One of the coolest things about writing this newsletter is hearing from readers far from where I live (in Atlanta, Ga.). It’s just amazing to me to hear that someone in Brazil, or Israel, or Jamaica, or Costa Rica reads it along with us — and I’ve heard from readers in all of those places.

So when a reader named James Hsu shared a comment in a recent post and let me know he lived in China, I knew I’d love to hear his story.

James grew up on Canada’s West Coast but has spent more than a dozen years living in China, where he works in technology by day and gets out to run trails on the weekends, sometimes running as many as 100 kilometers a week.

As impressive as that is, he wasn’t athletic at all growing up; “I was always the C student in gym class,” he says. These are the stories I love to share, because I was like that too, to be honest — I love to see how far we all can come when we try, you know?

Also — please know I’d LOVE to hear your story too, if you’re interested in sharing it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I’m James Hsu. I grew up in Vancouver, Canada on the West Coast, but I have been living in mainland China for the past 14 years. Life and work, in no particular order, has taken me to China and given me some interesting paths along the way. Now I’m based in Shanghai.

I’m turning 44 years old this year, which is pretty wild in some respects. On most days, I feel younger than I actually am! I have to credit running with helping me stay young, or at least feel young.

I’ve worked in the tech industry, in product management roles, for most of my career. Today, I’m a freelancer and entrepreneur focused on helping others achieve their personal and business goals.

My three buckets of work today are creator, trainer and executive coach. Due to my background, I have clients who look to me for insights on how to communicate and work effectively across cultures.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Canadian here, so I’m using kilometers, not miles 😀

My running routine consists of a LOT of low intensity, easy runs. I try to incorporate one tempo or interval workout per week, one long-ish run of 25 kilometers or higher a week, and the rest is easy miles. I tend to run five to six times a week, and my runs typically range from 12 km to 25 km.

All in all, it adds up to about 60 to 80 kilometers a week, on average. On some weeks, when I’m feeling adventurous and strong, I might top out at 100 kilometers. But in recent years, I’ve adopted the mindset of “go one less,” especially if it helps with recovery.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was absolutely NOT athletic. One of my earliest childhood/teenage memories was high school gym class, where our coach gave out grades on a bell curve for completion times — if you were one of the first 3 finishers in a 10 kilometer run, you received an A, if you were in the next 5 finishers, a B, etc. I was always the C student in gym class. Gym class was tough.

For most of high school, I struggled to run six laps around the school track. I mostly played basketball with my friends, or with the kids around the neighborhood. Wasn’t good enough — or fit enough! — to play on the school team, I just enjoyed shooting hoops.

Aside from those memories, I remember bike rides with my dad and brother.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I wish I could say I knew about running as an international sport back then, or was inspired by a certain athlete, but that was not the case. I “found” running by identifying it as an accessible sport that didn’t require a lot of gear or personal investment.

After high school, I was looking to lose weight and gain self-confidence to talk to girls, and figured that running was the easiest way to exercise regularly. I didn’t need a gym membership; all I needed were running shoes and willpower.

I started back in the late 1990s to early 2000s, and had no concept of what running gear was, nor pace, nor the concept of owning a running watch. My earliest runs were entirely based on feel.

What I did find out later, as many runners do, was that the “I can do this” moments came from within. It came from a place of earned self-confidence as we realize that after a slightly longer, harder and/or faster run, we’ve pushed ourselves just a little bit harder... and we’re still standing. Over the years, those gradual moments have been amazing for me.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

First of all, I’m definitely more invested in the sport. I’ll follow the marathon event in the Olympics, the Hakone Ekiden (Japan’s most prestigious relay race, where half-marathon records are unofficially smashed on an annual basis), and even subscribe to a few running-related Substack newsletters.

As far as my own running goes, I’ve been running half-marathons for the past 20 years in a recreational sense. I never ran them with any serious goal or training plan in place; the “goal” was always about completing the races.

It’s only in the past two to three years that I started down the path of running full marathons. I’ve run six marathons since then, all of them in China, and I’m finally at the point where I feel that I can comfortably finish them now. I’m working on getting progressively faster, but at the same time, I’m patient with my process.

That being said, I do have some goals to run farther and faster. Completing a 50K trail race is also one of my goals for 2026.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

These days, I balance running with my freelance work and spending time with my spouse. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to make time in my life for running, due to a flexible work schedule that I’ve designed for myself.

My extended family and relatives are not in Shanghai, and I do make time to visit them throughout the year. Those visits turn into fun opportunities to run in cities that I’m not used to running in — also a fun diversion.

On a personal note, I believe that life is about prioritization and that true balance is impossible. There will be times where I can make more time for running, and times where I can’t, and that’s okay. Over a longer time horizon, I’m happy so long as I can prioritize the things that truly matter to me.

I’ve also struggled at times with finding the true “meaning” in running, but those struggles have allowed me to reflect meaningfully on how important the sport is to me, in the long run (pun intended).

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I’m proud of my consistency and getting myself out the door most days. The consistent slow mileage comes with so many benefits, including the task of staying injury-free.

Consistency, combined with a rational sense of what my abilities are, has helped me run faster than ever in my forties.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

The biggest learning I have about myself, since starting my running journey, is to put the concept of “good things take time” into practice.

There are a lot of cliches in sports, and elsewhere, flying around. Phrases like “trust the process,” “take it one day at a time,” and so forth. Since starting running, however, I’ve found all those phrases to be 100% true!

Running rewards patience over years and decades. It’s humbling as a sport, but also incredibly rewarding so long as you’re willing to stick with it.

To go along with that sentiment, I do feel like I’m a more patient person now. Not only when I’m running, but in general. I feel like I’m not “chasing” things that are realistically out of reach for myself. Running taught me that.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I’d like to get progressively faster over the next five to 10 years, and run some marathons outside of China. Nothing super specific in a quantitative sense, just enjoying the journey and seeing where it takes me.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I’ve definitely had the “runner’s blues” a few times a year, especially after an underwhelming race or tough periods in general. What helps me get back on track is telling myself that running is a privilege, running is a part of what I do, and running is hard work.

There are lots of things in life that we don’t always want to do, but they prove to be beneficial to us in the long run. That being said, incorporating new shoes and workouts tends to be an effective “carrot” for my own self-motivation.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

“Be kinder to yourself, and believe that things will work out. At the same time, you have to make mistakes to learn and grow.”

Maybe a little corny, and I’m not sure 10-year old James would believe all of it, but I’d sure as heck try!

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There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you probably remember me putting out a call last year to share your stories, your personal reflections on the journey of your life and what running has done for you.

The stories you’ve shared ever since have been some of the best pieces I’ve ever published here, and I feel like I’ve gotten to know you on an individual level so much better.

Today, we meet , who I discovered recently on Substack Notes. His amazing photos of his runs throughout the western U.S. where he lives caught my eye, and I’ve just been so intrigued by hearing what it’s like to run through places like those — he brings a sense of adventure and exploration that has been so cool to see.

