ASICS FrontRunner: Sara Brambilla, running in time of freedom

How long has sports been a part of your life?
When I was one year old, my parents took me and Cristina, my twin sister, to water aerobics and from that moment I never stopped playing sports. At the age of 9, I donned the Karate-gi and fought on the tatami until I became pregnant. At school, the subject I enjoyed the most was physical education, in fact I participated in all the cross-country, youth games, archery competitions and anything sporty that could be done. I loved sharing the locker room, wearing sweats, and changing my shoes before going into the gym.

You are many things in life: athlete, mom, osteopath, trainer. What is your philosophy of life? How do you manage to coincide with sports and personal commitments?
I’ll make a premise: you can’t do it all, but wanting is power! It’s important that I have this in mind during the day, because if I don’t have time to train, I don’t train. This makes me live more peacefully with the fact that I have revolutionized, even if only partially, my days after Emma’s birth. Carving out moments for myself is now more difficult, you have to know how to organize yourself very well, even if sometimes it’s not easy to fit everything in. I’m lucky enough to have a husband, who is also a sportsman, who supports me and backs me up when a competitive event is approaching. For competitions we alternate, once he competes and the other time I compete, and in all this Emma is always present! During the week I wear the lab coat to work in the clinic as an osteopath; once I take off the lab coat, I work in the gym to do post-surgery re-education, follow my little men with Parkinson’s disease, people who need to lose weight or the little girl with scoliosis. Then there’s running: the most immediate thing I can do, even if it’s just to carve out time for myself and have fun!

What value of being an athlete would you like to pass on to your children?
I have been taught and passed on the values of commitment, perseverance, respect, the possibility of defeat but also the effort of success. My role as a parent is to accompany my children in the challenges that sport poses. I would let them fight their own battles and gradually teach them how to deal with them.
When I fought I always shook hands with my opponent; the principle is simple: the loser congratulates the winner, the winner acknowledges the efforts of the loser and they wish each other luck!
Being a mom and an athlete is not always easy, but it is wonderful and most of all possible. Having my daughter with me all the time, being able to give her the right attention and at the same time being able to train and compete is exciting. I would like to give her the example of a working mom who is strong and who can do many things.

What does a typical day of yours look like? How do you train?
I wake up at 6:30 a.m. (I most likely didn’t sleep at night, those who have children can understand me), take Emma to daycare and go to work. If I have a lunch break it’s easy: I go for a run! Depending on my work schedule and the time I have available, I organize my workout. If I don’t have a lunch break, I try to carve out a few moments here and there in the day to lift some weights and do some planking. In the evening when I get off work I’m a mom!

What does it mean to you to have become an ASICS FrontRunner? What do you expect from this experience?
I’ve been part of this community for a year and since I received the unexpected call from the Community Manager, Alessia Sergon, I realized that this is not just a group of people who run. But ASICS FrontRunners are a philosophy of life and movement, they are a desire to share, they are different people with different lives and different pasts. Being an ASICS FrontRunner means being an Ambassador of the Brand, but also much more: participating in national and international meetings, meeting top level athletes and experts (such as Stefano Baldini who is always at the forefront of the team), involving as many people as possible in physical activity, participating in races or events together with the other members of the Global team, but also drinking a coffee during the lunch break and having a virtual aperitif through the phone screen. Because we are also this!

How many years have you been trail running and what brought you to this discipline?
I’ve always trekked and I’ve always loved the mountains, but I’ve never considered them for running. Also because I live in the Po Valley and I find it really difficult to reach even the first slopes.
It all started in 2016 when I participated with my friends in a “Spartan Race” in Alleghe/Dolomiti. I had no idea how hard it would be, I didn’t even have a watch on my wrist, I only knew the start time. Unexpectedly, I came in 3rd female! Since that day, I have struggled with running on asphalt.

What do you love most about running in the mountains?
The freedom. The deepest sense of being free takes on an almost sentimental dimension. The time freed from daily commitments is transformed into a time of freedom. When I look at the mountains it’s as if I can feel their feelings inside of me. The rocks, the walls, the vegetation are a work of art. But so is sharing it all with sweat buddies!

What is your favorite shoe for running?
I have to be honest: I don’t have a favorite shoe, because there are three shoes and I can’t choose. ASICS Gel-Trabuco 9, Fujilite 2 and Gel-Fujitrabuco Sky. Another trail running shoe is coming out soon and I can’t wait to try it out! However, it depends on where I’m going to run, what kind of terrain I’m going to find, and the distance I’m going to run; therefore, I’ll opt for a more or less cushioned shoe.

Have you done any other sports in your life besides running?
Absolutely, yes! I’ve done swimming, acrobatics, karate, archery, track and field, and rock climbing, and all of them have made me who I am today.

Do you have any upcoming competitions or particular plans for this 2022?
For this 2022 I’d like to mark a lot of dates in red on the calendar. The Covid-19 pandemic and pregnancy have kept me away from competition for a long time. The pre-race anxiety, the anticipation of the starting gun, sharing and meeting someone along the way, the joy of getting to the finish line and the joy of all getting together for a beer. But my husband and I also feel the need to expand the family and give Emma a little sister or brother. We’ll see how it goes this year. In the meantime, I’m getting ready for the Milano Marathon on April 3 and I’ll be running it with the ASICS FrontRunner team!