The end of the year brings an inevitable desire for reflection, introspection, for looking back to assess the good moments, the not-so-good moments, the direction to take next year and the improvements to do to on ourselves and on the relationships we have with the ones we love.
Athletes receive year on year countless reminders of the numbers that make up the statistics of how many kilometres we’ve run, how many miles we’ve cycled, the challenges we’ve faced, where we succeeded and where we’ve been beaten, only to look forward and plan how to turn it around into a positive experience. That’s how we build resilience, how we remain humble and how we set new challenges to overcome our limits.
We apply it in sports…
We apply it in life…
We grow…
2017 has been a good year!…
Coming from an injury with a smile was a great way to start, enjoying the companionship from good friends and the snowy winter wonderland that we were offered in early January…
Introducing escalator runs in the training plan, as an easy way to introduce elevation gain to prepare the body for the challenge of the mesmerising Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT)…
Finding often the void in early morning runs, when it is so difficult to get out of bed so soon in the day, when darkness still engulfs us, when our mind battles to go back to dreamland…
Joining the Zugspitz Ultra Trail for a jubilant weekend in the mountain, together with family, friends and the overall German trail community, in the mecca race of the country I now call home…
Understanding that one should never give up on himself, learning from experiences from the past, turning the tide on the risk of in-race overachievement and realising that while you can’t always get what you want, sometimes you actually can…
2017 has been a good year!…
I’ve finished the Madeira Island Ultra Trail (MIUT), conquered the Zugspitz Ultra Trail, rejoiced in the Wupperbergtrailmarathon and loved the achievement in the Düsseldorf Martinslauf.
I’ve tightened the bond with beAPT and the friendship with my coach Paulo Pires, fully adopting an aerobic philosophy training, that allowed me not only to achieve the targets I defined but to truly join a a tribe of people who build a narrative and create meaning, remembering the past and imagining a future with new challenges. A philosophy of life associated with sports training and health.
2017 has been a good year!…
The stats show the absence of injury and a record breaking number of kilometres ran, first time above the 3000 km mark…
The stats show the best numbers so far, by race distance, by race time, by accumulated numbers overall…
The stats also show a warm heart, that recalls gazillions of smiles during runs…
Smiles of friends….
Smiles of my own…
2017 has been a good year!…
I now look forward to a great 2018!…
Current plans include doing the full Düsseldorf Marathon below the 3 hours mark, revisiting the familiar Ultra Trail Lamer Winkel, doing the super challenging Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail and conquering the summit in the Amici del Mombarone. Let’s see what the future holds…
I wish you all a happy new year!
See you in 2018! 🙂