Starting my Journey

I was born in Uzbekistan and moved to Europe (France) when I was sixteen. A more studious child, I was never into the sports, and would have been called a geek. After finishing my studies I moved to Paris and started working there. At the time I was going out a lot —essentially since my college years, and drinking helped with social interactions. As an introvert, it was one way to relax and connect with people, but this had a negative effect on my health.

In 2014, at the age of 28, I started running to improve my physical condition. Little did I know that it also helped with my mental condition. I got hooked to the runners rush and started running more regularly. After a couple years, I ran my first marathon in April 2016 in Paris, the same year I became a father. I was aiming at 3h but finished just under 3h11 min.

We moved to Miami, Florida, in May 2017. This was a busy period for me, with less time for running due to all the changes. I ran my second marathon in January 2018, and it was a bad experience with a 3h, 25min run time. Once again, I falied to reach my goal of under 3 hours. I was so frustrated with my failure and the lack of results in the training I was doing that I nearly abandoned running Marathons. But I changed my training plan, and kept training.

The marathon is the ultimate distance for most, if not all runners. It’s the grail of what one can accomplish. What interested me was the fact that it is challenging, it requires long preparation and I’m the only one who can control the output. Being in control is something important for me—due to a childhood and early teenager situation where there weren’t many things I could control. Running a marathon is like being in control of my own destiny.

Boston Marathon, April 2023

Breaking the 3 Hour Mark

How long did it take me to become a sub 3 hours marathoner? The short answer: 5 years. The long answer:

• 7 marathons

• 8820 km

• 790 runs

• 720 cumulated hours

• 14 pairs of shoes

• And unconditional support from my family and friends.

Back in 2014, when I finished my first 10k in 56 min, I would never have imagined that one day I'll be able to run 42k in 2:55.

I tried to achieve sub3 for quite a while, since my very first attempt in Paris in 2016, where I finished it in 3:11. From 2018 to the end of 2019, I completed 5 other marathons (Miami, Chicago, NY, FLL and Berlin) to realize that sometimes your best shot is to PR at a local race with proper training, for me that was Fort Lauderdale.

After my 6th marathon in Berlin in 2019, I decided to change the training method by adding more slow runs and increasing the weekly mileage to build up endurance and avoid cramping (which happened on all 6 of my previous races). By incorporating the 80/20 method in my plan prepared by Runners Connect, I managed not only to PR by more than 8min but also achieve a negative split, the runners' grail.

Breaking 3h took me some time to achieve it and once I hit that goal, I felt a void shortly after as can be seen on my results. This was shortly before Covid hit with all the lock downs. Running was hard, and when I reached my 3 hour goal, I lost my reason for running.

The next steps on the Journey

Today, I try to not to chase a goal but aim for the process. I enjoy training as much as I enjoy finishing a race—just like climbing a mountain, where we spend more time getting to the top than staying on the peak. I no longer have specific goals but rather long term plans that allow me to keep motivated and avoid the “what’s next?” type of situation.

I am also busy running my own agency, Skief Labs. It’s an outbound marketing agency where we help B2B companies engage proactively with their prospective customers through multichannel campaigns. Having my own company allows me to be flexible and define my own schedule. When training for marathons, it usually takes me between 7-10h weekly, so being able to train when I want or can is important.

I’m married and have two daughters, we moved back to France in 2023 after spending 6 years in Miami. Training for marathons while having kids is challenging, but it’s becoming a little easier as they grow and become more independent and require less support.

Balancing running with parenthood and a bustling career hasn’t been easy, but it brings unexpected benefits. The solitude of long runs provides valuable time for introspection, aiding my decision-making in business and contributing significantly to my personal growth.

As I head into the New Year of 2024, and start this newsletter about my running journey, it helps to remind myself of what I have accomplished, and how I have replenished and recharged during the process, especially as I begin this next season of training: mentally as well as physically—for the marathons I will continue running, and my journey to becoming more environmentally responsible as I run these races.

"Resilience is not about how you endure. It’s about how you recharge.”— Steve Magness, Do Hard Things

To me, this quote encapsulates the essence of resilience. It emphasizes the importance of recovery and renewal in the face of challenges. Understanding the balance between pushing limits and taking time to recharge has been crucial in both my athletic and business endeavours. This quote has guided my pursuit of sustainability. It reinforces that true resilience comes from bouncing back and growing stronger from experiences.