I never ran track or cross country, I played football and basketball growing up. I used to see running as a punishment, something we were forced to do when we messed up. I only understood it as a way to stay in shape for other aspects of life. Today that mentality is gone, in my mind running means so much more, and it is capable of so much more than keeping us in shape.
My paradigm shift didn’t happen overnight, but instead over thousands of miles. I trained for my first 5k when i was 18, at that point I had no idea what I was doing. During college I ran every once in awhile to avoid the freshman 15lb. I began to recognize other benefits in that it helped lower stress and build self-esteem. Needless to say, I ran quite a bit during finals. Running definitely wasn’t easy, but is slowly began to become less difficult. By the time I graduated from College I had established a routine of running about 3-4 times a week. I didn’t mind running anymore but it still didn’t come easy.
I decided to run my first marathon in 2012. I still didn’t know what I was doing but I had trained enough to pull of a 3:12:32. I was proud of my 3:12:32, and that’s all I would have been capable of had I not made a decision to run group in 2014. I had always been a solitary runner, so running with others was something new. Running with a crew at Beyond Running what brought me to another level. Many of them had run track or cross country in college, and they knew how to train. With their insight and encouragement, I trained for the Mini Marathon that October and came in at a solid 1:18:13. I continued through that winter and signed up the 2015 Fargo Marathon. There I came in at 2:36:20, third place overall, and took 35 min off my PR. Since then I have run three other marathons with a personal best of 2:33:00.Today, I genuinely enjoy running. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have logged 9,675 miles from 2015-2017. I have read numerous books, reference multiple training plans, and run dozens of races. I am a nerd who uses his watch to analyze his running dynamics. I even stream all the major marathons.
I get excited when I see someone out running. I know they are simply trying to become a better version themselves. Much of why we run might stem from unfortunate life circumstances, stress, anxiety, or depression. You might even find that how run directly corresponds with what you feel. This is why I am excited to be a trainer. My goals is help others see their potential, not in running but through running.