Actually being there

2 min read

Date: September 28, 2026

I ran Copenhagen staring at my watch. I missed the race for 10 kilometers.

I had a goal: break 1:50. So for the first few kilometers I was glued to the pace, the minutes, and whether I was doing the math right.

5:10. 5:08. Am I on track? How much is left? Do I have margin?

Around km 10 I realized something pretty absurd: I wasn’t enjoying the race. I was running in Copenhagen, in a race I had trained almost two months for, surrounded by thousands of people and running pretty much the pace I wanted.

But I didn’t feel like I was really there.

So I did something that might sound strange: I took my earphones out.

People shouting. Strangers looking straight at me and saying: “Come on Alex, you can do it.” Passing Tivoli, the mascot was there giving high fives. Kids on the side of the road stretching out their hands for a high five.

Suddenly the race stopped feeling like a number I had to chase.

I finished in 1:48. I’m really happy with the time. But when I think about Copenhagen, what I remember most isn’t the watch.

What I remember most is starting to listen to the race.

Lifting my head a little. High-fiving kids I didn’t know. Hearing someone shout my name from the sidewalk. Feeling, finally, that I was there.

And I think that’s what I want to take from that day.

Not to stop having goals. Not to stop wanting things.

But to try not to let all that make me treat the present as if it were only the road to whatever comes next.

Because sometimes the moment we’re waiting for… is already happening.

💬 I’d love to hear your take:

Have you ever been so focused on the goal that you almost missed what was happening around you?

Tell me in the comments or send me a message on social media.

📲 Instagram: @byalexandro__

🌐 More reflections and exercises: https://byalexandro.com/en/posts

Actually being there

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