1. What do you like best in running and what is your pet peeve?

I’m really fond of the freedom running provides: you choose where and when to train. Thanks to this freedom I can always alter my plans. One thing I don’t like is running in Wroclaw in winter. We have a huge problem with air pollution here due to the fact that a lot of old buildings still have chimneys installed, and not everyone uses good, ecological materials to heat their homes. Hence the pollution, and it’s neither pleasant nor healthy to run on days when the air is that bad, so I have to go to the gym and run indoors.

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2. What would ideal running/racing conditions look like to you?

 Sunny weather, 15 degrees Celsius and no wind — perfect!

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3. What running dream do you have? If you had everything you needed, what would be the wildest, most impossible dream?

I want to run the London marathon. And if I had to choose a more realistic dream, I’d like to participate in an ultra marathon.

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4. Tell about the toughest training you had. What was the outcome? And what was the most valuable takeaway?

35 degrees Celsius and 40 km ahead of me. The takeaway is that it’s not always a good idea to follow your plan to a 100% and achieve the goal no matter what it takes.

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5. What body part would you name that would be the most important when it comes to running? What body part you're most thankful to?

When it comes to long distance running, the head is the most important body part. It’s our mind that processes our sensations and plans further effort. Thanks to this we can overcome the next big step and plan our activity well.

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6. Did you do sports when you were a child? Was running among the activities you were fond of? If not, why did you eventually decide to start running and when did that happen?

I did kayaking, and running was part of that training. However, then I put the training on pause for 12 years and returned to sports activities when I realized I needed to lose weight and change my lifestyle.

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7. What do you feel when you're at the start line and when you've just crossed the finish line? What is essential for you to have when you're about to run a race and what do you usually do after you've run it?

I often feel nervous, but it’s not a paralyzing nervousness. It’s more like willing to start moving and be part of the running crowd. My feelings when I finish the race largely depend on the end result: there’s a wide range of emotions that I may experience then. But I always try to join my family as soon as possible.

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8. Was there something that changed in your views on running since you started?

I definitely became fond of the spirit of competition, I especially like to compete against myself. In the beginning I didn’t see much sense in races.

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9. What goal that you set to achieve in the beginning of your running journey now seems to be something that's too ambitious or maybe even impossible to do?

I know that I’m capable of much more than I thought I could be. And this is what supports me. I also became vegan because of ethical reasons, and this diet goes with my running.

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10. What goal do you have now?

This year my goal is to run a marathon faster than 2 hrs 40 mins. I will try to accomplish this on April, 15 in Gdansk. Apart from this I plan to finish a few trail ultra marathons (71 and 53 km).

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