Expedition notes 1: Insights while running 400km

This article is in the form of notes. And, like typical taking notes, it might be a bit messy, with short sentences, without a flow. But, it is also the charm of the notes. They have a kind of potential to be extended and expanded into new meaningful, and structured pieces.

So, let's begin.

You can’t explain everything in life. And my decision to get into this expedition is one of them. I’m running from Belgrade, Serbia, to Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro. The journey covers approximately 440km in stages, and I will do it self-supported (well, at least in the sense that I don’t have a supporting crew).

This adventure is also a pilgrimage. But the latter should be taken broadly, in the sense of the path. Though it has a religious aspect, as the final destination is the Orthodox monastery, there are other elements of pilgrimage, such as enjoy of being alive through movement, pursuing the presence at the moment, the practice of boldness, nurturing curiosity, and finding your self, …, to name a few that first come to my mind. It is a blend of all these aspects that form a pilgrimage. Well, at least in the case of this venture. And in the language of my previous articles, these aspects are interrelated into the whole experience, creating a multidimensional state of mind. I can't imagine any of these aspects separately without considering the others. And since thinking comes before language, it is rather challenging to explain each aspect, put them into the context of pursuit, and integrate them into the wholeness of experience.

On the other hand, I faced many challenges before starting the expedition: planning the route, booking accommodations, planning training sessions with my coach, and adapting the whole organism, like muscles, digestion, and mind, to the discomfort of emerging situations. From previous travels, I learned that when you are in a new place, make it your home, like in the phrase 'home is where you are.'

Finally, it turns out that this short reconstruction displays some of the versatile outcomes of one unexplainable decision.