The Virtue of Pelicans

One spot on my personal list of favorite places to run is the Avenida Perimetral in the city of Cumaná; without my realizing it, it has become a habit for me to go there after having covered high elevations or climbed mountains above 4,000 m of altitude. You enjoy the solitude, the sparse traffic of runners, and the magnificent view that invites you to skirt the coast and admire from there the majestic Araya Peninsula. Going from moving about at 4,000 m of altitude to sea level makes you feel like Superman, with the lungs to run a marathon almost effortlessly; that extra energy is perhaps what I enjoy most about the run. That place, however, holds special memories for me, because it was on those walkways that it all began: a training regimen that led me to run 5 minutes per kilometer, to overcome fatigue, lack of energy, and asthma, to stretch my endurance to levels that even I myself can hardly believe now, to shatter mental limits, and to run through the mountains at 4,500 m of altitude like a child. Every great objective requires great preparation and training, and mine began there several years ago. I remember that during a run there I reached my limit, and as I was recovering from fainting I thought that perhaps I would not be able to attain the results I was after, when I then saw a scene that brought me a reflection: a pelican drinking from the sea. What is peculiar about this species of seabird is its ability to swallow salt water and turn it into fresh water for its consumption. Its organism converts something deadly into something vital, poison into strength—an example from nature of how to turn adversity into an advantage. After that reflection I got up and never again stopped running or going ever higher, turning my fatigue into strength and endurance so as to face ever taller mountains and harsher conditions. Let us not ignore nature; often nature disciplines us and sets us to reflect with small miracles like that of the pelican. © Alejandro Guipe | All Rights Reserved. http://alejandroguipe.com