I Heart Running!

You’re reading this and if we’ve met in person before or you follow my social media, your response is… “Yah no Duh”. Sorry not sorry!

But I want to tell you why, and I want you to look into your own life and the world around you and find that thing you love.

RUNNING SAVED MY LIFE

I started physically training at 27, I wanted to get in shape and not be that frumpy dad I was afraid I might become if I kept the lifestyle I was living. Then we bought our second house when I was 32, we had to save some money so “Goodbye” gym membership, such is life, we all have to give things up. That’s when I said to myself “Well I guess I can try running outside for something to do.” The first few years it was a thing to do, it was not a love, it was exercise, and I was mostly alone in my endeavors.

Cut to 2018, I’ve done the 5k’s, and the 10k’s but not much else, I was back in the gym and running became my warm up, (and intense warm up but still a warm up) and I didn’t really think about racing. And then I lost my Uncle, tragically he took his own life, my family, my Dad, was hit hard, devastated, and it scared the hell out of me. I’ve since learned of some of the mental health struggles he dealt with and they were not far from my own, if not more intense. I understood his choice, as severe as it was.

A bit about my Uncle from my POV.

Dude was weird! But in that fun funky, insane kind of way. I never got to know him well, mostly at Christmas in the last 10 years before he passed, an adult relationship, living across the country, we never really saw him as kids. But the one thing I know and hold dear, was that he was a RUNNER! Like I’m still trying to aspire to do what he has done kind of runner, TORONTO, VANCOUVER, NEW YORK… BOSTON kid of Runner. As a kid and teen, that sounded insane and well, not for me. Since his passing… GOALS!

I’ve had my share of ups and downs with mental health, we all do, knowing I wasn’t alone within my own family helped. 2019 there was a local race in support of mental health… my first actual race! It was a no brainer!

Run for myself, run for my uncle!

I did well, like top 10 overall kind of good. I was proud! I was in love with running, I signed up for for my first half marathon a few months later. And then a Global Pandemic.

And then like many of us during it, more mental health struggles

and then MORE AND MORE AND MORE RUNNING!

Running saved my life, each run was a therapy session. Some runs I would run and think and think and process. Some runs I would run until I couldn’t think. Some runs I would focus on my music so I didn’t have to think. And then as time went on running just became running. It had helped me (along with some amazing runs with amazing friends) empty out the mental tank. Running became fun for me, it made me happy, I fell in love.

I guess, since then, within my social circle I’ve become “the run guy”, it’s like being vegan or Metallica fan, you’ll know even though you didn’t ask, runners I’ve learned are like that. Thankfully I have other runners in my social circle, soooo we find each other. It’s fun and well you know what I’m proud and I want you to know because I want YOU to be proud of your accomplishments that others find hard.

It’s why I run Play Fitness, because I found my love, I’ve found my Pride and I want you to do the same. I want you do find that something physically that you can grasp on to the way I have with running. If you fall in love with a support it is all you will want to do, you will think about it, plan your life around it and talk at nauseum about it! And you won’t care because you love it!

What I hope it does for you is inspire others with it! In the past year that has been why I love running, talking about it, sharing it and teaching it has made me fall in love with running 1000% more. I spend my Mondays and Tuesdays alone on the street, the next 2 with one of my best friends, and then a second run with my girls on Thursday nights, Fridays are for me again and well the weekend anything goes, wrapping it up with my Run club girls again, it makes me so happy!

I F*@king Heart Running! And so can you!