I was overweight most of my life.
Running was never natural to me.
It was something I tried — and quit.
In 2018, I started “seriously.”
8 runs.
43.57 km total.
In three weeks I went from 3 km to 9 km.
Then my knees filled with fluid.
The doctor said:
“Stop!”
For someone who had struggled with weight for years, who finally felt momentum…that word hit hard.
It wasn’t just about running.
It felt like being told:
“This isn’t for you.”
I stopped.
In 2019, I ran once: 3.05 km.
In 2021, I ran twice: 7.90 km total.
The problem wasn’t ability.
It was consistency.
*Activities before I bought my watch were manually added from Strava.
2. Summer 2023 – The Real Breaking Point
Summer 2023 was different.
Work pushed me close to burnout.
I was impatient.
Easily irritated.
Not sleeping well.
I wasn’t drinking heavily.
But I was consistent with it.
A beer here. A glass there. Regular.
That consistency created a pattern.
And patterns build identity.
I didn’t like the direction mine was going.
That’s when this quote came back to me:
“Dreams without goals remain dreams.” – Denzel Washington
I had dreams.
But no goals.
No structure.
No system.
So I decided to build one.
3. Starting Again - But Smarter
July 2023: 2.86 km.
Muscle soreness for days.
August 2023: 3.11 km.
It looked like 2018 all over again.
But this time, instead of quitting, I learned.
I researched beginner running plans.
Heart rate zones.
Easy pace.
Recovery.
I started with the stationary bike to rebuild the habit of movement.
Habit first. Fitness second.
That changed everything.
4. The 5K Commitment
To stay accountable, I registered for my first official race:
5K – Semi-Marathon de Mons (2023).
I made a deal:
- Finish 5K → buy real running shoes
- Reach 10K → buy a sports watch
I cheated.
In the second part of September 2023, I bought the Garmin Forerunner 255 (without music).
Why?
Because it was capable.
Because it supported triathlon — maybe one day.
Because it felt like commitment.
I started using Garmin Coach with Jeff Galloway.
For the first time, I followed an adaptive plan — the watch guided me day by day until my 5K on October 8th, 2023.
It was my first real attempt at structured training, even if I hadn’t yet started the full 10K plan I would complete in January 2024.
Having a plan changed everything.
No more guessing distances.
No more running until my muscles screamed and stopping for days.
I learned to listen to the plan, pace myself, and recover properly.
It also gave me accountability.
Each run recorded, each day followed, reminded me: you’re doing this consistently now.
That 5K wasn’t just a race.
It was a checkpoint — proof that when I commit, I can finish what I start.
It reinforced something that would become my mantra:
Consistency beats intensity, especially at the beginning.
And it set the stage for everything that came after.
5. Real Shoes, Not Hyped Shoes
After finishing my first official 5K in 29:34, I kept my promise.
I went to a local running shop for gait analysis.
I had a list in my head.
All the hyped models.
All the trendy shoes.
All the ones the internet and YouTube were praising.
But I didn’t buy what was trendy.
I bought what suited me:
Before that, I had been running in random “running shoes” I bought back in 2015.
No idea if they fit my mechanics.
That decision reduced small pains I had simply accepted as normal.
Sometimes maturity is choosing function over hype.
6. When I Discovered UTMB
One evening in 2023, I was watching running videos.
I clicked on a race start.
I had no idea what UTMB was.
No clue about qualification.
No understanding of indexing stones.
No concept of the distance.
Then the music started:
“Conquest of Paradise” – Vangelis.
And I saw them.
Thousands of runners.
Different faces.
Different ages.
Different backgrounds.
Different lives.
Some calm.
Some terrified.
Some focused.
Some emotional.
The music alone was powerful.
But combined with those faces…
It touched me.
I had tears in my eyes.
Because I understood something:
They weren’t just starting a race.
They had earned the right to stand there.
And in that moment I didn’t think:
“I want to win UTMB.”
I thought:
“I want to become someone capable of standing on that start line.”
That was the first seed.
7. The Shift in Numbers
2023 totals:
- 52 runs
- 334.20 km
- Longest run: 18.55 km (ended with a long walk home because I pushed too hard)
Monthly progression:
- September: 44.84 km
- October: 98.89 km
- November: 81.08 km
- December: 103.40 km
From 3.05 km in an entire year…
to 100 km in a single month.
That contrast says everything.
*Activities before I bought my watch were manually added from Strava.
8. What 2023 Taught Me (Lessons for Anyone Starting)
These lessons go beyond running:
- Consistency builds identity.
Good or bad — patterns define you. - Goals give dreams direction.
Without them, nothing changes. - Structure removes emotion from discipline.
- Buy what suits you — not what trends.
- Small beginnings are not weakness. They are foundations.
9. Stepping Into 2024
2023 wasn’t impressive.
It wasn’t a marathon year.
It wasn’t a high-mileage year.
But it was the year I stopped quitting.
And if you are at 3 km right now…
Maybe this is your foundation year too.