I know you’ll enjoy hearing Tyson’s story and what inspires him about running, and how it’s changed his life, as much as I did — and seeing all his amazing photos!

This is where I add, please know I’d LOVE to hear your story too, if you’re interested in sharing it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Tyson Baker. I am 33 years old and live in Visalia, California. For those of you who don’t know, that’s basically the middle of California and the gateway to Sequoia National Park.

What do I do? That’s a hard question to answer, but in a nutshell, I chase adventure, which is what eventually led me into trail running.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

My weekly routine is pretty much the same. I don’t live super close to the trails, so most mornings I’m running about 7 miles around town right after I wake up. I usually start the day with coffee in bed, then head out.

When I get home, I work for a couple of hours at my marketing job, answering emails and taking care of whatever needs attention that day. After that, I head out for a second run of around 3 miles.

On a few afternoons or evenings each week, I roll straight into a bar shift at the brewery. On the weekends, I like to get out for longer runs on the trails.

I typically run 6 to 7 days a week, averaging anywhere from 50 to 80 miles, depending on where I’m at in a training block and whether I’m preparing for something big.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Growing up, I wouldn’t say I was an athletic kid, or at least I didn’t think I was. I had more of that ADHD energy and loved being outdoors. I spent a lot of time riding my bike, skateboarding, and I was also in the Boy Scouts, where I was introduced to backpacking and rock climbing at a fairly young age.

In a sense, that’s where athletics first showed up for me, even though I didn’t really view it that way at the time. It was less about sports and more of a lifestyle.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I got into running almost five years ago, during a pretty low point in my life when I was dealing with a lot of mental health stuff. One day I was on YouTube and came across a documentary about the inaugural year of Cocodona 250. It really stuck with me and inspired me to go out for a run.

I remember that single run made me feel so good. It cleared my mind and helped more than I expected. I honestly haven’t stopped running since that day. Running has taught me a lot of valuable lessons and pushed me farther in life than I ever imagined, all with the hope that one day I’ll line up for Cocodona 250.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

Oh yeah, my running has changed a lot. Back then I was really weak, both mentally and physically. I remember thinking three miles was impossible.

Since then I’ve done multiple multi-day runs, and most recently I ran across all of Portugal with friends. Running has become something I’m obsessed with, but in a healthy, mindful way. I’m not really focused on speed, it’s the distance and the terrain that really captures my mind.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Yeah, I’m still young. I’m in my thirties and don’t have kids right now. I do have a wife, and part of learning to run consistently has been figuring out how to balance being a husband, keeping up with chores, managing two jobs, and still carving out time for myself.

Sometimes it’s as simple as just getting out the door, even if it means sacrificing a little rest. But you know, I’m also not perfect and I don’t have this all figured out.

I’m still a runner at the end of the day, with sweaty running clothes sprawled throughout the house like a complete feral animal. Then again, I’m pretty sure all runners are like that. Ask me this again once I have kids, and I’m sure my answer will be completely different.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I’d say running has helped me achieve a kind of mental clarity and perspective that I didn’t have before. When I’m out there on long runs, it’s like the noise of life quiets down, and I can really think or sometimes, not think at all, and just be present.

That sense of calm and focus has been huge for me, and it’s something I carry with me off the trail too. It’s definitely one of the things I’m proud running has given me.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Yeah, this one’s pretty easy for me to answer. Running has helped me build resilience. I used to be pretty weak mentally, dealing with my own mental health struggles, and running taught me that I’m stronger and more resilient than I ever thought.

Honestly, that mental strength and healing is probably one of my biggest accomplishments from running, it’s given me a sense of confidence and endurance in life that I never had before.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

Honestly, Cocodona 250 is kind of the race that inspired me to start, so finishing that one is definitely a goal. Beyond that, I’m drawn to self-supported adventures through the mountains and other personal projects. Running not just for races, but for the challenge, the exploration, and the experiences along the way.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

What keeps me going is motivation in the movement itself, the simple act of getting out the door, even on days I don’t feel like it, or going for a long run when I’m tired. It’s really all about consistency that motivates me. But what drives me most is discovering new terrain.

If running ever starts to feel like it’s taking a toll or getting repetitive, I try to hit new trails or explore different areas. Turning a run into an adventure keeps my mind fresh and motivated.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

That it’s okay to feel restless and unsure, those are the things that will lead you to the adventures that matter. Keep running, keep exploring, and trust that getting lost is part of discovering your path.

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Ever since, I’ve been blown away by what you’ve shared — and I feel like I’ve gotten to know each of you on an individual level so, so much better.

Today, you get to meet , who was born in South Africa and later moved to Australia with her husband Walter, where they still live to this day. Walter was the first to take up running, and after watching him while she volunteered at races, she saw so many different kinds of people crossing the finish line she thought, “I figured if they could do it so could I.”

I loved Glenda’s entire story, but the kicker at the end is what really got me, and a reminder of how circuitous the journey is that life can take us on, and that sometimes we need to be reminded of where we started.

Please know I’d love to hear from you too! All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Glenda Mitchell. I am in my late 50s, currently living in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and met my husband, Walter Mitchell, at university in a place called Pietermaritzburg, where we were married 34 years ago.

We were both studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree and ended up with a major in Information Systems. It was in the day when PCs were largely unheard of and corporations had enormous boxes housing mainframe computers.

We moved to Sydney, Australia in 1995, and I worked for a number of the large management consulting firms as a business adviser to their corporate clients and in my own consulting business before deciding to move into internal corporate executive roles.

Following a health scare nine years ago, I did a re-prioritisation of my own life and decided to start a business to help others do the same. I am passionate about encouraging people to be intentional about choosing what they do and intentional about doing it.

Whilst living in Italy for a couple of years at the end of Covid, I wrote a book called Kicking Out the Bucket List: Living Life with Intention and Passion, using my own stories of adventure and achievement aimed at prompting others to work out what’s of value to them and to do it.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

This has changed over the years.

A long run for me these days is anything over 10 kilometers, usually a weekly 14 to 18K with a monthly half marathon thrown in for good measure. I then do another 3 to 4 additional runs per week, each about 8K.

I don’t do specific speed, interval or hill training any more, but do tend to incorporate some tempo time into some of my runs, use Parkrun for speed training and I have a few hilly Strava segments set up to test me.

In the past, my weekly long run would be 25 to 30 kilometers, (a bit more when leading up to a marathon event), backing up with a 15K the following day. I was never one for exceeding 100K per week.

I am equally happy on the road or trail, although generally do more road as it’s easier logistically. Currently I live near the beach, so some of my running is along the sand — compact, not soft.

What I do like about trail running is that I am so busy concentrating on the technical aspects or scenery that it almost feels easier. No chance to think too hard about what I’m doing or to get bored.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I grew up with two much older brothers so competed with them and didn’t really think of limits. I was always fit and active, everything from dancing to tennis and various team sports.

