Runner’s bug

When my career and one my pastimes rolled into one I quickly realized I had to do something about it. I had joined Bacardi just over a year earlier and this meant that I was spending a lot more time in great bars, with great people, enjoying great cocktails.

With over two-hundred nights spent away from home, I quickly ruled out cycling or swimming; the impracticality of hauling a bike around an obvious issue and the uncertain size of the pool I would find at the hotel often a mystery that would rarely match the pictures on the website; so running became really the only choice with the added advantage of improving my suitcase packing skills as I fitted in an extra pair of shoes.

I have run a lot ever since. At first just a few kilometers on a treadmill, then as I got into some sort of shape venturing outdoors, something which I seem to have done too soon and without the necessary vaccines for I got infected with the runner’s bug. If you also carry the bug you will understand my tale, if on the other hand you are free of the ailment, maybe you can still dodge it being careful to not run as you get away. If you just don’t know, then perhaps the symptoms below may help you self-diagnose.

The effect of running on the body is often linked to that of hard drugs, as the endorphins that it releases interact with the brain, reducing the sense of pain and triggering a positive feeling. This is a particularly dangerous moment that can lead you to do highly irrational things, in my case deciding to follow in the footsteps of Pheidippides and completing the 42.195 kilometers of the Athens marathon, although thankfully and unlike him living to enjoy the feat. Running widens my horizons and expands my ambitions, no matter how crazy, surreal and even not achievable they may be at the time.

Paraphrasing JFK, there is no point in reaching for the moon if you cannot get there and back safely. Dreams must be acted upon; fantasies need solid ground or they will become nothing more than castles in the sand, swept away with the next tide; the bug knows this and it soon takes over as times need to be beaten and distances surpassed. Running gives me the will to never give up, a determination that grows from the discipline of training hours, days and weeks. A period designed to build my strength and push my limits into unknown territory, so that come race day I know to egg on that bit harder and keep my head high to the finish line, no matter what gets in my way or in my head.

Running is a lonely sport, the many hours on the road or up a mountain give a lot of time to think and question everything. This is a time that I look forward to and that gives me a chance to reflect on my experiences as well as to brainstorm on current challenges. It is not however a solo sport as it is important to have with you the support of the best team you can put together. I always can count on Lia and Andrey to be there for me, allowing me the time away from the family to prepare and urging me on from the starting line to the finish at every race and in many life-bases along the way. Dima and Katya Mityaev(a) have been a constant inspiration in the skyrunning circuit and have constantly pushed me further with my training plan. Jaime, Roman, Ulli, are the names of other great sportsmen in a list of friends, family members and colleagues that have always been close even when it was only possible through social media.

I will continue to run into new adventures. Some are already starting to take shape, others are still only seeds that will take years to grow. Running has taught me that they will differ in shape and size, but also that they will have in common great ambition, thorough preparation and a team with the will to win, take risks and never give up.