From an early age we manifest personal preferences and tastes regarding the performance of sporting activities or not. The passion for sports is discovered at an early age and you already imagine champions of some discipline.
Receive a medal, get on the podium ... Some are brought, others less.
The right sport is not always found immediately; someone needs years and many registrations to various activities before being able to find the right way.
Massimiliano Di Gioia, it was not so. Born in 1979, registered for theAthletics Giò 22 Rivera and in love with ran in the mountains, the Turin athlete told himself in this short exclusive interview on how he was a sporty child!
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Hi Max! A pleasure to have you here with us. Can you tell us where your passion for mountain racing comes from?
Hello guys! My pleasure!
So, I practice or rather I have practiced competitive sports such as road and mountain running.
My passion for running was born as a child, since when I ran I never got tired.
And then I liked running, I always wanted to take my stamina to excellent levels.
And what are the races you are closest to?
I have won a few races on both the regional and national circuits, but perhaps the one to which my name is linked is the 4000 steps of Fenestrelle.
I did my best performances without ever winning, that is, placing 3rd at the Stellina, which is an international mountain running race and 4th at the Moleson in Switzerland in 2013.
Just in that year I managed to snatch a 10th place from the Italian mountain running championships in Brentonico.
Other very nice races that I did with an excellent result are: 5th place at the 2011DR in Turin with a time 31 and 36 and the Vertical of Monviso 2011. 
Great results! Can you tell us how you organize yourself for training?
I have been working for 13 years as a worker for a company that has several jobs around Europe, so I'm always around.
Unfortunately I always run alone and I take the time to complete my workouts every day.
Once I was able to lap and run in the morning. It is impossible for me now. I no longer have the determination and anger I used to be.
I no longer have important goals so I run and I also do the work of others!
And is there a difference between the IN / OFF season workouts?
My training varies greatly from season to season.
But in summary:
In winter: spinning morning and Corsican evening. I usually do 3 sessions a week which involve going uphill from 15 seconds to two minutes.
The weather increases according to the season. The hotter it is, the higher the climbs
In spring and autumn repeated normal with recovery from standstill.
And in the summer repeated short…. one climb a week and when I can I go out on a racing bike ...
I also try to upgrade the core 2 or 3 times a week.
And how mountain running connects you to CrossFit®?
In the winter I do a lot of circuit strengthening and I stay very active thanks to CrossFit®.
It helps me and motivates me a lot to face the day's training as the legendary WOD for me is an aerobic and force crazy muscle.
How do you manage nutrition and integration in important periods?
I make no distinction, for nutrition I try to eat properly.
I follow a classic Mediterranean diet where I control myself a lot.
As a supplement I always use only branched amino acids after training.
Head and sport, what does it represent for you?
I think the head does a lot. For example, I self-motivate, my motto is to always give my best!
I have never been able to handle the moments of discouragement caused by injuries, while if it came from a competition, I tried to always look at the glass half full.
This was because I was sure that in the race I had given my best.
Accidents are impossible to manage mentally at the beginning, however I found several alternatives, such as the bike, which always keep me in shape.