I was competitive in just about anything I tried. I won dance competitions, was on the top of tennis ladders and was the person that was chosen first for the netball team. If I was on my own at home I’d be throwing or hitting balls against the wall or swimming laps.

But as far as I was concerned, I was not born to run and running was not for me. It was only done when I had to in a school gym class.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

It’s funny that you mention the Olympics as that is a bit of a can of worms. I grew up in South Africa under the apartheid regime, and we were under severe sanctions so were excluded from the world sporting stage, including the Olympics. My early years, we also had no television.

I often wonder how different my sporting life would have been had I been exposed to and inspired by the Olympians. I was always very competitive and felt I could do everything so if I had seen others competing, I suspect I may have been driven to give it a go. I was 28 when I saw an Olympic Games on TV for the first time.

That said, during my teenage years, I lived in Pietermaritzburg, the start and finish of the famous Comrades Marathon (90K) and used to volunteer at water tables or spend the day sitting alongside the road watching the race.

It was one day of the year that the whole country knew about running. One of my mother’s friends had a daughter who was first female on a couple of occasions and I admired her.

My husband was the runner. I used to sit and watch him coming in at marathons. After a number of occasions of watching everyone else – thin, fat, old, young etc, — make it over the finish line, I figured if they could do it so could I. I realised that I could learn to do so — as with any other sport.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

When I started running, long before the days of Parkrun, 10 kilometers was a normal target. So that’s where I started. My initial training was walking / running two to three kilometers at a time and leading on from there. I was happy to complete my first 10K event without walking.

Later on, I was part of a running club called Sydneystriders and they were pretty serious. I was running a sub 45-minute 10K which was considered pretty slow and weekly social runs were 25K or more. I always said that I wouldn’t do a marathon, that I wasn’t interested.

One day, in the week leading up to a marathon that my husband had entered, I realised that having run these social runs consistently, I was ready to tackle the event. Not an approach that I’d recommend to most people but under the circumstances, it worked.

The furthest I’ve run is a 45K trail run with an elevation gain of around 1,500 meters and completed that a hand full of times. I had intended to run the Comrades Marathon about 10 years ago, but circumstances put paid to that.

I’m old now…

I used to run further and faster… now I run shorter and slower. That said, I still manage to hold my own amongst the recreational runners. I am very competitive in my age category and not too bad against the youngsters.

Now I enjoy helping others reach their goal and am always up for being a pacer at Parkrun or events such as half marathons. It also gives me an excuse for running slower!

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

On the people side, I am fortunate that my husband is my running buddy. He’s faster than me but most of our training is done together, even if he leaves me towards the end.

My mother, who passed away recently at 93, was more of an encouragement than a drain. She was always interested in finding out about my running even though she had never been a runner herself. She knew that Saturdays were key run day do she’d always ask whether I’d done Parkrun or a long run that day.

My career was demanding. This often meant getting up in the cold, dark and wet to run before work. Sometimes it was of benefit as when I was travelling for work as running was an easy way to exercise. All I needed was a pair of shoes. When the others went to the pub, I could have some “me time” on a run.

It’s all about prioritisation. If it’s important make time, if not, that’s OK.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I’m not sure that I can identify one single thing but my running had contributed to my life in so many ways.

Physically, it has meant that I have been fit enough to take on activities when the opportunity arose. It meant that I could embark on my trek to Everest Base Camp and climb Mount Kilimanjaro without specific training. The unknown was more about altitude.

I’m not entirely sure whether I’d say my mental tenacity has come from pushing through to complete endurance events or whether or whether I’ve completed them because of my mental endurance — perhaps a bit of both.

And I’d say the same applies for most things I’ve embarked on, in work or life, including writing my book and having it published.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

My running journey has spanned over more than 30 years, so it’s difficult to identify changes that would be directly attributable to running.

What I do know, is that my ability to keep running through injury & difficulty (some significant) is testament to my ability to endure and running has provided an outlet to keeping pushing through.

Had it not been for running, perhaps I’d be less tenacious and maybe even lazy. I’d no doubt be fatter.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

This question implies that I am at a different stage of my running journey, so I’ll tackle it from a slightly different angle.

I have run marathons and half marathons across the world. I have chase PBs in various distances. I am now at a stage where it’s an achievement to remain fit. Most of the people around me are fatter, less able to even do much in the garden and walking for an hour is an accomplishment.

They certainly aren’t able to embark on a run. I would like to remain competitive in my age category. Next year I am planning on hiking the 192-mile Coast to Coast trail across the U.K. — whilst I may only run some of it, my running ability is likely what will pull me through.

Most importantly, I’d like to continue to inspire, and help motivate others to achieve their goals — whether it be starting to run when they didn’t think it was possible, doing a sub-three-hour marathon or competing an endurance event. Or even to achieve something that it totally unrelated to running or even exercise.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

My initial answer: my inability to give up, my stubbornness. And that really is a big part of it. I can’t imagine life without running now. I often say that I run so that I can eat — I know that I’d get fat if I didn’t run, so I guess that’s a motivator.

Having worked with people of many types, I realise that others are motivated by very different things. Entering events, setting PB targets, finding new places to run are all ways of keeping going.

The thing to be aware of is that these things all give the dopamine hit but not necessarily the commitment. There are those that are happy to run a marathon and that’s it — and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a huge achievement.

But then there’s those that are serial runners, running because they run. I fit into the second category.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

At 10 years old I thought I was invincible, that there was absolutely nothing I couldn’t do. I was fortunate that I had parents that encouraged me to learn, to grown, to reach for the stars.

I have largely retained the fearlessness that I had back then, but have a lot more self-doubt now. If I could talk to that kid now, I don’t think I’d look to change a thing. I’d more likely talk to the older version of me to remind myself of the 10-year-old kid.

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Today, you get to meet , who grew up in Southern California and led an active lifestyle as a kid, playing different sports every season. He didn’t even think about running until the year his father decided to join a running group and run a half marathon — an “unreal” distance, he thought at the time.

Later, in his twenties, he’d decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps and try running for himself — until his training was derailed by a horrific car accident, which he by a miracle survived. However, months in the hospital — including a brief, medically-induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain — lay ahead.

A lot of soul-searching followed, John says, but he found his way out and today is running distances far longer than the half marathon his father ran. He’s also found a path forward that allows him to pursue his dreams in running while still also maintaining balance with the other parts of his life.

I really, really enjoyed John’s story and I know you will too — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

First and foremost, I’m a dad and a husband. My wife and I are doing our best to raise two independent, smart, fierce, and caring daughters (now 17 and 14) with strong moral compasses. They take after their mom.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I’ve spent most of life in Southern California, specifically between San Diego and northern Los Angeles. During the pandemic, we relocated from L.A. to Orange County for a career change in biotech.

I’m 47, but I still feel like a kid. Though I have all the responsibilities of a professional, including a mortgage that’s commensurate with living near the beach in So Cal, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

As an ultra-runner, I typically run six days per week, with Monday being a rest day. (I find little value in run-streaking.) My weekday runs are usually six to 12 miles, and my weekend long runs range from 14 to 28 miles.

