inside excellent life
The bombs seemed designed more for the masses than the monumental. The explosions went off well after the small crowd of elite runners had crossed the finish line. (Last year’s average time was 4:18:27.) The thick stream of recreational runners — regular folk who would never have a shot at the Olympics — was flowing in then, and mothers and brothers and lovers and kids were waiting at the end to cheer them on. Just to run in the Boston Marathon, for them, was the moment of a lifetime.
The story of Federica Pellegrini shows that even one of the most talented and successful athlete, needs at some point in her career a period of recovery after years of very intense work. She has not taken a year off but she has reduced the competitive commitments, the training hours and she is dedicated to a different swimming specialty. The example of Federica Pellegrini is true for everyone, not just for the athletes to the Olympic level. It teaches us that recovery is part of the sport career that you can not put stress on for years without having a recovery period. You can not always push hard, because in the long run this attitude leads to drop out and loss of serenity. You have to desire to train and to sacrifice yourself and to feel joy in being tired, when it becomes a burden you have to stop or reduce the commitment. This is also important for amateur athletes, who must not win anything but too often they consume themselves without ever taking a moment’s rest. We must never forget that the recovery is part of the workout.
