From November 24th
to December 2nd, 2025
15% OFF in all our experiences
Discount Code: BLACKWEEK15
*Promotion limited to 5 discount codes per experience and
cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.
Trail Talks is a series of conversations with Aire Libre friends about the deeper meaning of movement. For both them and us, running goes far beyond being a sport. It’s a pathway to connection, self-discovery, empowerment, wisdom, and ultimate freedom—an experience that transcends the physical and touches every aspect of life.
Younger, my parents always brought me on the road for summer vacation. We packed the camper, and we were gone. We were always going somewhere new. A bit older, my mother started going south with me every year for the winter break. We took the bus and 36 hours later, I could see palm trees. All those trips give you a taste of exploring, that’s for sure. When I was 23, I had a three-week break from my job. It seemed like a good time to go see what’s out west. I left for my first cross-Canada trip. I was so impressed by the change in the environment and atmosphere rolling through my eyes. I was living.
Back home, I saw an ad in the newspaper. It was a school in my hometown that was offering a course. I would become a professional driver. Five months later, I was leaving for California. Life was bringing me somewhere.
A few years later, I heard about something called “minimalism.” It became like a revelation. I started to sell all my stuff one after the other. Do I really need an apartment if I am always on the road? The idea was to cut expenses so I could travel more.
I was moving a lot geographically. I saw many people driving all around on the road. The good thing about it is that I could make my own schedule. I could take two weeks off every month if I wanted to. I found a balance of working just enough to enjoy more free time. At some point, I just quit and left for a couple of months. I needed it. Work hard, play hard. That was my time to move in another way, to explore further. Running new trails and places on my way became addictive. Doing races all around and signing up on the go is still something I do today.
For me, movement is divided into three parts. Moving geographically, physically, and mentally. Geographically, it is like traveling, going from one place to another. That’s how you get to see different cultures and environments. That’s the door that opens your mind to the world.
Physically is how you move your body to those places. Are you running the streets, cycling those roads, or hiking that mountain? This is how you connect with the environment you’re in. Running the streets of Mexico gives you a cultural scenery while going to the mountains is a way to feel the nature surrounding you. Running is a way to see more in a time-lapse frame. It’s a reason to connect with people. It’s a tool to unlock something more.
The hidden one, mentally. It’s the part that no one sees. Moving mentally is your evolution over time. It’s the way your thoughts evolve based on your past experiences and learning process. It’s how you perceive yourself and the world.
They are all connected, and the goal is to keep a balance between them. Traveling is an opportunity to experience something different. Running gets me to places where I meet new people. Like every trip, there are highs followed by lows. You sometimes get shocked emotionally. That’s when you know you’re growing from the inside.
Living on the go isn’t always pictured with flowers. Sometimes, I feel like I’m losing track of time. There are things that you miss while you’re somewhere else. There are also things you’re grateful to be part of. It’s all about the choices you make. What’s best for yourself? I am the person you don’t see often because I’m always gone. It can be hard to keep up with family and friends. I still do my best. Quality time occasionally makes you appreciate more and gives you a different approach to life and how you connect with people. Sometimes, the timing is right, and you meet an old friend in a different city. This leaves you with priceless memories. Adventures are always calling, so I try to see it in a positive way.
The Aire Libre experiences definitely played a role in my personal growth. It’s all at once, and it’s even more! You travel somewhere with a bunch of people you don’t know to run places you’ve never been, and something unexpected will happen, that’s for sure. You’ll notice at the end. It’s a safe space where you can be yourself. Putting words to your feelings and sharing them at the end of the day is really empowering in your self-discovery process.
On my last travel to Costa Rica, the retreat was the first phase of my whole trip. I planned on staying for two months. That’s where I became a paragliding pilot a little time later. Aire Libre gives me a reason to go somewhere, and then I ask myself: What can I do to experience more of the country afterward and make it profitable? Slow travel, they say. The idea is to travel for longer periods instead of going in and out. I see it in an environmental way. I want to keep moving around, but it can be done somehow that is more sustainable. It also gives me more time to experience and learn about a different part of our earth.
The first thing that comes to my mind is when I was running barefoot on the beach in Costa Rica. I was free. We had a long drive that day, and it was a late afternoon run. The sun wasn’t so much there, and it was cloudy. It seemed to me the perfect time to put the sandals on, lose the hair, and take the shirt off. We’re going to the beach, right? I was jumping in every pothole of water like a child. I felt like nothing could stop me, and oh, I love those feelings. I knew at that time that I was where I needed to be. I was running somewhere new with people I just met days ago. It felt right.
Marc-Olivier Girouard is a runner from Québec, Canada, and he’s one of Aire Libre ambassadors.
Learn more about him and the rest of the crew here: Aire Libre Ambassadors
From November 24th
to December 2nd, 2025
15% OFF in all our experiences
Discount Code: BLACKWEEK15
*Promotion limited to 5 discount codes per experience and
cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.
From November 25
to December 2nd, 2024
15% OFF in all our experiences
Discount Code: ALBLACKWEEK
*Promotion limited to 5 discount codes per experience and
cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.
Compártenos cualquier duda o pensamiento sobre la experiencia. Queremos que vivas la mejor experiencia con nosotros, así que te contestaremos lo más pronto posible.
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