from the first run to the launch of a corporate running club
No matter how driving the tasks in IT, almost every brilliant idea is the result of many hours of intellectual work in the shrimp position. Therefore, sports communities today are an obligatory part of every IT company that respects itself and its employees. According to the results of a recent research Geekbrains, in Russia, 45% of IT specialists choose sports as a hobby.
Let's talk about the culture of running – an activity that Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk and Steve Ballmer choose. Incidentally, at the end of last year, scientists from the University of Amsterdam found out, that the impact of running on the human psyche is comparable to the effect of taking antidepressants. At the same time, the participants in the experiment who were jogging lost weight, their blood pressure and heart rate improved, while the same indicators in the participants taking the drugs worsened.
At Factory5, our running culture is developed by the head of the infrastructure department, Alexander Provotorov. Last year he ran a solo marathon, covering 560 km from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. We talked with him about how running affects efficiency at work, why sports communities are needed in IT companies, and how to properly integrate jogging and marathons into your work & life balance.
Running for everyone
According to one studylast year 96% of IT specialists in Russia faced burnout. The longer the work experience, the higher the risk of burnout. And running is natural endorphins, the most natural movement of a person in space since the Stone Age. Systematic training and competent planning of work time allow you to unload, relieve stress, and recharge with joy both before work and after a busy day.
Running helps to cope with a number of negative emotions, so you can increasingly see people jogging on the streets – it has become not even fashion, but part of the culture of our cities. By the way, representatives of many professions associated with technical skills and algorithmic thinking love running, cycling, swimming, football, and outdoor team games.
Contrary to some misconceptions, anyone with healthy legs can run. It’s not necessarily a marathon: two or three kilometers is enough, then more. Sooner or later you will definitely want to overcome your first “ten”.
I myself, like Ilya Muromets, “sat on the stove” for 33 years 🙂 I came to running very late, but not without a sports background. Before that, I was involved in strength sports: kettlebells, weightlifting, for some time – arm and freestyle wrestling, then I switched to team games, played football, was lucky enough to even win a few cups. I took part in the corporate team of RZD Logistics in an international tournament, the OTLC Cup. Initially, I went as a reserve goalkeeper, but during the tournament I stood for all the matches as the main goalkeeper. Football is very traumatic, and at some point the boots were hung up, and out of boredom and lack of endorphins I went headlong into running. It was a quiet hobby, for myself, to keep in shape, at work then few people knew that I ran.
Over time, I felt my well-being improved and my productivity increased. The usual distances were no longer enough: this is how the transition from sprint distances to stayers began. 21, 42, ultras, superultras, multi-hour races weren’t enough for me… At some point I wanted to run 100 km, and in the end I ran 100 miles at a time. Now there is no such traction; running 10, 12, 15 or 20 km is enough for me to enjoy. During regular training, I try to maintain 8-12 km, alternating speed work with regular low-pulse running.
Launching a running club in an IT company
My story of creating a running club began with memos with proposals to management. I didn’t ask to allocate a budget for slots, equipment, paraphernalia, but I just wanted to unite sports people and go on joint runs. Something like unloading after a working day, team building, sharing experiences, building horizontal connections. I wanted to notify the company that sports-minded, training people now don’t have to travel somewhere far away, but train together near the office. The workouts were tempo – for the experienced, slow – for beginners and getting in shape, and thematic – something like running excursions. At the same time, I communicated with the administration of the park closest to the park office – I asked to provide us with a room for changing clothes and storing things during training. Unfortunately, my idea didn’t go through on the first try.
In the spring of 2022, I ran 128 km from the Kremlin to the Sergiev Posad Lavra along the old trail of St. Sergius of Radonezh, a pilgrimage route. In the office, only the lazy ones did not ask whether I had really covered this distance. And I had evidence – media content, photos and videos, which were edited by one of the participants in our impromptu mini-group. An article was also written and circulated throughout the office.
