I came across an article on the Runner’s World website. It’s an inspirational tale about a man who took his passion for running and made something amazing out of it. The article is here – Home Run.
My favorite passage is this one -
But frankly, it was the promise of free running apparel that sparked interest.
“I needed sneakers,” Kelly says. “I said I didn’t think I could compete, but Brent said ‘Come. Walk if you want.’” When she first started her half-marathon training, Kelly was still abusing drugs and alcohol. But she found her old habits didn’t mix well with her new lifestyle. She’s now sober, working as a dental assistant, and as serious about attending Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings as she is about getting in her daily miles. “In an addict’s brain, the urge to use is always there,” Kelly says. “When something doesn’t go right, you want to find drugs or have a drink. Now when I get steamed, I run.”
The healing that people are capable of when they take action and open themselves up to knew ways of thinking amazes me. In my own journey of coming down from a weight of 396 pounds, I have often struggled with being trapped in the walls of my own thinking. The ability to look outside of my assumptions of “how reality is” is a hard one to develop and use. Day by day I have to rededicate myself to that task. And, every day I remember to practice it, and be open to possibilities, my life improves.
My hat is off to Brent Ion. And, damn it, now I want to start running again.
