Alexia Michiels’ Post

Among many things that happened in 2023, I am particularly happy with the fact that I ran 2750 kilometers in total (with different intensities) and completed 2 half marathons. That took me: - 243 out of 365 days running (66%) - 267 hours running in total - 11.3 kilometers on average every day - 255,000 kcal burned in total This year I am intending to increase the volume by at least 10%, i.e. having more than 3000 kilometers in total. Here's my year summarized in a calendar poster 👇. #running #runningmotivation

Sunday, November 5, I ran my 4th full #marathon (42.195 km). Dressed as always in a #unicorn. A French one 🦄 . It was Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes, a superb route along the coast, facing a relatively strong wind upfront and some steep hills. Nevertheless, it was my best #running experience so far because of 3 important factors: 1. I ran together with my running community BISM - Bucharest International School of Management - we were 9 runners, 5 for the marathon race and 4 for the half marathon. Together with us we had 8 supporters. 2. I was able to run the whole route with no pain, no mental or physical challenges, no stop, no music. It was the first time that I could actually control 100% my #mindset , my #body and my #heart. It took 6 years, many half marathons and 3 marathons to be able to achieve this #bliss . 3. I actually overrun myself: the very moment of getting to the finish line (captured in the photo below, with the last 300 metres flying the #romanian flag 🇹🇩brought by my son and running together with him) was a scream of "I am really happy, grateful and proud of myself". You can not fake a marathon. You can not delegate a marathon. You can not coach a marathon (without actually putting your skin in the game). This is why I love running. #frenchriviera #marathonrunner #personalbranding #strategy

Sometimes we need that big scary outcome goal in front of us to motivate us to actually take action. I had no idea how I'd complete an IRONMAN....I didn't own a bike (and couldn't afford one), could hardly swim 50m and hadn't run more than a half marathon before. It enabled my brain to begin asking HOW. How will I swim for 3800m straight. How will I learn to run a marathon after biking for 180km. How will I know what to eat, when to eat, how much to drink? It forces you to look for solutions and to get creative. Figure out WHAT you want, be flexible on WHEN it might come and don't forget WHY you want it. #IRONMANtriathlon #BackpackingAbroad #WorkingHoliday #HybridAthlete #Gapyear

2024 Misogi - Finish the Yeti 100 Mile Ultra Marathon 🏃🏻😅 A Misogi as Jesse Itzler would put it, is one goal/event/experience that will put an unforgettable stamp on the year that will not be forgotten! Last year was my first year intentionally working toward this. With a ton of hard work and dedication I was able to complete a full Ironman 140.6. Truth is, I had never run further than 16 miles, I had never biked more than maybe 15 miles and I certainly had not swam more than 100yds in a sitting. This year is no different, I have only one run marathon 26.2 miles in my life (during the Ironman) and eyeing up 100 miles in one sitting is daunting forsure. I do hard things like this to push my Mental toughness and Grit into a new realm. Although extreme endurance sports is not totally needed or for most people, I love it. The lessons and discipline learned through training and the events are directly transferable into my personal business goals and where I want to go. Like these events growing a family owned and operated company WILL not be easy and I will need this mental toughness and unwavering “no quit” mentality! LETS GO! What is your Misogi this year?! Drop it in the comments below. 👇 #findyourhard #ultrarunning #mosogi #mentaltoughness

I've been slow writing more content the last 2 weeks as I have been focused on getting back into running this month after 2 years of injuries, and all I have to say is: don't let achilles problems keep you from doing what you love for 2 years when the solution is as simple as asking a professional to find you the right inserts. The same with your business. Still have an article or two on the docket before the season gets crazy again. (34 miles in the last 7 days, moving from a 20-30 mile weekly average through March, after not passing 10 miles of running in a week for over a year until February). #racedirectors #marathons #halfmarathons #running

Walking 10'000 steps per day = 70 marathons a year

The ImPossible   In life, we often label things as impossible until someone takes the steps to prove it otherwise. We all have our doubts in our own terms, and we figure out what is impossible for ourselves, but when the desire to transform the impossible ignites, incredible feats become attainable. In my running experience I believed running two marathons within six weeks was beyond my capabilities. However, things played out in such a way that I found myself registered for such both races. I then decided to convert my 'impossible' into 'possible.' Similar parallels can be drawn in our professional journeys, where self-imposed limits often hinder our true potential. However, with determination or sometimes, external motivation, we can shatter these boundaries.   When my two marathons were done, I had run flat out my best marathon in the first one, only to set a new PB six weeks later. I had made my impossible, possible.   Challenge your impossibles! #selfmotivation #impossibleisnothing #challengeyourself #pushingboundaries

On Saturday I completed Ironman 70.3 in Cascais, Portugal 🇵🇹 It was my second Ironman race within a period of seven weeks after completing my first at Ironman Cork in Youghal in August. I took up triathlon 18 months ago as a complete novice to training and I can genuinely say that its effects have transformed my life. Triathlon and endurance training is so much more than the sport of the race itself. Race day is the final box tick for the months of hard work that we put in to prepare. It’s the victory lap for the early mornings and the late nights; for the moments no one sees where you go somewhere deep inside to get through; for the training sessions in the dark hours, in the lashing rain and in the summer heat. In triathlon, as in life, there are so many opportunities to quit when things get hard, times when it would be easier to just take the shortcut, rather than doing things the proper way. There were so many moments during the races, both in Cascais on Saturday and in Youghal in August, when my mind tried to tell me that it would be easier to stop, that it was too hard and too painful and to throw in the towel. In those moments I had to dig deep, remember 'My Why' and keep going until I got it done... While I might be still at the beginning of my triathlon journey; every day, and in every way, I am slowly improving. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and a healthy mind, coupled with a sense of empathy and relishing a challenge, are the most important tools you can share with your organisation, whether it be as a professional, a colleague, an employer or an employee. A healthy mind will train you in facing your adversity and on the other side of adversity is greatness and a resilience that enables us to do absolutely anything we set our minds to; a learning I bring with me into the other areas of my life; be it professional or personal. #Resilience #Training #Endurance #Saoirse 

The 3 biggest things I learned from doing a Triathlon with minimal preparation: 1) You can't win a Formula 1 race in a Ford Fiesta ↳ Riding a single-speed city bike, I was easily overtaken by people twice my age and half my cycling ability riding better bikes. 2) Suffering is relative ↳ Thought I was suffering on the swim. ↳ Then thought I was REALLY suffering on the bike. ↳ Then the suffering on the run put those two to shame. 3) We are capable of so much more than we think ↳ On an ordinary day I would do any of these 3 distances on their own and it would feel close to my limit. ↳ Only by exploring our limits do we realise that they're so much further than we can imagine. I was so far out of my comfort zone with this one that I learned so so much about myself. The biggest learning: I bloody love doing Triathlons