After this, the second memo about the creation of a running club went into action. There was a newsletter throughout the company, a chat was created, where the first participants were actively added, together with them we worked on a route where you can run beautifully, breathe in the park and green spaces, and not the exhaust fumes of the metropolis. I made an agreement with the Nike center that existed at that time in Gorky Park; we were provided with a room for changing clothes, lockers for storing personal belongings, locked with a key, drinking water, and showers.
A couple of months later, we made our first uniform and became recognizable on the street. I paid special attention to the design, more than 30 layouts were developed before we got a real running uniform. We trained, competed, and in the spring we went to our first relay race, and then we made a splash at the trail running festival in Suzdal, and assembled two teams for the Moscow Marathon. Having gained experience, we went with a large delegation to the anniversary 10th Kazan Marathon.
The global goal of the club is to unite disparate runners so that, regardless of the city or location, every employee feels involved in our sports family.
Balance of work and running
Self-discipline is something that should be part of every runner's life. We always find time for ourselves: to wash our face, brush our teeth, perform hygiene procedures, and go to lunch. So why is it so difficult for us to force ourselves to go out for a 20-30 minute workout? You just need to take it and make it as much a part of your routine as a shower and a cup of coffee in the morning. Running is the most accessible and natural sport.
I work a hybrid schedule, before I had full-time in the office. Now, to do training, I try to come to the office more often. A small bonus: after training there are no more traffic jams, it is convenient to come back home, instead of 2-2.5 hours on the road it takes a little more than an hour. You can stand for an hour in traffic jams or run for health benefits – the choice is obvious.
Now it is fashionable to talk about the balance of work and rest. I believe that for balance, happiness and harmony, a person just needs to do what he loves, and not do what he doesn’t like. And if running doesn’t bring you pleasure, you don’t need to force yourself. There are many alternatives: you can just walk, practice hiking, go hiking, ride a bike, swim, travel, engage in motorsports, and so on. It doesn’t matter what, the main thing is to have fun.
I am skeptical of psychologists, personal growth trainings, coaches, esoteric gurus. According to the Internet, Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, died completely alone. Benjamin Spock, author of the best-selling book “The Child and His Care,” was wanted by his own sons to be sent to a nursing home. Maria Montessori, a famous educator, placed her son in foster care, feeling that her purpose on this earth was to devote herself to other people's children. I believe that there are no universal recipes – everyone must find a balance for themselves.
Running, especially long distances, helps to cope with anxiety, reduce stress. I often invite experts in a particular field to join me for training sessions so that we can chat, share our fears, exchange opinions and stories right during the run. Running alone is the best time to talk to yourself. Running, like time, puts everything in its place.
What about gadgets?
The most important and popular accessory for a runner is a sports watch. Some people only have a heart rate monitor. And some equip themselves with a whole “sports computer”: Garmin, Suunto, Polar, Coros, or famous brands, but with a smaller set of functions – Apple Watch, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi and so on.
I monitor my health closely: I have both chest straps and advanced running performance sensors. I analyze, compose segments, and work out training routes. It’s exciting and allows you to diversify your mental activity, switch from work to immersion in the world of your favorite hobby.
May the cardiologist bless you
Team sports require constant examinations, and in general we are not getting any younger, so regular consultations with doctors are an important part of maintaining strength and youth.
I believe that everyone should definitely undergo honest examinations, from pronation to cardiac examinations. And under no circumstances should you run out of the third heart zone (moderate running intensity) at the initial stages.
Training in this zone is more relevant for athletes specializing in long distances (from 10 km to the marathon), as they correspond to competitive speeds.
No one has yet come up with anything better and more beneficial than aerobic exercise for the heart muscle, so there is no need to create illusions that you will immediately run like Usain Bolt or Eliot Kipchok.
To begin with, it is quite enough to simply go to the park – alone or with your dog, at a comfortable pace to move your legs in the fresh air. Do not immediately start chasing kilometers: you can’t run away from yourself anyway.
