[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”a912b18c-2e2e-4ae0-bb91-66308cc6d6ee” background_enable_color=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2c100476-0d43-4de5-88da-83df7d7d0f02.jpg” custom_padding=”5vw||20px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”8vw||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”8vw||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”67173599-1bef-457d-bed9-ea9186b2d693″ custom_padding=”20px||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”30px||11px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”20px||11px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”A blog designed to reflect, redesign, and rediscover meaning” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”23225f94-3e92-4385-b617-482afaf50031″ title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=”BEYOND THE SURFACE” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”c7007995-7985-4e41-8db4-481400523437″ title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” max_width=”1080px” custom_margin=”||18px|||” title_text_align_tablet=”left” title_text_align_phone=”left” title_text_align_last_edited=”on|tablet” title_font_size_tablet=”46px” title_font_size_phone=”40px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Listings” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”_initial” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(255,255,255,0.95) 1%|rgba(255,255,255,0.9) 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1e32fd11-6b17-4aa3-9af7-ffb4c0fdabe1.jpg” parallax=”on” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”10px||||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”5px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”15px|0px|15px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”15px|0px|15px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”15px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”67173599-1bef-457d-bed9-ea9186b2d693″ custom_padding=”9px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”\u23f1 Estimated reading time: 9 minutes” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”23225f94-3e92-4385-b617-482afaf50031″ title_font=”–et_global_heading_font|700||on|on||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=”A Tense Conversation at the Madrid Marathon” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”701ea970-4b9c-44bc-86ce-15c2f2d3d796″ title_text_align=”center” custom_margin=”0px||20px||false|false” title_font_size_phone=”29px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”2em” header_text_align=”center” module_alignment=”center” text_font_size_tablet=”18px” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Listening When Everything Starts to Go Wrong<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The day before the race felt\u2026 right.<\/p>\n Saturday was light. Just an activation session, enough to wake the body up without stressing it. The legs responded well, surprisingly well considering it had only been a week since completing the Ironman 70.3 in Valencia<\/strong>. There was no heaviness. No real signs of fatigue. Just that quiet sense that things were in place.<\/p>\n We\u2019re ready.<\/em><\/p>\n And for once, my body didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n \n The first kilometres felt exactly how you want them to feel.\u00a0Controlled. Comfortable. Almost too easy. Madrid hadn\u2019t started asking questions yet.<\/p>\n But somewhere around KM 3<\/strong>, something small happened. I had to make an early toilet stop. It didn\u2019t make much sense \u2014 I had already gone before the start \u2014 but I brushed it off and kept moving, trying to settle into the rhythm of the race.<\/p>\n Then it happened again, around KM 6<\/strong>. And again, close to KM 8<\/strong>. That\u2019s when it stopped being random. That\u2019s when the conversation began.<\/p>\n \n This isn\u2019t normal.<\/em><\/p>\n Water was going in, but nothing was staying.<\/p>\n Water in, water out\u2026 what\u2019s going on?<\/em> There were no answers. Only signals. Around KM 9<\/strong>, the quadriceps joined the conversation. A tension appeared that didn\u2019t belong there so early. It wasn\u2019t fatigue, and it wasn\u2019t effort. It was something else.<\/p>\n Too early for this.<\/em> I didn\u2019t wait. I took sodium. Pause.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see if this stabilises things.<\/em><\/p>\n Nothing changed.<\/p>\n \n By KM 14<\/strong>, the discomfort had turned into pain. Now it was clear. This wasn\u2019t going to be a normal race. And for the first time, the thought appeared.<\/p>\n This might not end well.<\/em><\/p>\n I answered the only way I could. More sodium. Pause. Then a gel.<\/p>\n Take it. Give the body something.<\/em> But the questions were still there.<\/p>\n Is it sodium? Magnesium? Something else?<\/em> No certainty. Just decisions.<\/p>\n \n By the time I reached KM 21<\/strong>, halfway, the plan had already changed. It was no longer about the finish line.