However, as I write this, I’m coming off an injury, so I’ve incorporated more biking and cross-training into my routine. Regardless of the workout, six days a week, I wake up by 4:15 to exercise.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Though my wife was probably a better athlete than I was (she definitely had a better jump shot), I’ve played sports my entire life. While I loved sports, I didn’t specialize in any discipline (back in the 80s and 90s, we California kids played the sport of the season: soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring, swim team in the summer).

I high school, I played four years of varsity soccer, three years of varsity golf, and during my senior year, I finally relented and played high school football, where we were league champs and my strong leg earned me the distinction of first team all-league kicker (“Just imagine if you had played all four years?” my dad exclaimed, somewhat disappointedly).

But my true passion as I got into my teens was surfing. It was the first time that I connected to a sport in a physical, mental, and spiritual way — and the first time a sport brought me close to nature.

I loved the challenge that surfing presented: the unpredictability, the strength and courage it demanded, the patience it required, the danger, the unknown. But above all, the beauty. There is truly no feeling like getting barreled. Though the moment is fleeting, time pauses and everything is calm and in sync.

My passion for surfing led to me to enroll at the University of California-San Diego, as it was not only an excellent school, but it also sat on the bluffs overlooking Black’s Beach, hands down the best beach break in the country.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

When I was a kid, my dad ran with the Hash House Harriers, the international running group whose members get together for some wacky runs and then drink beer afterwards (and probably during the run, too). My dad also ran a half marathon. As a grade-schooler, I thought that was unreal.

I think that opened my eyes to what might be possible. In fifth grade, our school had a walk-a-thon, and the grand prize was a season’s pass to California’s Great America. As we set off around the schoolyard to do our first lap, I decided that I’d run it, because I wanted to win that prize. I probably ran-jogged-walked 17 miles that day. I was beat up, but I won that season pass.

Of course, my real running journey didn’t start until after I earned my undergraduate degree. With college barely in the review mirror, I decided in 2001 to run a half marathon — just like my dad had. I had no idea what I was doing, but I printed out a 13-week training plan from Runners World and got working.

On race day, I showed up in basketball shorts and a white Hanes undershirt. I didn’t have a plan, but I gave it my best and ended up running a 1:33. I also had the worst chafing ever!

As we turned the calendar to February 2002, I began to train for the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. This was before Strava, GPS watches, and high-carb fueling — and I was still clueless. But I had a goal in mind, and I followed my 16-week plan to a T.

Though I was ready, life had other plans.

Six days before the marathon, I went on a joyride with my roommate in his dad’s super car. He overestimated his skills, and we slid into oncoming traffic on the windy roads of Rancho Santa Fe, going at least 90 mph. We were t-boned on my side of the car. The force of the impact smashed the passenger side of the car, where I was sitting, into the driver’s side.

The firefighters used the jaws of life to extract me from the car, and they called a helicopter to rush me to the hospital.

The brunt force left me with broken ribs, a fractured cheek bone, collapsed lung, strained knee and shoulder, facial lacerations, and a traumatic brain injury. To mitigate the swelling, they put me in an induced coma. I stayed in the hospital for a month, where I relearned to chew, swallow, stand, walk, read, and write. (I also learned that you don’t store milk on a nightstand and you can’t escape a hospital when they’ve strapped a monitor around your ankle.)

Over the next several months, I did physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Under constant, 24/7 supervision, and told what I could and couldn’t do, I felt hamstrung. I couldn’t sleep for more than two hours at a time, and I managed a bout of depression.

In short, I felt sorry for myself, and I yearned for sympathy and for someone to tell me that it was okay that I wasn’t as good as I used to be.

Then over Thanksgiving, while visiting relatives in the Pacific Northwest, one of my dad’s cousins asked about the accident. I did have any memory of the accident, let alone the weekend before it, but I recounted what people told me had happened.

“Sounds like you had a moment of indiscretion,” he said.

At first, I felt betrayed. I was livid. I wasn’t driving! I thought. I was just a passenger. Why would I be to blame? How was I the careless one?

On our trip back to California, I thought about our conversation. It hit me: He’s right. My roommate wasn’t being malicious. He knew that I loved cars, and he just want to show off the car. And I chose to get in the car. I wanted to go for the ride.

That interaction changed everything for me, and it put me on a course to fast-track my recovery.

Six months post-accident, over Christmas 2002, I decided that I was going to run the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll the next year. In February 2003, I began marathon training. In June 2003, I finished it — one year late — in just over 3:29.

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How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

After finishing that first marathon in 2003, I wrote off covering that distance again. Though I met my goal of going sub-3:30, I didn’t love the lifestyle change required to train for and run 26.2 miles.

Fast forward two kids and 12 years later — and running found me again. My older daughter had just started playing AYSO soccer, and her coach told me about his goal to run the Boston Marathon. I hadn’t run further than 13.1 miles in more than a decade, but I put a new, ambitious goal on my calendar: to qualify for Boston.

After two failed attempts — including one massive flame-out in fall 2016 — I finally earned that covered BQ and punched my ticket to the 2018 Boston Marathon — the same harrowing race Des Linden won in the middle of a deluge.

Running Boston was a dream, but at the same time, the YouTube algorithm began to serve up documentaries about 100-mile races. So, naturally, my focus turned to ultra running.

In 2019, I ran my first ultra marathon, the Leona Divide 100K (62 miles), which takes place in the mountains in northeast Los Angeles County, along the famed Pacific Crest Trail. Though I was over my skis, I thoroughly loved my experience, as I met some of the best humans on the planet during those 12 hours of joy and pain and shared suffering.

From there, I’ve gone on to run all kinds of distances in the mountains, from “short” 50K races to long 100-mile races that call on runners to dig deep and problem-solve on the fly.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I don’t think my running journey is about balance. It’s about prioritization, commitment — and also communication. Training for ultras, while also being a dad to two girls and a husband, means that there is little time to waste.

It’s less about balance and more about fitting all of the pieces together. I try to make sure my training impacts my family the least. That’s why I get up at 4:00 a.m. to train.

On weekdays, I’m home from my runs before anyone wakes up. On the weekends, I also start my runs early — and just how early depends on my daughters’ sports schedules. If I have an 18-mile trail run, and they have to be at the field for a soccer game by 8:00 a.m., it means I’ll need to start my run by 4:00 a.m., sometimes as early as 3:30 a.m.

And, I’m always careful not to let my training adversely impact other responsibilities, like home repairs, yard work, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. In fact, I consider it all part of the training (you know, time on feet).

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Running (and ultra-running, in particular) has taught me so much — about myself and others. During an ultra, when the total distance seems far, if unthinkable, you learn to break the event down aid station to aid station. And, when even the 8 to 10 miles between aid stations seems overwhelming, you break the task down even further. Keep moving forward, and pretty soon you’ll be eating boiled potatoes and watermelon at the next aid station.

