I was reflecting these days on the so strong tendency in our society to nurture the myth of youth. I meet people who find it hard to tell how old they are if they are over thirty, who try hard to look younger, who act like they are, who lead adolescent lives when adolescence is long past them. My experience is different, I must say.
I am thirty-nine years old and I am really happy to be at this stage of life. In short, I enjoy it! I have an awareness that I dreamed of years ago, I understand what direction I want to go in, I understand if a person is valid, suitable to share pieces of life with me, or if they are not. I waste less time on things that have no value. If I get lost, I find my way back faster and above all, above all, I love myself, I feel love for myself.
Among the various surprises of this wonderful age of life, I have discovered that running is a great passion of mine and I have the strength to devote myself to it. I have the determination to manage my daily routine and wake up earlier to train. I have the courage to set big goals for myself, such as a 60-kilometer trail in October.
Coming to my aid in this thought is Michele Graglia, who in the book “Ultra,” written with Folco Terzani, says, “The body is meant to be lived in. We must not try to preserve it. The body must be used, not mummified into life” … “even training is something you have to enjoy” … “when you go to train you have to be happy with the fact that you are going to do what you like to do” … “in sports you often hear people say, that one is 30 years old, he is already old! How old? We are just entering the top of our form. This is where physical maturity begins. The average age of people who win ultras ranges from thirty to fifty!”
After that, he explains that endurance, stamina, increases over the years, that it is a psychological matter, that one learns to endure great discomfort. And he gives the example of Marco Olmo’s great victories.
I agree with him. It will be harder to make certain times, maybe the body will take longer to respond, but mental strength will be an asset that you can really count on.
If anything, the problem is: do we really believe it? I am pretty sure that desire, conviction and tenacity are the winning trifecta.
And if that’s not enough, we’re always left with the irony and that benevolence that is good for the body and the spirit, the one that makes us think that finally a little bit is true, the years are showing.
But how good this body has done us, how good it does us, as it carries us around, allows us to even run, which is not so obvious, because I have known so many people who have the desire but cannot do it. It would be nice to look at the body for what it allows us, for the potential it has, and not for the wrinkles of forty years, the belly that is no longer like that of a young girl, and the legs that ache after workouts.
The saying, while there is life there is hope, applies to me. Hope for everything, to realize dreams, meet love, create and procreate, run endless marathons.
Less fear, less judgment when we look at ourselves in the mirror, and more heart, maybe running a little bit, this heart.
A running heart strong and full of love.