10 years later - still the same willpower

What has your recovery training looked like?

I’ve been training hard with a personalized program designed by Olympic runner Sergio Heredia, which includes three gym sessions per week. At first, working out in a regular gym—not one specifically for disabled people—was a big challenge. But thanks to a lot of persistence, and the patience of the other members, I learned to use all the machines safely.

You have both the Walker and the Veloped. When do you use the Walker?

To get to the gym and move around inside, I rely on the Trionic (four-wheeled) Walker. Its stability and compact size make it ideal for navigating between workout machines. Plus, its sporty design makes me feel proud rather than self-conscious about using a walking aid.

Being a consistent gym-goer hasn’t just improved my walking—it’s made everyday life easier too.

When do you use the Veloped in your recovery?

Of the four remaining days in the week, I dedicate three to actual running… well “walking fast.” For these outings, I’ve come to fully trust the Veloped, and now it’s hard to imagine using a regular walker. In my first two 5 km races, I had both front wheels set on the ground. Even though turning was difficult, the main challenge turned out to be that city streets are slightly humped in the middle to allow rain runoff. This made it very difficult to keep the Veloped moving in a straight line without drifting towards the sidewalks.

For the half marathon, I put the Veloped in the setting that has one front wheel on the ground and the other in the air. To add a bit more stability, I also used the front off-road wheels. It went great but unfortunately my pace was too slow for this event and they made me quit. We were on some of Barcelona’s busiest streets and they were closed to traffic, the police were in charge of reopening them once the runners passed. After 6 km, I was told my pace was too slow, and they had to return the roads to their normal state. In a way, I was forced to quit—I would have kept going, but I simply couldn’t move any faster, so I had no choice but to step aside.

I realize that at this stage the most reasonable thing would be to accept that I will never be able to run again and give up—but I refuse to. I'm going to keep training and do the same races next year, and if necessary, the year after that, until I am able to run again.