I’ve been able to translate this approach to my professional life. When the project seems to big, I’ve learned to calm down, take a beat, and break it into bite-size chunks.

When you’ve overcome existential crises that accompany 100 milers, major projects aren’t that big of a deal.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Maybe it’s a result of getting older, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this running is patience and the compounding power of stacking bricks. Often, the work we’re doing today pays dividends not today or tomorrow, but well into the future. By showing up consistently, we keep adding, to paraphrase Courtney Dauwalter, grains of sand to our pile of fitness.

In February, I realized this philosophy when I paced the 3:10 finish at the Surf City Marathon. Three weeks before the event, a good friend of mine asked if I wanted to pace. The only slot they needed to fill was the 3:10 finish (which means running a pace of 7:10 per mile).

I didn’t know I had that kind of speed in my legs, but I agreed to give it a go. Mostly because I was curious. Somehow, I pulled it off, and though it wasn’t my fastest marathon, I ran in my eyes a perfect race, finishing with a two-minute negative split.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I’ve hit all the milestones that I’ve wanted to hit: sub-3-hour marathon, three 100-mile ultra finishes, the Boston Marathon, etc.

But I still have two races on my bucket list: the Western States Endurance Run and the Leadville 100 Trail Run, the two oldest 100-milers in the country.

Above all, however, I’d like to be a lifelong runner. And, this is sort of pie-in-the-sky, but I’d love to run an ultra with my daughters (job one is to get them to crew me first).

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

For nearly a decade, running has become a bigger part of my life. Since 2016, I’ve averaged at least 2,000 miles per year running. Last year marked my biggest year to date, with more than 2,600 miles and 300,000 feet of elevation gain.

It’s the adventure and the opportunity to improve that keeps me engaged with this pursuit. At 47, I know I will start slowing down… eventually. Until then, I’m going to keep noodling with this whole thing. Running hurts. But it’s also a darn good way to start your day.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

When I was ten years old, I don’t think I doubted my capabilities. Not because I was a cocky kid, but because I didn’t know any better. At 23, when I finished that first half marathon in 2001, I thought that no one had ever run that far in the history of the world. (I was such a hero!)

When first heard about ultras, and specifically 100-mile races, I thought no way! How in the world do people run that far?! That’s insane. I couldn’t ever do that.

But sometimes the best way to change your perspective is to do the thing that you think is impossible, to prove yourself wrong. And, if you put in enough work, keep showing up, and commitment to your goal, you’ll learn that what at first seemed unfathomable is just a matter of left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot.

We’re all capable of achieving great things. We just have to want to.

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Today, you get to meet , who started running mainly as a way to stay in shape for the sports he played growing up, like soccer, cricket and rugby. It was only when he hit adulthood that he began to love running itself.

That led to trying long distances and even a marathon, until a health scare with a bout of pericarditis kept him away from running for many months. And even then, he was only able to come back slowly, a bit at a time.

Today, he’s fully back and enjoying himself again. I just love his story, and I know you will too — and, if you feel inspired to share yours too, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

Who is ? The job interview answer would tell you I’m a 48-year-old former journalist turned marketeer and copywriter (cue spelling mistake) from Northampton in the U.K.

But who really wants to hear what LinkedIn can tell you? The real me has been married to Michelle for nearly 20 years, and loves sport, literature and travel. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m one sentence from taking long walks on the beach…?

In recent years, running has become increasingly central to my life with Michelle and I having launched the Running Tales podcast, followed by our Substack newsletter.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Erratic! I generally run for fun and for my mental health rather than with specific goals in mind. This means my routine can vary from week to week, and on some runs I don’t know whether I’m going to run five kilometres or 15 miles when I step out the door.

I have, though, just finished a training block for the Eden Project Marathon, which was much more structured. During that time, I was running somewhere between 20 and 35 miles per week, with a long run on Sunday. I even did some strength training!

That block has finished now though, so the plan is to be more relaxed until the New Year, and just run as and when I feel like it.

That said, the long — anywhere from eight to 20 miles — runs on Sundays are likely to continue as that is club run day. Michelle and I have a running club called Step Forward With Lewis, and try to put a relaxed Chatty Run on for all abilities every Sunday.

We are also big fans of parkrun, so most Saturday mornings will see us at a different park across the U.K. or at our local ‘parkrun home’ of Northampton Racecourse.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I don’t know if athletic is the right word, but I played pretty much every sport going.

I used to be a goalkeeper in football (soccer for my American friends), although that obviously didn’t involve much running, and I would play cricket two or three times a week.

I remember briefly and badly playing rugby and hockey at school, and I was able to finish 16th in my school cross-country three years in a row — cleverly avoiding the top 15 finish which would have meant having to take part in a county event that I’d have been humbled in!

I did represent my school at 1,500m a couple of times, and ridiculously at 100m when I came last by a considerable distance. Sprinting was never my thing.

My earliest memories were that I always loved playing sport and being active. Team sports were my first love, but anything that kept me moving was a winner in my eyes.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

Apart from my sporadic school running exploits, my earliest running experiences were all based around staying fit for other sports.

Although I would regularly watch the Olympics and other major athletic meets, they never had the same pull as Ashes cricket or World Cup football. I do remember loving watching the likes of Steve Cram, Steve Ovett and Seb Coe battling it out at the top of the middle distance running world, but I was never pulled to take it up myself in any serious way.

At university, and really for the next couple of decades or more, running was something I did occasionally just to prove I could still move and to keep my cardiovascular health ticking over.

That said, there must have always been something in me urging me to run. I remember a charity run I did when I was about 13, raising money for my cricket club by running round the outfield. While most of my teammates had quit after a lap or two, I was still going after 20… Harvey Lewis eat your heart out!

And, in 2012 I ran the Milton Keynes Marathon. It was one of those bucket list goal things that I didn’t foresee happening again. Plus, it was really hard… I finished with no great desire to run more than 10K in the future.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

Further, faster and more often. Much to the surprise, no doubt, of my former self.

During my training for that first marathon, Michelle had joined me for the last few miles of a few longer training runs. Around that time, she was firmly bitten by the running bug, and within no time was clocking up marathons — she’s done 19 now — and forming her own running club.

Michelle made sure I kept myself honest through running, but it remained well down my list of “things to do” and, when I did run, I was picking up a lot of injuries as I was always running at (my) top speed (and I’m VERY flat-footed!).

That all changed due to two different things. Firstly, I challenged myself to run 1,000 miles in a year, deciding to run slower and do more group runs in an attempt to avoid injury.

My new plan not only worked in terms of injury avoidance, but I started to get faster as well.

But the real change came the following year.

It was actually while I was editing one of the episodes of the podcast, which was live by then with Michelle hosting, that I felt a pain in my chest. At first, I thought it was it was indigestion but it got steadily worse and I couldn’t lie down without being in extreme pain.

