The Industry Bug
We are sold a false binary choice.
The corporate world tells you: "To be a C-Level executive or a Top Tier Tech Lead, you must sacrifice your health. Stress is the price of admission."
The fitness world tells you: "To look like an athlete, you must live in the gym. It’s a young man’s game."
The modern world tells you: "To be a present father, you must lower your professional ambition."
I call this The Average Trade-off. It is a bug in the system. And for years, I believed it.
The "Legacy Code" Crisis
I’m Pablo. 15 years ago, I was successful on paper but failing in biology. I held Senior SAP roles and had a good salary, but my internal system was crashing.
High stress, bad food choices and occasional drinker.
Low energy.
Operating on "Legacy Software."
I realized that if I continued on that path, I would become obsolete. Not just professionally (replaced by younger, hungrier talent or AI), but biologically.
The Refactoring
Today, at 40+, things look different.
I have run 19 Marathons (aiming for Boston and the Abbott World Majors).
I lead global SAP technical teams.
I am raising two children (Max and Mía) to be resilient humans.
I didn't find "balance." Balance is static. I found Architecture. I decided to treat my life like a mission-critical system.
The Core Philosophy: The Full-Stack Human
Just like in software architecture, you cannot sustain a high-performance frontend if your backend is rotten.
1. The Backend (Biological Power) Functional longevity. The ability to endure. Running a marathon is not a hobby for me; it is Proof of Work. In an age where AI can generate code and essays, physical effort is the only thing that cannot be faked.
2. The Frontend (Cognitive Output) Deep Work, SAP Mastery, and AI Adoption. We refuse the "Vegetalization" of the mind (as philosopher Éric Sadin warns). We use technology; we don't let it use us.
3. The Database (Legacy) This is about my kids. One day, they will ask: "Dad, how did you do it?" I want to show them that "I don't have time" is a decision, not a destiny. I want to leave them a manual, not just memories.
Why "Above Average"?
Because "Average" is currently:
Sedentary.
Distracted by algorithms.
Anxious.
Obsolete by 50.
The default state for most of the people.
Above Average is the resistance.
It’s easier than ever to achieve it.
This site is the documentation of my Operating System. Here, I share the engineering protocols, the training blocks, and the mental models I use to maintain high performance across all three layers.
I chose AND, not OR. Welcome to the resistance.
Pablo Marichal Tech Lead | 19x Marathoner