The interview is held on Monday afternoon in Barcelona, at the PSC headquarters. We have met to talk about athletics. Tomorrow, Sunday, Salvador Illa (56) is going to compete in the first marathon of his life: he will do it in Valencia.
I ask him:
–Are you nervous?
Salvador Illa takes a sip of the tea, raises an eyebrow and smiles:
-Nervous, no. It was worse to go to debate in the Congress of Deputies. What I am is excited.
He shows me his sneakers, a Hoka One with a carbon fiber sole. She says that she has others for jogging in the mountains, more suitable for the dirt. He says that his shoes always travel with him. His escort, Jordi Pérez, accompanies us during the talk. Jordi Pérez and their coach, Abel García (councilor in Berga), will jog with Salvador Illa in Valencia.
Do you also run when you go on a trip?
Those are the best trots! Hotels are usually close to parks. I have run through the central park in Brussels and along the seafront in Cádiz. In Madrid, in El Retiro. In La Coruña, in Asturias...
You should know that I have interviewed Eliud Kipchoge on several occasions. He is the best marathon runner in history.
Your story and mine are different.
Since when do you run?
I did it again in 2018, after quitting. What happens is that then the pandemic came: as Minister of Health I had to interrupt the races. Then that ended and in February 2021, after the Catalan electoral campaign, I got serious about running.
And what he did?
Abel prepared a weekly schedule for me, a program with long runs, loads and unloads. I run four days a week, five in the loading weeks. I do series, intervals, shoots and, on the weekend, long runs. In January 2020 he was already running the Granollers half marathon (1h50m; his best time is 1h42m).
Your favorite workout...
I warm up for a kilometer in about 5m40s. And then, three runs of 5,000m at 5m10s every kilometer, with a two-minute rest.
And where does he run?
Normally, by La Roca del Vallès.
(That's where he resides. He tells me he usually goes jogging before the day starts, often around 5 in the morning.)
And how many hours do you sleep?
I try not to go to bed late. If it doesn't play, I don't usually dine out.
But if he gets up at four...
I don't take naps, although I do take a short break in an armchair. I normally get around six hours of sleep a day. And the weekends give me a little more.
He told me that you had run before, when you were young.
It is true, although he had had to leave it because of tendinitis. So she didn't have much method. Now yes.
And why does he run and not swim, or pedal, or try paddle tennis?
With no other physical exercise you burn so many calories in so little time. Running is flexible and adapts to my work characteristics. Swimming, for example, would subject me to some facilities and a schedule.
(He tells me that he respects rhythms and breaks, because a phrase stuck in his mind: "resting is training." He says he doesn't diet but he does go to the physio and pass stress tests. He tries to avoid higher pulses. He doesn't usually exceed 140 beats per minute).
What does running give you?
I'm doing well physically but above all, psychologically. It relaxes me.
Have you solved problems while running?
enough. Running relieves me of pressure and worries.
Running, have you resolved negotiations?
Not quite like that. But I have received calls while running. If I wear headphones, I answer them. I understand that it may be something urgent.
Do you wear helmets? What do you hear?
I don't take music. If so, some podcast. At the weekends I listen to Xavi Bundó (Rac1), or SER, or Catalunya Informació... Although during that time I try to disconnect.
Is running a fashion?
If it is, it's good fashion. Because sedentary lifestyle grows.
You believe? There are more and more runners...
Mobile devices stress. We spend more and more time sitting at work. Now we don't even walk. People go on skateboards. Luckily, we are becoming aware of how good running is.
(When I ask him what he expects from the Valencia marathon, he says: 'finish it'. If I scratch more, he confesses: 'I would like to record 3h45m. But don't push me...').