Less than two hours later, I was being rushed to hospital, full of morphine and digesting an early heart attack prognosis.

Indeed, I made it all the way to the operating table before the surgeon told me it wasn’t my heart — at least not in the way I’d thought. I had a viral condition called pericarditis, which causes the pericardial sac that holds your heart in place to inflame. This puts pressure on the heart itself, presenting all the same symptoms as a heart attack.

Although the diagnosis wasn’t as bad as it might have been, pericarditis came with a seven month recovery time. Initially, my heart rate would peak at 180 if I walked up a short flight of stairs.

Running was out of the question for several months, and when I returned it was via the Couch to 5K app. Every run was a post-pericarditis distance PB, but I was running too fast for what I should have been doing. The answer was to start running on the trails, taking photographs and videos of the woods and fields I carefully made my way through.

And I loved it. Before long, I was running further than I ever had before, culminating in my first 50K and later the 107-kilometre Isle of Wight Challenge.

My illness had helped me to find a running that I loved, enjoying the scenery and serenity of the trails.

I’ve not got bored of them yet!

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

In terms of other commitments, Michelle and I don’t have any children and my parents are both healthy and have retired to Cyprus. You might, therefore, think that would mean I have more spare time than most to dedicate to running and other hobbies. But in truth, it doesn’t feel like.

I work full-time and Michelle is a self-employed fitness instructor and personal trainer. As with most self-employed people that means most of her running these days is spent chasing her own tail — and I get called in to help on occasion.

Sometimes, I do wonder how those with young children and/or caring responsibilities manage to find the time to do anything. That they can find the energy to run, and achieve amazing things, is inspiring.

Me? I just try and keep moving forward whenever I get the chance!

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

From a personal point of view, I’m pleased with some of the distances I’ve managed to run — 107 kilometres round the Isle of Wight was especially memorable, while completing a 50K event which I’d had to reduce to a marathon on a previous occasion was a proud moment.

In particular, using running to recover from pericarditis was fulfilling and it has pushed me to achieve levels I hadn’t reached prior to the illness.

Running has also really helped me with my mental health, and I always feel better after a run — and am probably a nightmare to be around when I’ve had a few days off!

All that said, I’m most proud of how running has allowed me to help others achieve things in the sport. Firstly, via Running Tales, where I have really enjoyed being able to tell people’s stories and promote those runners who have done incredible things in the sport outside of the elite level.

My favourite stories come from those runners who don’t even realise they are exceptional or that they have a story — revealing what they have done and being able to reflect their achievements back to them can be very special.

Secondly, I love seeing some of the results we get from the running club. Helping runners complete their first 5K, set a new PB, or just find themselves on a group run is a tribute to the power of running, and it’s great to be a small part of that.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

That I’m really grumpy when I’m not running!

More seriously, running has helped me to realise that I can do hard things, although remembering and celebrating those achievements rather than simply moving on to the next one is something I’m still working on.

I’m probably fitter — at 48 — than I have been at any other stage in my life, and that’s definitely down to running. I’ve learned that to remain fit for longer, I need to keep moving and that running has become my way of doing this.

It has also taught me that getting out in the fresh air, enjoying nature and both embracing some vital alone time or enjoying conversations with others are essential for my happiness, and I’d argue for anyone’s.

Running has also demonstrated to me that people can do unbelievable, inconceivable things. We are all capable of so much more than we think.

On Running Tales, I have spoken to runners who have overcome drug and alcohol addiction, completed superhuman feats despite having Parkinson’s or cystic fibrosis or cancer, who have run multi-day events or covered hundreds of miles in one event, and who’ve finished their first parkrun when they thought it would be impossible. It’s pretty amazing, and so are all of us runners!

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I have an itch to run a sub-four hour marathon, but if I can get that out of the way my main aim is just to do interesting and different events. I’d like to do more trail running races, and after the Eden Project Marathon this year I’ve entered Beachy Head Marathon for 2026. I’ve also got an eye on doing some point-to-point ultras to see how I get on with those.

If I can achieve any PBs along the way I’m not going to complain, but really I’d like to do events that leave me with a smile on my face and having seen some amazing scenery or done something a bit unusual.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

At the moment, I’ve been enjoying running more than ever before and my motivation has been fairly high. I used to get bored with doing purely road running or pounding the same streets again and again, but taking to the trails has solved that issue.

My running friends at Step Forward With Lewis and parkrun help to keep me going, and when I hear about other people’s amazing races or stories that keeps me inspired as well.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

As a child, I always thought I’d play cricket or football forever, and I wouldn’t want to put my younger self off from doing those things, but I’d also tell them to think of running as an end point rather than simply the means to do those other sports.

If I could talk to my younger self, I’d tell him hard things are possible and there are no limits if you believe in yourself. I’d hope he would embrace that message, as it gets harder to teach to yourself as you get older.

I’m working on it — 10-year-old Craig would probably have grabbed it and, ahem, run with it...

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Today, you get to meet , a fellow runner and writer whom I met through Substack and has since become a friend. She has written so movingly about her family’s health journey over the past few years, all while competing in some big — really big! — challenges, like the JFK 50-Miler.

I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours too, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I’m Julie B. Hughes, a 45-year-old mother runner. I’m a licensed physical therapist, author, and run/write coach in my community. I live with my husband Jeff and two children, Brindsley and Delaney, in central New York.

I’ve written four memoirs about my running journey:

• My Road: A Runner’s Journey through Persistent Pain to Healing

• Staring Down a Dream: A Mom, a Marathoner, a Mission

• A REAL BALLBUSTER: Untangling Testicular Cancer Together

• And most recently, Miles of Meaning: from Doubter to JFK 50 Mile Finisher

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

I run on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tuesday is my rest day, and Friday is optional: rest, fitness walk, or yoga.

My runs during the week vary from 50 to 75 minutes. My long runs are on Saturday and usually last 90 minutes or two to three hours, depending on what I’m training for. Strength training is two to three times weekly for 20 to 25 minutes.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Yes, I grew up loving to run and play all kinds of sports. I had four siblings, and we grew up playing pick-up games outside. Softball, kickball, basketball, soccer, etc. Moving our bodies was something we did every day.

My uncle organized the Bloom Run, which took place every year around my grandparents’ wedding anniversary. We would run a two-mile loop on the roads near my grandparents’ house and then have a picnic afterward. The winner’s name was etched on a wooden plaque with a silver spray-painted sneaker.

It’s funny because the sneaker isn’t one you’d wear running; it’s a high-top basketball sneaker, but my goal was to get my name on it. I thought it was super cool, and looking back, I’m grateful my uncle organized this. Fitness became a part of who I was at a young age.

When it came to running at a young age, I noticed how it changed my mood from sad or upset to happy and calm. Running was my escape. It was my way of dealing with pain. I would lace up my sneakers and head out the door to the sound of the wind or birds. Then it was just my breathing and my feet hitting the pavement.

