A week ago, I was running in the Vosges, the mountains in the North of France. This morning I was running with Matteo on the beach of Viserbella, a small town in Italy, close to Rimini. From climbing hours and hours, to having my feet in the water; for a couple of kilometres. Things couldn’t be more different.
Not just for where I am running, but also for how much. In the Vosges running was all I did. Besides eating and sleeping. Here, in Italy, I spent my days filming and putting together reels for the instagram page of La Scimmia Yoga. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I love filming, I love editing. I love telling and sharing stories. Plus there has to be food on the table. Running costs money, filming and editing brings in money.
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All or nothing
Yet, last week I ran 126 kilometres and climbed 6.362 metres; spending 22,5 hours on my feet. This week I’ve hardly ran 4 hours. It’s a bit too much rest after last week, but things are never ideal. I mean, even training schedules should always be taken as a guideline, and adjusted to real life situations.
Johan Cruijff, one of the best football players and coaches the Netherlands ever had, used to say; every disadvantage has an advantage. So I like to focus on the good things. Yes, some days here are very long days. As soon as we’ve done at Rimini Wellness, we go home to edit until late at night. On the other hand, most mornings I do have time to go out for a quick run.
Trail du Saint-Jacques
Okay, maybe those runs are only 10 kilometres runs, but they are runs in the Italian heath. Two weeks from now, I will be running the Trail du Saint-Jacques in the South of France. Next week it’s already going to be 25 degrees in Le Puy-en-Valley. I haven’t been running in hot weather for ages, so being here is good heat training. That’s an advantage.
Back home, I don’t have hills. Not even dikes. Here I have. Between Viserbella, where we’re staying, and Rimini is a bridge. There is a small dike that gives access to the bridge. Perfect for hill sprints. That’s another advantage.
Barefoot running
Last, but not least; running barefoot is good for foot strength. I like running barefoot on the beach. It’s nice and soft. I love running at the edge of the water; having the water splashing against my legs. Back home it takes me at least an hour and a half to get to a beach. Here it’s five minutes running. I run over the boulevard to the dike, do my hill sprints, return to the beach, take my shoes off and run back. Advantage number 3.
So I might not get the altitude or the kilometres I want, but I do get a lot of other things. As Monty Python always used to sing: Always look on the bright side of life. That’s also something to keep in mind, when I’m in the pain cave at the Trail du Saint-Jacques.