<\/p>\n If we get to KM 30\u2026 we\u2019re still in this.<\/em><\/p>\n That became the only objective. And somewhere along the way, something shifted. Not suddenly. But subtly. At the next stop, something was different.<\/p>\n Wait\u2026 <\/em>That\u2019s not clear anymore. <\/em>Are we finally holding something? <\/em>Did we start dehydrated from the beginning?<\/em><\/p>\n No clear answer. But enough to keep going. We reached KM 30<\/strong>. Still moving. Still in it. But that fragile balance had a cost. After more than twenty kilometres adjusting, protecting, compensating\u2026 the load started to move elsewhere. Around KM 32<\/strong>, the adductors spoke. Then the glute med. Tight. Heavy. Overloaded.<\/p>\n Of course\u2026 <\/em>We\u2019ve been protecting the quads all this time. <\/em>This is the price.<\/em><\/p>\n No panic. Just awareness.<\/p>\n \n Around KM 35<\/strong>, the knee joined. Sharp. Clear. Unavoidable.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the tendon. <\/em>Inflamed.<\/em><\/p>\n Pause.<\/p>\n This is going to hurt later.<\/em><\/p>\n And in that moment, there was no negotiation left. Only a decision.<\/p>\n We\u2019re finishing this.<\/em><\/p>\n From that point on, something changed. Silence<\/strong>. The conversation stopped. Not because everything was fine. But because everything had already been said. I had listened.I had adjusted. I had taken sodium \u2014 again, and again. Pause. Then gel. Giving the body everything I had. And in return\u2026 It gave me just enough.<\/p>\n From KM 35 to KM 40<\/strong>, there were no more questions. Just movement. Just rhythm. By KM 41<\/strong>, there was nothing left to analyse. And when KM 42<\/strong> appeared\u2026There was only one thing left to do.<\/p>\n 42.195<\/strong><\/p>\n \n This race wasn\u2019t about performance. It wasn\u2019t about pace. It wasn\u2019t even about the result. It was about something much more fundamental. Listening<\/strong>. Because your body always speaks. At first, it whispers. Then it insists. And eventually, it forces you to pay attention. The difference is not whether things go wrong.<\/p>\n They will.<\/strong><\/p>\n The difference is whether you are able to stay in that conversation long enough to respond.<\/p>\n \n From a coaching perspective, this is where endurance sport becomes something much deeper than physical performance. Because what happened in this race is not exceptional. It is simply exposed. In sport, the signals are clearer, the feedback is immediate, and the consequences are tangible. But the process itself is the same one we experience in everyday life.<\/p>\n Something doesn\u2019t go as planned. The body \u2014 or the mind \u2014 sends signals. Discomfort appears. Uncertainty follows.\u00a0And in that moment, we have a choice. To ignore. <\/strong>To react impulsively. Or to listen. <\/strong>Listening does not mean having all the answers. It means staying present long enough to understand what is happening, managing the emotional response, and making the best possible decision with the information available.<\/p>\n That is self-leadership. <\/strong>That is emotional regulation. <\/strong>And that is what ultimately allows us to move forward, even when conditions are not ideal. Because performance \u2014 in sport and in life \u2014 is not built on perfect scenarios. It is built on the ability to adapt when things are not.<\/p>\n \n There will be moments where your body and your mind don\u2019t agree. Where things don\u2019t go as planned. Where the conversation becomes tense. The question is not how to avoid it. The question is:<\/p>\n Will you listen?<\/strong><\/p>\n And when you do\u2026<\/p>\n Will you know how to respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Una reflexi\u00f3n narrativa sobre el Marat\u00f3n de Madrid, contada a trav\u00e9s de un tenso di\u00e1logo interno entre cuerpo y mente. Este art\u00edculo explora c\u00f3mo las se\u00f1ales f\u00edsicas, las decisiones sobre el combustible y la conciencia emocional determinan el rendimiento en resistencia, destacando la importancia de escuchar, adaptarse y gestionar los momentos dif\u00edciles para llegar a la meta.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mindful-training","category-mindset","category-resilience-recovery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1341"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1350,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1341\/revisions\/1350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondyourfinishline.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Race Begins<\/h3>\n
The First Signs<\/h3>\n
Are we missing something? Did we start wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n
We\u2019re missing something.<\/em><\/p>\nWhen It Gets Real<\/h3>\n
Whatever it needs, we give it.<\/em><\/p>\n
Why aren\u2019t we holding anything?<\/em><\/p>\nA New Goal and The Cost<\/h3>\n
The Final Layer<\/h3>\n
\nThe Real Lesson<\/h3>\n
From a Coaching Perspective<\/h3>\n
A Final Reflection<\/h3>\n