🌱 The Beginnings of Restlessness and Running
I am Blaž Vošnjak, one of those who “fell into” running almost by accident.
It started with long walks, which were recommended to me because of hay fever. 🌿 But let’s be honest — they became boring. Too peaceful for the restlessness inside me.
And so I started running. 👟 Over time, I realized that running is not just movement. It is something more.
It’s not just about what you achieve — it’s about everything you experience along the way. How you get back up when things don’t go according to plan. How you keep going when you’d rather give up. 💪
For me, running became motivation. A challenge. A journey. Over more than twenty-two years, I achieved most of my goals. Today, I can run without the competitive pressure, too.
But I’ve also been there — through periods when I was destroying my body in order to put my mind back together. 😓
Over time, though, you understand: the most important thing is to be healthy, to be happy, and to have family and friends by your side. ❤️
At fifty-four, that is a truth that needs no proof. Sporting disappointments? You learn to accept them. And you realize that you have something many people don’t — passion. The kind you take out of the closet when you need it. 🔥
A runner is not born. A runner is made. Through hard work. Through persistence. Through suffering, too.
And interestingly — the more you “suffer,” the more alive you feel. The happier you are. And you want more.
🏃♂️ Challenges and Pushing the Limits
The best time? When I ran 10 kilometers every day. Simple. Pure. ⏱️
Instead of the news filling my head with other people’s worries, I had my own routine:
40 minutes of running, 10 minutes in the shower, 10 minutes for dinner. Perfection.
But people always want more. I started running 23 kilometers every other day.
Then: four days of half-marathon distances, two days of 10K, one day of rest.
I reached the point where I could run at least 18 kilometers every day.
And then… things started going downhill. 😔 Not the kilometers. How I felt.
My body was no longer in balance. I was no longer “properly aligned” on the course.
I was chasing extremes — and losing myself.
I joined a running group. It was good. Comparison, energy, community. 🤝
I ran a marathon. But I wanted more. A 100K. It didn’t work out. My body was exhausted.
I added the gym. Strengthened my core. But my mind was still restless. I thought about yoga — but somehow, I didn’t find myself there.
And then… trail running. 🌄 There, I came across everything I had been looking for. Running, strength, balance, peace. All in a single step. Anyone who has ever run through a forest knows. Trail running pulled me in completely.
Without hills and trails, it no longer felt right. I kept the distance — but added thousands of meters of elevation gain. 🏔️ Gregor helped me a lot, too.
But then came the moment when I would have had to change my life because of running. My job. My rhythm.
And that’s where I stopped. I finally caught the 100K in Vipava. That’s when I realized: limits are not where we think they are.
🌟 Peace, Meaning and the Right Path
And then comes the question: what do I do with all of this now? 🤔 There had been too many “battles” in my life. Sport, work, family, society. I started choosing the ones where I truly had a chance to succeed.
I learned a simple definition of success: it is the ability to go from failure to failure — without losing your momentum. And to believe. In yourself. In your people. 💖
I’m happy that along this journey I also found my running “parents.” Urban and Jasmina.
Their group now gives me that peaceful harbor the soul needs. 🕊️
We’ve known each other for a long time. Once, we ran together from Ljubljana to Bled — and that was when I first felt that there are different ways to go far.
Today, I run less. Perhaps a tenth of what I used to. But every step has more meaning. 👣
And the best part — I no longer let myself be distracted. ✨