The clarity of the mind...

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In the past week, I had two interviews and in both of them, I was asked about running and what advice I can give to those that are starting out.

It's funny, that I've attended a Tibetan New Year's ritual, and those that know me have been very curious about my running. It seems that more and more people are starting to do sports and especially running these days. So, I must share some of the things I've learned in the past years while training and competing in some World and European Duathlon Championships, but especially the things you should consider when starting to train seriously.

First, I need to point out that I'm not a certified coach or have done any coaching training. I merely talk about the experience I've gained in the past 4 years.

This edition of the newsletter is not about TECH or Gaming.

It's funny that I started running after my wife suggested we should start running. This was back in 2018 and back then I asked myself "Why do it?", "Isn't running stupid?". Never have it crossed my mind that I might enjoy and in a couple of years I could not be doing the things I do without it.

The first run was about 1.6 - 1.8km and I remember that we'd taken a bottle of water and fruit energy bars with us, thinking it will be very demanding. When finishing the run, the brain actually sends the information that you clearly need to drink 500ml of water and eat an energy bar as you have trained a lot and now you should sit on the couch for a while and be lazy.

So, the next sessions were on the safe side and it took me 3 months to do a 4k session, again with loads of water and energy bars, and 5 months to run my first 10k ever. I felt like somebody who just finished a marathon. Later in 2018, I ran my first ever 10k race and managed a time of 55 minutes for the session. That was my PB for 10k in 2018.

Later that year, I went into longer runs and the next big step was 15-17km. I stayed in the 10k - 15k range until the end of 2020 after quitting to run and restarting strong in the autumn of 2020.

In 2020 December I ran my first Half Marathon session with some other runners and I clearly remember taking loads of water and energy bars with me again. It must be some trigger in my mind that wants to keep me on the safe side and always have fluids and nutrition at hand. But, after these "firsts", I've learned that I actually did not need to carry all that stuff with me and it seems that it does take a while to get in shape to be able to run longer periods on an empty stomach and with minimum fluid intake. Currently, I can easily do 30km without any water, on an empty stomach, and without the need to consume any bars or gels along the way. Clearly, I do not advise you to do this as these things are not universal. Our bodies and most importantly minds are not the same.

The fact that I am mentioning the mind is because, in 2021, I've started training for the European Duathlon Championship, which luckily enough was held in my region. This meant that I had to start cycling and had set my training a priority.

You see, running, cycling and any sports activities require commitment. This can only be done if you get out of your comfort zone and trick your mind and start programming it. It's funny, that our brain loves it when you just unwind and would not like to get you to start suffering or be in pain due to working out. But, once you start pumping endorphins and feel good from working out, it doesn't want to stop. So, you need to find the right balance and always be active, in order to keep going and increase your fitness level.

In my opinion, running is a lifestyle and you should aim to celebrate it by getting not getting caught up in the craziness of competitive running (it has its perks, but it is not a lifestyle). As I mentioned during an interview last week with Lazar Miucin & Domenico Mazzola (you can view the video here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:7033496547656949760/), there is a preconception about running for those that are starting out. We've all seen movies where the actor/actress gets up in the morning and starts running at a fast pace, sweating, and later heading home to drink orange juice and have a healthy breakfast. You could live like that of course, but the odds are against you when you start running. It isn't like that. It's full of pain, and sweat, but also has moments of indescribable?joy.

So, don't worry if you don't have that magic moment you see in the movies in your first years of running. But, if you stick to it, you can get there and even go further.

Running is such a magical thing, it clears your mind and helps you increase your focus.

I really like the ASICS Movement for Mind initiative, as it resonates with what I've experienced in the past years while organizing 4 in-person conferences yearly, hosting weekly podcasts, orchestrating our virtual meetups (12 per year), and also being active on social media.

The team at ASICS went deep into the subject and they've just released a documentary called "Mind Games - The Experiment", you can watch it on Amazon prime

The result of their experiment is mindblowing. In a unique study, competitive mind gamers from around the world agreed to increase their exercise levels and measure the impact on their mental performance.

The participants' international gaming rankings improved by an incredible 75%. Group confidence levels increased by 44%, concentration improved by 33%, and anxiety levels plummeted by 43%. The mind gamers' cognitive function was also boosted on average by 10%, showing exercise was as effective at boosting brain function as learning a second language, reading daily, or completing a puzzle every day. You can read more here: https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/mk/sound-mind-sound-body-impact-mind-games

So, with this said, I hope that I've given you some inspiration for the weekend, and should you like to get some advice about running, or cycling, you can reach out anytime.

I will be back next week with more exciting stuff.

If you would like to get featured in this weekly round-up, please contact me directly as this opportunity does not involve any financial commitment from your side. The main mission is to bring valuable unbiased information and filter out unnecessary content.

Thank you for your time and have a great Friday everyone!

PS: Make sure to register for our upcoming?Prague Gaming & TECH Summit ?which is taking place between 29-30 March where you can meet up with some of the brightest minds in the blockchain, fintech, artificial intelligence, VR, transhumanism, and gaming sphere. More details can be found here: https://hipther.com/events/prague/

...and if you are based in the Baltic/Nordic region, make sure to register for?MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit ?which will be held in Riga, Latvia, between 16-17 May.