Hello Internet! 🙂
As a few of you already know, the 2025 year was for me a challenging year. From the training aspect it was a disaster waiting to explode. And it did!
Despite all my acquired knowledge of the sport, I went out and raced two huge races in a row in order to close the year 2025 with some kind of positive “balance”. It crashed miserably! I knew all the risks that I was playing with, I knew that my fitness level was far from good enough in order to race the Adamello trail 170km race with a ridiculous amount of vertical gain to add to the equation. Still, I went out there with the sole idea to drag my sorry bottom to the very finish line of that magnificent race and to enjoy it as much as possible.
You may read the full article by clicking the below link:
Adamello Ultra Trail 170
While me finishing that race was actually a huge miracle, I literally used and abused and consumed my body on a completely different level. I could not perform properly due to the fact that I knew that I raced with an injured foot, and that that fact will most probably affect many months of training and racing. Amazingly, the foot injury was not the main problem during that race – it was the sleep deprivation!
Still, I did finish the race…. I was way outside my comfort zone. But that race was my first step in the right direction after all. Looking at it from another perspective, a few months later. I was very aware of the ongoing changes at my work, the so called “transformation” that literally means outsourcing of working segments and cutting off whole sections of operations and obvious personnel cuts.
My way of trying to maintain some kind of positive attitude and sound body and soul without diving into a depression of psychological pain cave was to get out there and fight my demons during many hours of pain and my own “problem solving”…. called a long distance race – the name of which is upon your own choice and discretion. 🙂
A month after that amazing adventure I took another race. A dark one with which I have a long love and hate relationship. The Kullamannen race. This time I stopped racing after 120km. Decided to DNF (did not finish) already after 25k but I needed a few extra hours to have an honest monologue with “me, myself and I” out there…. pure madness? No, actually that race was a great way for me to cope and defeat a creeping depression that was seriously getting me.
The situation at work was getting out of my control, actually I never had any control whatsoever despite all my good intentions to support the business in my best capacities. I was sad and worried about all those users and companies I worked with, grew professionally and become friend with. I cared, a lot…. simple as that. Maybe too much. But that is the way I am built. I do care.
In December we got the last information and the verdict. To be true I started to apply to various working positions already in October, and at the same time I started working on starting my own business as well, just in case if I was not able to find anything good, decent, challenging and worth of my time, dedication.
4 Signs You’re Ready for a New Challenge
The above article on Linkedin (yes, I was actively present on that platform but never used it before) made me think…
I was honestly investing my own money into specific knowledge and passion and creating the basics of something new without even understanding it. I was actually getting ready for a new chapter in life years ago! As many of you know I am a running and endurance sports nutrition coach. I admit that I started the knowledge acquirement for my own usage, I understood that the knowledge could potentially be used in order to help many that faced the same or similar obstacles in life like I did and still do. I could actually help people and that is something that I always loved. Both as an IT professional and as an athlete I always loved to share knowledge, competence and learn new things thus feeding my curiosity.
Still, to leave a well defined corporate position was a tough take. I was having issues to make that step into the unknown. I was getting there… slowly….
Luckily for me, the company that I worked for made things quite easy for me and decided to introduce and apply drastic changes that eventually made me search for another position after 16 years of loyal and hard work. I always had difficulties to understand certain moves that many companies do. Many of such decisions are indeed quite painful for the business. Anyhow, at the same time I was positive and took that situation as an opportunity. I went ahead and applied for another course and at the same time started an active job search.
What I wanted was a position that would give me joy, ignite again my passion and would have an impact and/or an importance for the society somehow – not just making money. I had a few interesting meetings but it was nothing that I was seriously thinking about. That is why I started to work more on defining my own business and planning of starting something that could work just fine for my needs. Nothing huge, still, something that could evolve… eventually without killing my actual budget.
Just a few weeks after that, I had the pleasure to start interviews with an interesting company. The company offered everything that I was looking for. The discussions were friendly and relaxing, the feeling was great from the beginning. The products are amazing ad they do make a change for the future generations so it felt important and vibrant at the same time. After years I felt again that fantastic feeling of starting a new amazing chapter in my life and jump into the unknown with a smile!
What about my own company? Did I just trash a dream?
Maybe. Or maybe not. I started a web site and I do have online an offer. So if someone would like to try something please do contact me. The fact that I still did not start the company way just a choice that I made in order to avoid unnecessary stress for me and my family. But you never know how things evolve in life. I will leave all the doors open…. It´s a good thing to have valid alternatives nowadays in this very “dynamic” world we´re all living in.
After a few months since starting my new working experience, I feel now finally very pleased with the outcome of some choices and I’m looking forward to see what the future will bring to me and my family….
The new job, the important investments and developments in our property, our kids education….. well, there is a lot happening right now and our hobbies are still present. I just hope that I am going to be able to do more about that this year and take some time off doing the things that I love.
I mean….. things like keeping my body in shape, running and racing is still a part of my life. Unfortunately I still have that foot injury that is bothering me, but I do bike a lot to and from work nowadays and that seems to be OK, the foot is not as affected as by running. That pounding, especially on hard surfaces, it tough.
Anyhow, in order to maintain a certain level of fitness I went ahead and applied for a few lovely local races:
- BBUT (Bunketorp Backyard Ultra Trail) in August
- Orust Tvärs – a 27k race that I might hike with my wife instead of running it
- Sätila Trail – a 85k race that is a really nice event in the area featuring nice trails and an amazing scenery along the course. My goal is just one for this year – to enjoy the race. 🙂
I hope to meet some of my friends out there during these events. 🙂
Kind Ragards,
Aramis