is what I casually told people one random Thursday night at Lia Manoliu. I’d been running with 321sport since late 2017 and the point was simple: “Everybody came here to get better, and everybody should leave better”.
I think bettering oneself is one of the most beautiful things you can do. And it always comes from stepping out of your comfort zone.
Thursdays were crowded. Roughly thirty runners showed up, in all shapes and forms. Some of them came once and never returned. Some were regulars and showed up every week. But they all had one thing in common: Thursdays were for speed work.
The plan was simple. A light warm-up. Four or five laps together. Then we split into three groups: fast, faster and sexy pace.
Radu led the fast group. I paced the faster one. The last group was for those who had a rough day and needed to take it easier or for whom the other two groups were simply too fast. Still, the rule was clear: once you made your choice (fast or faster), you finished strong.
But it was never about who was the fastest. I knew very well that some of the guys next to me could shatter my 10K PB on any random day. But we kept it together so that the ones reaching out of their comfort zone could – and usually did – get better.
It was about group running. Community. Leading by example.
Then I became a father and I knew I couldn’t afford the timeline anymore. Getting to the track at 7PM then home by 10PM wasn’t an option anymore. I had to adapt.
The thing about adaptation, especially for a mildly obsessive guy, is that it doesn’t come in many shapes or forms. But you do what you have to do. I knew I still needed the speed work. I just didn’t have the setup anymore. It had been a good routine but there just wasn’t any room for it now.
