Running is much more than just moving one foot forward over the other. It is, almost always, a constant lesson in how to move forward in life, which is very similar to a race on asphalt. Here are five lessons that this sport has taught me.

1. The path puts you in your place

In running there is no "minute of God" nor is the game won on a counterattack. Races reveal to us how prepared we are, they place us in the position that corresponds to the commitment we made in training. Although luck can help us or play against us in some factors, I have learned that when running I am responsible for my performance and results and that the competition begins long before kilometer zero.

It is very similar to when we win or lose a selection process, when we are granted or denied a kiss, or when we have or do not have the house we want. Running harshly dictates that it is not enough to dream of a triumphant passage across the finish line; each kilometer has a price of effort, discipline and perseverance.


2. The slope, positive.

Surely, if we had to choose, we would prefer to reach our goals on a slow slope or, at least, on flat ground. But we know that for most mortals it is not always like that. Our dreams are behind a path full of hours of study, late nights, love serenades, goodbyes and moments when our heads hit the ground.

Running has taught me to understand the importance of positive gradients, of painful climbs, of unloved hills. To avoid the climb is to postpone what cannot be postponed, to not be ready for the trials of the road. Therefore, when the slope comes, it is better to say yes. In the future, this momentary pain will have taught us to overcome situations in which the heart is put to the test and we will enjoy it much more when the wind blows in our favour, when we go along the flat.

3. The important thing is the path

Obsession with the clock, the times it marks and how far we are from crossing the finish line can lead to clouding our vision to the point of missing the good taste of the journey.

Every training session, race, early morning or stretch of pavement has its charm. Thinking only about arriving takes away the pleasure of seeing a nice sky, a new crush or greeting an acquaintance we meet. Every kilometer has its own face, a lesson to offer or a prize to award. There is magic in the days when we didn't want to get out of bed and we managed it, in those mornings when we wore the old t-shirt and it didn't look good or in the day when we were strong and broke some record that God, Strava (which is like another God who sees everything) and we witnessed.

The great Drexler said it well: "Love the plot more than the outcome."

4. Together, further

Yes, it is an individual sport. You go alone with your soul in competition or in practice. But there is nothing better than a good hug after the finish line, a shout of encouragement along the way or another soul at your feet sharing the suffering with you.

Friends and road companions make this hobby a collective experience where everyone carries their own load but at the same time we can give a morale boost, make way for those who are falling behind or enjoy the journey between strides, gossip and conversations in zone 2.

Although life is a solo race, it is better with those who accompany us on the journey.

5. The value of the present

It's good to think about what's coming: to remember that the descent is coming or to suffer in advance because of the hill that you can see coming. But it's also good, and perhaps it's nicer, to think about the stride we're in, to pay attention to the "here and now." Many times, in that internal dialogue we have while we run, we come up with the business idea, the poem for the girlfriend or the solution to the mathematical formula that we still couldn't solve.

Running has taught me to be there, in that moment when we fly for microseconds, when we use the oxygen of a Sunday morning to live intensely and when, even if we are suffering from how hard running can be, we are happy. The present, the pace we are going, the street we are walking, is our little world of that instant. Learning to appreciate the greatness of the small moments takes us further than the race itself.

Cristian Marín - Alternating Current.