There was no criticism, no judgment. It was just me, alone, and I liked that. I liked being alone. There was a sense of comfort and safety for me on the roads. I found that running decreased my worry and fear, replacing those emotions with a sense of inner calm and contentment. I noticed as a young girl that the longer I ran, the better I felt.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

My Uncle Tim was an avid runner and hiker. He introduced me to road races and track clubs when I was a kid. We received a special yellow T-shirt to wear when we participated in the races. I would put the shirt on over my ponytail, standing taller, with a smile spreading across my face.

I would line up at the start with all the other runners, as music played and the announcer spoke into the microphone. There were cheers as we ran and snacks afterward. It felt like a big party, and I was invited! It was such a fun experience, and at that age, running was never about winning, pace, or who I could beat. Running made me happy because it was my playtime. It got me out of farm chores. (Yippee!)

Lynn Jennings was a professional runner I admired. I remember my uncle taking me to an event where she was speaking. I was so excited to go and couldn’t wait. I sat next to my uncle and watched her speak. Lynn talked about her running career with calm confidence. I loved that her legs were so muscular — just like mine! — and she made a comment about her “bigger than other runners’ legs” in a proud and relaxed way.

That made me feel good about my body. I thought, I look like her. I got an autographed poster of her and hung it on my wall as soon as I got home. I also loved watching Joan Benoit (now Samuelson), and of course, Kathrine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb were women I wanted to emulate.

The more I read about them, the more I dreamed of running the Boston Marathon. This became a goal of mine at a young age, and I ran my first marathon as a senior in high school. I had a great support system as I joined Team in Training to raise money for Leukemia.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

My dream to run the Boston Marathon became a 20-year mission. I finally achieved it in 2021. Since I crossed that finish line, I wanted to challenge myself at longer distances. I worked with my coach to gradually increase my training load to finish a 50K, then set my sights on 50 miles.

There were a few delays, but I was able to run my first 50 Mile race in November 2024, and my newest book is about my experience running the JFK 50 Mile Race. It was incredible and I highly recommend it.

I enjoy the longer distances and would like to continue working my way up to a 100 mile race.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I balance running with writing, inspiring others to move and write, hiking, teaching my children, and preparing meals in the kitchen. My husband Jeff and our two children keep us active as they decide what activities they want to participate in.

I make time for myself by waking up early. I’m thankful to be a morning person, and I attribute that to all the early 3:00 a.m. wake-up calls while growing up on a dairy farm. So, I get up and go for a run before my children wake up. It’s a habit I’m grateful for.

I’m realizing that a true balance might not really exist. Some seasons, I have to shift or change my training load, race schedule, kids’ activities, and priorities as life unfolds. When my husband was sick, I learned that some days you just won’t be able to do everything, and what matters most is the time we spend caring for each other.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Running has helped me prepare for life. When my husband went through chemotherapy, I was very thankful for my running. I was already an endurance runner and used that mindset to get through that difficult time with my husband.

The physical and mental training from running extends to many areas of our lives. As runners, we have a big advantage in this regard. I’m so grateful.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I have learned so much that I’ve written four books! I have improved how I talk to myself, and I’ve learned to recognize my inner critic as well as the mindset tools and skills to prevent that voice from controlling my life.

For many years, I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. The old story of “thinner meant faster” or “thinner meant better” was a belief I clung to that caused years of pain, fatigue, and unhappiness.

I used to put enormous pressure on myself and wanted to be such a fast runner that it consumed me. I developed an unhealthy relationship with food, over-trained, and went through a period when I couldn’t run and was in a really terrible situation.

I experienced so much emotional pain that it affected every aspect of my life. Yet, running was what pulled me back up once I was able to get back to it.

When I worked with Marni Sumbal, a sports nutritionist, she helped me shift my focus from my weight to asking better questions: “Do you have good energy for your workouts? Do you feel strong, resilient, and healthy? Are you able to recover well after your workouts? Are you feeling stronger, faster, or fitter?” She wanted me to pay attention to how I was feeling and evaluate what my body could do instead of how it looked.

I learned to question my thoughts instead of just criticizing myself or pushing thoughts away. When negative thoughts took over — You don’t belong here, You’re not fast enough, or You’re not good enough — I learned to ask, What else could be true? Who does God say I am? I questioned and prayed instead of defaulting to self-criticism. This questioning helped me make a shift each day to decide whether the story was worth listening to again.

Marathon training and racing taught me a lot about the importance of having a mantra. When I’m tired, I ask myself what will keep me going. When I feel pain or nerve twinges, I remind myself of words that motivate me. I’ve realized these mantras carry over into my life. Some days, I get tired. I don’t want to do another load of laundry or dishes, and having a mantra helps me push through. Life can be so hard, but running gives me the perseverance and endurance to keep going.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I run because I love it and want to keep running for the joy of it. That said, I would love to complete a 100-mile race. It’s my next big goal to work toward. I haven’t ruled out the six World Marathon Majors either.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

My children motivate me to keep going. I want to be healthy and strong to keep up with them. I also aim to instill a love of movement and the importance of working hard toward a goal, regardless of the outcome. I set goals for myself to stay motivated. That’s why I race at least four or five times a year. It keeps me motivated and gives me a challenge. I want to show my children that goals require time and effort.

I love to run, which helps. I enjoy being outdoors. What will I see, hear, and smell? It’s glorious. Every time I step out the door, it truly is an adventure, and I’ve noticed how it fuels my writing. I don’t get bored with it, but if I start feeling a little off, I change my routes or buy a new pair of sneakers or apparel to get excited about heading outside.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

You have what it takes. You don’t need to be fixed; you are loved. Your running will fill your life with joy. You’ll make new friends, see new places, and through it all, you will grow stronger physically and mentally.

I want to hug Julie as a little girl so hard for choosing to run in the dark, the rain, the snow, and the sunshine. Choosing to run no matter what. If it wasn’t for running, I may not have kept going. I may have stayed in the trenches of self-doubt, self-sabotage, and a victimhood mindset. I may have accepted my pain and given up.

Running saved us, little girl. We made it!

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Now, I can’t wait to introduce you to Raziq, who’s been writing a Substack newsletter for the past few years called and has even written a new book that’ll be out next year, titled This Is Running. (You can pre-order it here.)

As you’ll see in the interview, I really loved what he had to say about his own running, how he tries not to put pressure on himself to go for goals just because they’re all the rage (like a marathon), but instead focuses on goals and distances that are right for him. (And he still runs a lot!)

I know you’ll enjoy his story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Raziq Rauf. I’m a writer, originally from London, who has lived in Los Angeles for the past 11 years. This is home now.

I started writing about music as a teenager, 25 years ago, but moved more into corporate copywriting when I moved to the U.S. and needed something resembling a salary.

For the past two and a half years I’ve been writing about running in my newsletter, . I started it when I realized that I wanted to get back to my journalism roots — and music was a different, closed chapter of my life.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

When I’m in a good spot, I’m running about 25 miles a week quite comfortably. I try to run a minimum of six miles when I get out there, but that’s something I’m trying to change in my head because a one-mile run is better than a zero-mile run.

