Introducing Aurora. She is a PhD Cyber Security candidate, and runner living between Amsterdam and Verona. She has been running consistently for 3 years, with the purpose of meeting new friends when she moved abroad from Italy.
In February 2022, she joined a running group in Amsterdam and was inspired by many people who helped her push herself to reach goals that she thought she could never achieve, like running her first marathon in October 2023. Aurora believes running means connection, emotion, discipline, and exploration.
The start of my journey
I wore my first pair of running shoes when I was 15. Our oldest sister introduced me and my elder sister to running. My oldest sister charmed me with how fast and cool she was when running. She has always been my role model, in every aspect of life. At that time I picked up running for two reasons. The first one is that, although I hated doing sports, I saw running as an excuse to spend more time with my sisters. When you’re the youngest of your siblings you get used to having a crowded house and letting go of that feeling ‘cause you’re all growing up and life leads you to different paths, far from each other, is hard to accept.
The second reason is that, at 15, I was just a teenager struggling with her body image, and I saw running as my solution to seeing myself prettier and skinnier. I was pushing myself to cover more and more miles just to lose weight and to fuel my body with a few leaves of salad for the entire day. Eventually, this unsustainable lifestyle made me hate running even more and it also led me to several injuries forcing me to take a break from it.
Give it another shot!
I’ve been studying Computer Science for 8 years, which means I spend most of my time at a desk. In 2021, I decided to give running another chance as a way of keeping my body moving, but it was only when I moved to Amsterdam in January 2022, to start my PhD in Cyber Security that running became my passion and obsession. When I moved to the country I was alone and I tried to fit in as best as I could despite all the fears and uncertainty that a new start in a foreign country may bring.
In February 2022, I decided to join Running Junkies to meet new people, and I cannot be more grateful for that choice. I met the most inspiring people, who pushed me to challenge myself, and eventually I discovered that running was more than just counting burned calories, and checking my weight on the scale. Running for me became community, fun, and friendship. I’m infinitely grateful to Running Junkies because, in these past 3 years, they have been like a second family.
Running is not a solo sport
Despite loving to challenge myself to become fast and participating in distances such as 10K, half marathons, etc., the most memorable races I’ve done consist of a completely different type of game. Worth mentioning Eurotrip and The Longest Day Run, both organized by Indie Runner. The first one is a relay in teams of 6/8 people, running from one European city to another (every year the start and final destination changes), with a distance of roughly 400 km. It’s a race that I would recommend every runner to take part in at least once. The race is about synergy, where you and your teammates endure together with little to no sleep and cramped legs from the amount of hours spent running, in order to achieve the same goal: reaching the destination city.
I took part in the Longest Day Run this past 21st June.. yeah it’s not a coincidence, it’s the longest day of the year! The goal of the race was running in teams of 2, as many 10km laps as possible, from sunrise to sunset. On that day I ran 80 km, and I absolutely had no idea my body would have been able to accomplish such a distance. I believe my teammate, who is also one of my best friends, was part of that strength that I found in me to keep running till exhaustion. Seeing him every time at the end of every lap, hating each other for taking part in that madness, but also being extremely proud of each other for doing it, and happy for accomplishing it together. I’m grateful I found a person like him who is capable of pushing me over my limits.
Challenge yourself, but first remember to have fun
Many people refer to me as a fast runner who trains hard, but if I have to be honest, I do not feel the same way… and no, I’m not trying to be humble here. Last summer, I saw a huge improvement in my running and I’ve felt more in shape than ever. However, I also started being really harsh on myself and I actually went through a dark moment with running which I feel like I’m slowly coming out of only recently. As I was getting faster, and smashing PB after PB, I started demanding more and more from my body, and I tired myself till exhaustion just to see my Strava graph hitting higher mileage week after week. I wasn’t even training with a purpose, I was just running a lot ‘cause I thought it would have made me faster. However, from this past January till July I had to deal with serious health issues as the high amount of training I pushed my body through, and the stress of doing a PhD, caused my cycle to be irregular and extremely painful. In the last three months I’ve been trying to listen more to my body and I’m slowly regaining my previous shape.
To all the runners and wannabe runners out there I’d like to say running is supposed to be fun. It’s good being competitive, and challenging yourself, but remember also to enjoy it, and listen to your body. I cannot relate more to the saying “train smart, not hard”. Enjoy the process of going through a training schedule to achieve your goals, but also do not be harsh on yourself, respect your body. I realize only now that the moment I was getting faster it was the only moment I wasn’t even paying attention to it. I was only focused on enjoying every training session and listening more to my feelings while running rather than being focused on the pace on my watch.
Running is much more than just put one foot in front of the other
I run because it keeps me disciplined in every aspect of my life, from work to personal relations. I became a better person since I started running consistently, and the people I met in the running community are the nicest people I’ve ever met. I run because it’s my favorite way to explore places when I travel.
