Motivating yourself to exercise during your stay abroad is not always easy. Conny, who did an internship in Barcelona told us about how she found motivation and also new friends.
I would consider myself a sports-fan. At home I am running with a group of people at least once or twice a week while chatting over the next big sports events ahead. As I planned my stay abroad I was afraid of running all on my own – I mean let‘s be honest, getting up at 6 am in the morning for a jog is much easier if you know that people are waiting for you than to overcome your very own inner couch potato on your own.
In the first few days that was basically what I had to do. At times I ran with a colleague but felt the urge for a similar group of people eager to run through the city. Luckily I told this issue one of the participants of a hiking trip I took just a few weeks after my arrival. She hooked me up with a group of guys I contacted right away and quickly I had my first run with them. We met on the foot of Montjuic in Poble Sec. The trainer explained the 8 km “cursa” and I was excited about seeing the sights of the mountain. 8 km to me is a distance I actually can run very easily as long as we are running straight ahead without any altitudes whatsoever. This wasn`t straight ahead at all! We ran up the hill, through bushes over rocks in a pace that was so fast I sounded like an old railway engine. As I struggled to keep up, my new Spanish friends tried to talk to me to find out where I was from and what I was doing in Spain – of course in Spanish, which I am not at all fluent in.
Intercambio and sport – “Jackpot!” I thought while searching for any words, describing my situation.
Now I run almost every Tuesday with “the guys”. We meet up around 07:30pm, when the temperature slowly starts to fall and discover the beauty of Montjuic – every time a different route. Most of the runs pass water stations and of course we are being rewarded with a breathtaking view each and every time we run, adding a “que chulo!” as we enjoy the sunset.
I am most definitely going to miss the scenery of Barcelona when I have to run through my hometown back in Germany again.
If you are here and look for some great people to run with I recommend the running club of Brummel Hotel.
Conny
Leave a Reply