October 10, 2024 Stories of sport and life
Running always reminds us : We were born to run, each in our own way, each as best we can.
(Luke)
Running. Our bodies are truly marvelous machines
April 28, 2021
I leave my family’s house, where I slept, and stretch for 10 minutes as I do every morning.
It is 7 a.m., the best time to see the sun rise.
The air is cool, the temperature in the 20s, perfect for starting the run.
The goal of this so-called virtual race (replacing the Padua Marathon postponed for the well-known reasons) is 20km.
But you can choose to do a 5km or 10km, the important thing is not to be smart and to ride a bike and then record and send the data recorded by the GPS.
I use my wristwatch, but you can use any smartphone with a location tracker (don’t ask me how they can tell if you have used the bike…).
I wear the T-shirt I bought in the supermarket for 5 euros (which goes to charity) and stick the number 3090 on it.
A squeeze on the shoes, gel check (liquids to absorb carbohydrates and magnesium during the race…one every 45 minutes) and…off we go!
This is one of the most difficult things for me, and I make a mistake right away : I start too fast, after 1 km I’m already out of breath.
But no problem : I slow down a bit, recover my energy and start to find my cruising speed.
The speed or the pace, together with the aid stations (water fountains and gels), will determine the final average, as there are no aid stations to provide them.
I will use this half marathon to train my speed.
Actually, my goal is to do an ultramarathon, which I love, unlike half marathons and marathons, because it is not a race against time, but over distance.
This allows you to run at your best pace without getting tired…ever ?
I run through the almost empty city center, which is good for rekindling memories of the past : the schools where I studied, the square where I used to meet friends, and several new or renovated facilities over the years.
I run along a river that crosses a neighboring village: the nature is spectacular, flowing like a movie on my left, with fishermen and birds of all kinds that, as Franco Battiato says, create imperceptible trajectories that play existential geometries… pure poetry !
I meet other runners and I don’t hide the fact that I’m proud to wear a race number : it makes you stand tall and proud, even if it’s a solo run.
I’m halfway through the 20km, I feel I can increase my average speed for the remaining 10km, the turning point is coming up…
I try to do it gradually, I see that I can go faster and faster without overdoing it, I lower the average as I hoped.
These are the magic moments when your body speaks to you (in fact, you always have to listen to it) and gives you the OK to maintain the new pace.
The road, which is the real reason for running, because it is not the finish line and the time that is important, but to be as close as possible to the ground through your feet and legs, suddenly becomes unpaved.
The feeling is different : the legs thank you for not having asphalt under them and the feet start to work with all the muscles they have to adapt to the differences in front of them.
It’s like putting four-wheel drive in a car : our body is truly a marvelous machine, born to run without limits everywhere, but especially in nature.
Running always reminds us that we were born to run, each in our own way, each as best we can.
