Quitting trail running

Update:
I’m back to competitive trail running in 2024. Check my Running page.

I’m a curious person, genuinely interested in many different fields: running, surfing, programming, music, literature… But being an elite trail runner means I’ve had to leave many of these interests aside.

I just became a father for the second time a couple of weeks ago, and the time feels just right to close the cycle, slow down and get back to things I missed in my life, starting with my family. It’s not that I’m going to have a lot of new time available, but I’ll have less things in my brain and more energy to do things that keep my life interesting and exciting. So, what things have I missed in my life the last few years? I’ve narrowed it down to 4 topics:

  • Family: more quality time with my wife and kids, especially on weekends and in nature.
  • Creativity: producing more, consuming less.
  • Intellectual stimulus: shared with other people.
  • Sports and activities different from running: climbing, surfing, carpentry, freediving, cycling.

Elite running is a lonely activity, do all of these things with people!

Being an elite athlete gives you clear goals and a daily plan for achieving them. Without clear goals, it’s easy to let your days slip by without doing much, and feeling the needle doesn’t move, so the first step is to write those goals down. This is an unordered list of things I plan on doing during the next 5 years. I’ve put actionable goals, to make sure they’re measurable. This is the list in December 2022. It might change in the following years, but as of now, these are all things I’m very motivated about.

Produce more

  • Start a blog
    Turn writing and publishing into a habit. So I generate content I can go back in the future and consolidate my thoughts and learnings. I want to write for myself, not an audience, so I’ll be writing about very diverse topics: athleticism, lifestyle design, technology & startups, future of society / distribution of wealth, sustainability / responsible consumption…
  • Read and Write poetry
    Did that intensely until my mid 20s (~= when started trail running). Would love getting the habit back.
  • Carpentry: Build a self-sufficient wooden cabin Improve my carpentry skills.
    My last project was a camper van, but this should be a whole new challenge for my new home in Asturias.
  • Music: Have a DJ residency (monthly?)
    So I force myself to find new music and share it with other people. I produced music in my teens, and I always wanted to go back to it. Music was the biggest thing I gave up for running, but it needs a commitment that I don’t think I can do right now.
  • Launch a digital product
    Aside from work (I’m CTO at a tech company), I would like to create a new product that would allow me to keep learning programming, product development, design and potentially would support my life. I’ve launched many things in my life, some a little successful, most not. What I miss is building something I’m proud of.

Socialising

  • Start a weekly running group.
    Running has always been very lonely for me, due to the need of sticking to a plan and not being able to go for easy runs with friends. I miss the weekly SFRC runs and Tam Tuesdays from the good old days in San Francisco. I would like to start something similar in Barcelona (or Asturias when I move there).

  • Join a Book Club
    Or a space that forces me to discuss my thoughts with other people. Any suggestions? could be digital, but better in person (Barcelona).

Sports

  • Freediving
    Dive down to 45m with constant weight My personal record is 32m, without any proper training, so that should be doable.
  • Rock climbing
    I have a long-term goal to be able to climb 7a. I am a total beginner right now.
  • Running

    • Run a sub31 minute 10k. Road running requires less hours than ultra running. Current PR: 31:47 (November 2022)

    • Run a sub 1h10 half marathon. Current PR: 1h10

    • Run a sub 2h30 marathon Current PR: 2h36

      This one should be easy if I stay in shape, but it’s a barrier that I’ve never crossed and would be very happy to do.

    • Find a way to support my local track&field team: Oriente Atletismo Could be organising a race to raise funds or collaborate training kids.

  • Flexibility and mobility
    Being able to fully open my hips. I am not very flexible (running makes you rigid) and would like to really improve and maintain that in order to have a higher quality of life for the long term.
  • Other sports and activities I intend to keep practicing and learning: surfing (always been my first sport), spearfishing, ski mountaineering, alpinism.

I’m making all these public so I can be accountable for achieving them or, at least, reviewing them every few months.