What happens with Greece?

When I think of Greece, I think of a country that is the cradle of our civilization. Names like Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Alexander the Great, Zeno of Elea, Parmenides…, great buildings as the Parthenon, the white marble, the Doric and Ionic art… come to my mind when I go back in time and I remember all I learnt when I studied at school. Greece, Athens once ruled the world and WAS the epicenter of all cultures. I have a lot of respect for Greece for what they represented and I really don’t understand what has happened in these years. 

Sometimes I try to think how those people should have lived and I imagine some great thinkers, persons who had some of the best capacities you could think of… I honestly would pay to go back in time and be with them. I think it would be a great experience. Have the opportunity to be with this top persons would be incredible. Maybe that is the reason I have always wanted to go to Athens. I am sure I would enjoy it a lot because it is part of our history and because there are a lot of things that are familiar.

Spanish history and culture are in debt with Athens and Rome. Probably, what we have become with the years is due to the entire heritage we have received of, probably, two of the greatest cultures we have had a long history. In a way, we are son and daughters of those Greeks that ruled the world.



However, it looks like Greece has lost all the magic and that the spirit of those great human beings has vanished. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, they have suffered some of the worst crisis in the last years and after paying many of their debts it looks like Germany is trying to get rid of them. I think it is a shame that such a great culture has arrived to this point, but I imagine they have committed some big mistakes that have derived in the actual situation.




Now, the great hope of the country is a party called Syriza, who’s leader Alexis Tsipras wants to change everything and fix Greece. If all these philosophers, thinkers, warriors were able to see how is their country now I am sure they would prefer to go back to their graves. Maybe all the Greek citizens should try to recover some of the spirit of those great human beings and follow their example to make their country a better place to live. I honestly hope they find a solution for their actual situation and they recover part of their tradition and history.

Personal best!

Last Sunday I ran my first race of 2015. As I have done for the past years, I started the year running the Cursa of Sant Antoni. I will say it was my first race since I took running as a serious activity. I remember that the first time I didn’t know where to put the chip and I didn’t get the official time. It was a mistake I have never repeated again.

I was very confident to perform well, because I felt fit. On previous races I had improved my marks and during my training I felt very comfortable. The only thing that worried me was that the night before I went late to bed because of work and I didn’t get enough rest as I should have. However, everything turned out quite well.

Even though every year there are more participants in the race, I was lucky enough to start in the third box. It was very good for me because I didn’t have many people in front and I didn’t have to spend the first minutes avoiding other runners. I think this one was one of the clues for my performance.

My last race with this running shoes

  

I started very well and during the first kilometers I went at a good pace. So good that, for first the time, I past the five kilometer point in less than 22 minutes. I felt so strong then, that I even thought it would be possible to go under 44 minutes. However, the second part of the race didn’t go so well and I started to realize my margin was decreasing, and then tried to reach the finish under 45'.

Despite it didn’t go so well, I was able to keep a good pace and complete the second part in 22.36; that is very good for me. I have to admit that I was really happy when I finished the race because everything turned out very well and I was able to improve my mark. Now in my mind I have the aim to finish under 1h 40 min in the half marathon of Barcelona. Nearly a month to finish my training and arrive in the best conditions.

One match

The Cup is, probably, the most interesting tournament and the most exciting one. In the League there are only two teams that can win the title every year Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Atlético did a great effort last season but it will be a dream for them to win it again. And Atlético is a team that has the possibility of signing good players…You can imagine what chances stand for clubs like Córdoba, Levante or Espanyol.

The Cup is the tournament the other 18 teams think can win. It is not easy but each of them has a little option even though in the recent years R. Madrid and FC Barcelona have shown more interest in the tournament and it looks that the proper Spanish Federation prefers to have them in the final that any other team. However, I think the Cup is a tournament really interesting but IT could be even more if we took example from other countries.

 In Spain once the teams of the first division start playing all draws have two matches. This is a real bad decision from the Federation. It is impossible for most teams to win in two matches R. Madrid o FC Barcelona. I understand that teams of the Second Division B  are happy when they have to play against them because they will enjoy a full gate, but in the other hand they don’t have any options. This year, for example, all the teams that have qualified for the 4th round are from the First Division.

A few years they tried to copy the English model with only one match per draw. I think it is better for everyone: more surprising defeats, more opportunities for the other teams… However, the two big teams of our league suffered many defeats and some people say that they asked to go back to the two matches per draw. I honestly think it is a big mistake.

In most sports, the Cup it is the most exciting tournament in the year. In football the only hope is to see if R. Madrid and FC Barcelona are in the same part of the table. If they are, a third team will have an option to qualify to the final. If not, it will probably be a R. Madrid – FC Barcelona match. I am not saying that with a tournament played the English way a Third Division will win the Cup, but I am sure that the football fans will enjoy more a tournament that in the past years has been pretty predictable.