Holding Focus

Daily miles: 31.76 | Total miles: 11,669.86

The usual routine this morning, with extra attention on preparing for the cold. I stepped outside right around freezing temperatures—dry, calm, and quiet. The sun was just rising as I left Martino, and almost immediately I found myself on the parallel road to the highway, sharing it with heavy traffic.

Due to the ongoing tractor protests, major access points to the highway toward Athens are closed. As a result, countless trucks are being diverted onto smaller roads—onto the very road I was running on. Much of it is narrow, so today I ran facing the traffic. Many truck drivers honked, some clearly not amused by a runner in their way. I can imagine they’re already stressed by the detours, and I was just one more complication on their route. So it became a mental game: stay focused, stay calm, and jump off the road whenever necessary.

From the parallel road, I could see the tractors lined up on the highway, along with police cars making sure no vehicles entered closed sections. This disruption has been going on for weeks now and is clearly affecting the main transit routes across Greece.

Eventually, I had to turn inland, leaving the highway behind and crossing onto an alternative road. What should have been a quiet side road had effectively become a major artery, and running there was exhausting—not just physically, but also mentally. My face probably showed exactly how I felt: tense, alert, overstimulated.

Once I crossed over to the road that would take me all the way to Thiva, my sister was waiting at the corner. Instant relief. I had a tea, a small snack, and—most importantly—a moment to sit without dodging traffic. Just breathing.

I hoped the next stretch would be easier, maybe wider, with a shoulder. It wasn’t. Mama mia. For the next three miles, it was pure concentration: don’t trip, don’t drift, don’t fall—just move forward through wind and heavy traffic. Eventually, the road widened and a shoulder appeared. Or rather, what looked like a shoulder. In reality, drivers used it as an extra lane. What was officially a two-lane road functioned like four—two lanes in each direction. So I ran straight toward oncoming traffic for miles, trusting that vehicles would go around me.

The final stretch into town offered no shoulder again. Trucks everywhere. I walked the last mile and a half, grateful to slow down and finally arrive.

Reaching the parking lot where my sister was waiting felt like a deep exhale. We went grocery shopping together, and now she’s cooking risotto and a Greek salad while I sit in a café nearby—completely smoky inside, like stepping back in time. I’m charging my devices, writing this, and in a few minutes heading back for dinner.

At least today was a few degrees warmer, and that made a real difference.

Thanks for checking in.

Take care and see you tomorrow, Andrea