As we've been posting story after story from our runners here on our blog, we're sure you've noticed, on more than one occasion, the numerous references people made to a certain person named Diana. She is the person behind the idea of our running club, recruiting new members simply by being her bubbly, energetic and enthusiastic 5 feet tall self (as you can see from the photo!) and genuinely believing in the great benefits running - and exercising in general - has for our lives. She participates in every major competition with the rest of our club members and she always encourages and runs along with those who think they can't do it anymore. Whenever we talk to her, her (genuine) signature phrase pops up: "Of course you can!".
Without further ado, here she is.
You have inspired
many members of our club to take up running seriously through your
participation in the Sahara Marathon. Tell us a bit about your experience
there.
It was amazing, a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. I saw a totally different world there. The emotion was higher as it was my first marathon to run and I had no idea what it would be like to run 42 km. Not to mention 42 km in the desert. It was funny before the race how everybody asked me if I had ever run a full marathon and every time I’d shrug my shoulders in an innocent „no”. Then what I usually heard was that I was crazy.
The race itself was quite an experience as I was at one point all by myself and could not see anybody but the desert. What is special about this marathon however is the charity element: it is organized to raise awareness and money for the Saharawi people of Western Sahara. The marathon race takes place in Algeria, close to the border with Western Sahara and the participants are accommodated in Saharawi refugees’ homes, in the middle of the desert. This is another impressive part of the marathon – you get to see how those people live, eat and dress and do the same for a week.
Many club members mention you regarding their decision to start running. How does that feel?
It feels great, I’ve never intended to convince people to start running, but I guess running itself and the PwC run 4 fun Club do all the work. This is because running is so good for the body and the club creates the perfect environment to take up running – you know that there will be people running at 19:15 two times per week, all you have to do its take the running gear at work in the morning and then join the training session in the afternoon, it’s very simple and this is what we need to have in our already busy lives.
How many races have you run in so far? What’s your best time yet?
I ran two full marathons, about five half-marathons and several other small races. The best time I ever had was at the Bucharest International Marathon this year when I ran a half-marathon in less than two hours, but I’m yet to become very competitive about running fast. I guess that’s because I am still in the phase where I enjoy running so much that I’m yet to be very focused on pushing it harder. However, I do admit that breaking one’s personal record is in general a very powerful motivator and that people should use it as long as it gets them out of the house to train.
How did you train during the winter season? Any tips you’d like to share with our readers?
For the Sahara Marathon I had to start training early in the autumn, at the end of October. Starting in the autumn helped me adapt to running at lower temperatures in the winter. When running, the temperature of the body increases by 10-15 degrees, so the body does not feel the cold outside anymore.
Basically what we need for running in winter time are some running pants made from an insulating material, a T-shirt and a thicker sweater to protect you against the wind and to isolate the body from getting cold, something to wear on your head and gloves. And you can find this type of gear in the specialised sports stores, while the running shoes can be the same as the summer ones.
What’s your training routine? Is it accompanied by a special diet?
I join PwC run 4 fun Club training sessions every time I can. It’s always a good thing to take advantage of such an opportunity to train. I usually try to compensate for the times when I skip the Club trainings by running alone and by having a longer run during the weekend.
I am paying special attention to what I’m eating, I usually skip carbohydrates in the evening and I take care not to eat too late at night. In addition, I usually don’t eat the things which are generally known to be forbidden for a healthy lifestyle, such as mayo, fries etc. I just follow some general principles of healthy lifestyle that you read about everywhere in the media.
What music do you usually listen to while running?
Now I don’t listen to anything anymore as I can’t find my player for the moment :). But usually I listen to all kinds of music and the best thing is that it actually makes me run faster.
Are you planning for another Sahara Marathon-like running event?
I am planning to participate in some other crazy event in the future at some point, but the plans are yet to become more specific.
What would you say to those who still hesitate about their ability to run and exercise in general?
There is no reason to hesitate about! Everybody can exercise, it’s not like we need some special powers or knowledge. I only ran for 10 minutes the first time I got out of the house when I started running two years ago. I rested for a day and ran for another 15 minutes on the third day. Then I went on the Internet and checked a marathon training schedule to see how exactly I should train for a race. It was that simple. Besides, running is something very natural. Tennis is much harder, believe me.
And besides, there are so many advantages to running and to exercising in general that they can alone be good enough motivators to get you out of the house.
Any special message for our Club?
The Club’s activity is so great, we had a wonderful participation this year in the Bucharest International Marathon and I heard so much positive feedback from participants afterwards! I just wish it keeps up the amazingly good work it has done so far!
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