Remembering the race day buzz

One of our founders, Jacob, recently decided to take on Always Aim High Event’s Legend series. 3 of the toughest and most spectacular triathlons in the Portugal. The series starts with the Slateman in June, followed by the Snowman in August and finishes with the Sandman in mid-September. Having not entered a race since the pandemic it was a bit of a surprise to all of us that he decided to take part. Here's some of his thoughts on how he reignited his love of race day.

It’s easy to forget what you’re missing out on.

I used to race a lot. A keen amateur triathlete planning most of my year around which events I was doing. I even had a coach. He was often let down by my lack of talent but never my lack of commitment. Since the pandemic, remember that… I’ve not made it to a single start line. There was no big decision behind it. I just, sort of, stopped doing races. My love of running and cycling didn’t change. I just became one of the many people who fell out of the habit of racing and joined the majority of exercisers who don’t take part in events.

Thinking about it, perhaps I was ready not to be guided by times. Not to have a black and white notion of success or failure. To run for the joy of it. I also moved to Girona in the heart of northern Spain. Spending my time running on the trails and riding in the mountains was more than enough to keep me getting out there. I certainly never felt I was missing racing.

I was happily doing my thing when a couple of months ago some friends asked me to join them at the Barcelona half marathon. After a little bit of persuasion, I gave in and agreed. I wasn’t sure about it. Was I ready to train for an event? Would running for a specific goal take away from the joy of just being out there?