“A sound mind in a sound body.” Who has never heard this phrase? It seems so true to me... I admit that when I was little, I never quite understood it, but now I’m sure: mind and body are always connected. As you would expect, this hypothesis also holds true in sport; in fact, it is clearly evident. I could prove it to you myself, but David Bueno, the protagonist of this article, does it better.
He is an industrial engineer and a “sports nut.” That is how he introduces himself when I ask him to tell me about himself. He lives in Gavà, is thirty-four years old, and has practiced so many sports that he makes me feel as though I’m wasting my time. Basketball until he was twenty-five, padel, mountain and road cycling, running, salsa, bachata, rumba, Afro dance… He has completed duathlons and a few triathlons, and his goal for next year is to do an Ironman. For the uninitiated (like me), an Ironman is a triathlon consisting of 3.8 kilometers of open-water swimming, 180 kilometers of road cycling, and a 42-kilometer run. All to be completed within a maximum of 17 hours. Nothing much.
Physical challenges lasting as long as the ones David takes on make me think about endurance. How does the body cope? “There’s a very solid foundation, which is training. Without training—and without the right mindset—you can’t achieve these things.” Fair enough. He assures me that it also has to do with the goal you set for yourself and the commitment you have to that goal. This line particularly resonates with me. Like everything in life, I think, even if it is hard to admit. And he continues: “You can’t compare yourself with elite athletes; for me, it’s a hobby. But in the end, we always give it our all. We approach it as if we were professionals.” Well, now you know the secret.
The mind, clearly, is an essential driving force. “The excitement of achieving these challenges is what pushes me to prepare for them day after day.” But how long does this preparation take? David tells me that he usually starts four or five months in advance, depending on the competition. Wow, almost half a year. That is a lot of advance planning. “It’s complicated,” he admits, but he remains committed, driven by that excitement. “It’s what makes you train harder and better.”
Another point to consider with competitions like these is the individuality they involve. In my case (as the writer), sharing sport with a team is what motivates me most to take part. Even so, listening to him, I understand that everything has its advantages. “It’s you with the bike, you with your feet, you with the sea. It’s personal growth, and it depends exclusively on you.” And this naturally gives him a “sense of fulfillment” in himself which, unless I’m mistaken, makes all the preparation worthwhile. “It’s a situation proportional to what you are capable of facing.”
David tells me that he has learned to clear his mind, and I ask whether he would compare it to meditation. “Of course.” He says that sometimes he can spend hours and hours on his bike without realizing that time has passed. This does not mean that he never has intrusive thoughts. During long races in extreme weather conditions, for example, and while alone, his mind questions what he is doing there “when I could be at home, relaxing.”
But sport makes him happy. “For me, it’s the push; it gives me energy for everyday life. Without sport, I wouldn’t be able to give 100% at work or in my social relationships.” I completely understand his obsession when he adds that competitions are not the only thing driving him to lead this lifestyle; rather, it is everything surrounding sport. His friendships, for example, with the people he goes on rides with, shares ambitions and routines with, and organizes new challenges alongside.
All right. Let’s get to the point. He uses Salssa pouches. “And the truth is, what I like most is how easy they are to consume. They go down really well, and at those moments when you can’t get anything solid into your mouth, these gels are incredible.” We don’t want to flatter ourselves too much, but we love confirming that the pouches work. “The flavor is really good,” he says, “and the size—especially for cyclists, since we have to carry things on our backs.” Oh, and their natural ingredients. David used to have stomach problems, which would flare up after consuming the same gels during long races. Not anymore.
And that’s it—I’m off. Trust Salssa, but above all, trust in sport. And if anyone is still looking for reasons to take the plunge, listen to David: “You can start for your health, but let it bring you happiness.”