I run with my local run club, Glendale Runners, which I set up with a friend almost two years ago. They get me out of bed on Tuesday mornings! I also try to join a long run with a different crew on a weekend morning, dependent on my schedule.

Other than that, I’ll run whatever other mornings I can. Yes, I’m definitely a morning runner.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was not an athletic kid. I was very nerdy. Can you believe that I liked to sit down and write stories the most? Crazy how things turn out! But I also became a big fan of Premier League soccer (I still am an Arsenal fan), and I enjoyed playing it even if I wasn’t the best at playing it.

I made my peace with not being on the school team, but we had P.E. classes twice a week and once I got into middle school, we had three full afternoons dedicated to sporting activities at school, so I had to do something, right? That was the message all those classes were imbued with.

It was suggested that I join the athletics team, and it turned out that I was a decent runner. I ran the 400 meter and 800 meter on the track team but also ran cross-country pretty well. I enjoyed running through the forest the most. I used to stop a lot with my friends. Maybe have a cigarette. I miss that.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I was working at a big radio station in central London, and they had huge alcohol-fueled parties seemingly constantly. I was also freelancing for a bunch of music magazines, so I was out basically every night, and everyone wanted to buy me a beer for some reason.

That wore on me. It wasn’t a life that I wanted. One day, upon exiting the radio station building, a colleague was waving me over to join him at the pub next door (yes, it was a perfect storm). I went over and told him I couldn’t stay for seven lagers on a Tuesday evening because I had a race to train for.

He accepted that excuse immediately. And so I had to start running. I signed up for a 5K and raised about $1,000 for a cancer charity. The good old days.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

When I went fully freelance a couple of years later, I was listening to music every moment that I was awake, so I went for runs — without listening to music — to get a bit of peace and quiet. I ran along the river by my apartment, and it became my daily hour of solace.

It was a place to un-jumble my thoughts and relax a little. I ran a 10K every spring, and tried to recruit a new friend to run with my each year, but that was it. It wasn’t about competition, or exceeding my previous. It was a happily therapeutic exercise.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Yes, I have two young sons at home, and we have no familial support network nearby as all four grandparents are in the U.K. That means it’s a demanding world.

Back in 2017, when my eldest was just eight months old, I trained for a half-marathon (the best distance, I know you agree), but the long runs every weekend meant that my already-exhausted wife was left fending for herself with this small baby while I was gallivanting across the city (on my own).

Then I came home and was wiped out for the rest of the day because I didn’t have any kind of fueling strategy! That was definitely a moment where I could’ve moved up to longer distances because I got a good time in that race, but ultimately knew that I wanted to stay married!

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Not really. I am happy that I still run, and I love what running gives my life in terms of health, friendship, and material to write about, but, for me, running really is about the practice and process. I enjoy doing it. I enjoy working through the kinks, back to smoothness. I enjoy running with my friends. That’s it. Tomorrow’s run will be different, and I love that.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I’ve always learned more from others than from myself. Maybe that’s why journalism suits me. I see other runners rabid for Boston qualification, and I know that’s not for me, but then I think about why.

I don’t care for medals or accolades. I strive for happiness and health — for me and those around me — through stability and steady accomplishment. I know that I don’t need to run every day, so I likely don’t have an addictive personality, for instance. Learning little things like that help me.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I have been running for 25 years, and I’d like to run for another 25 years. That’s it. Ideally with my friends, on occasion.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I don’t listen to music or podcasts while I’m running. I like to take in my surroundings, even when it’s the same five-mile route from my house that I’ve run 1,000 times already. What keeps me going? My ability to run that route again. It’ll be a sad day when I’m not able to, for one reason or another.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

You’re gonna smoke a cigarette soon, and I’d love to tell you not to because it’s really going to hinder your running. Yeah, you’re going to be running for a long time. However, the people you’re going to meet in the smoking area are going to become some of your best friends. Give it 20 years and none of you will be smoking any more, but you will be running for hours together. It’s a strange old world.

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A longtime reader of THM, Chris is a professor at Baylor University in Texas, where he took up running for the first time just a few years ago, after a lifetime of battling with his weight.

Starting slowly, he progressed from short runs to longer runs, spurred on by his daughters, whose encouragement was the catalyst for him to start running in the first place.

He kept at it and today, he’s running longer and longer distances, which helps him think even more expansively about what he’s capable of. I just loved Chris’s story and I know you will too — and, if you’d like to share yours, please do reach out, as I would love to hear it. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I’m Chris Hansen. I’m 54 years old — which is weird, every time I say it or type it, because I can’t figure out how or when I got this old. I was born in New York but grew up mostly in the suburbs north of Atlanta.

I made my way to Texas after grad school, to teach at Baylor University. I’ve been here more than 20 years now (which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in my life, so I guess I’m a Texan now), and I’m currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Film & Digital Media.

I have four grown daughters (two currently in college) and have been married to my college sweetheart for more than 30 years.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

This seems to change every few months. I’ve only been running a little over two years now, and there have been many discoveries and iterations of “routine” on my journey.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Some background: I grew up struggling with my weight. I was the definition of “husky,” which was the dubious term for kids’ clothes in my size range when I was younger. I never liked doing anything athletic because I lacked the fitness and coordination to be good at anything.

I liked basketball as a kid, and played often with my brother in our driveway, but I wasn’t fit enough to run up and down the court and play for a team. I always wanted to be good/better at sports and athletics, but I never had (or really fully understood) the commitment it takes to get and stay fit. And because I loved reading, I gravitated toward intellectual pursuits, excelling in grade school, high school, college, and grad school.

In 2022, after losing and regaining 100-plus pounds multiple times, I was at my heaviest ever, around 325 lbs (I’m currently 5 feet, 8.5 inches tall, for reference). I finally did something I’d never done before: see a doctor for treatment. And the doctor I was referred to by a friend put me on Mounjaro.

I was, at the time, completely unaware of any controversies surrounding GLP-1 medications. Frankly, I’m not sure it would have mattered to me anyway. I was desperate for real change.

But the doctor also told me that if this was going to work and cause real lasting change, I would need to move my body and eventually to also build muscle to combat my metabolism’s anticipated adjustments when I started losing. I started the medication, and it helped to shut off the “food noise” that has always plagued me. I didn’t know the term “food noise” then, but I totally get it now.

And I started exercising. Walking, at first. Then, at the doctor’s recommendation, a virtual reality fitness app. I spent almost a year boxing in virtual reality, which ended up building a strong base of cardio health and fitness.

One day, my youngest daughter said she was going for a run, and on a lark I said I’d join her. I had never voluntarily run for health or fitness purposes in my life. But that day I ran a little over one mile without stopping, something I had never been able to do. It lit a fire under me. I felt like I had crossed a threshold I’d never knew existed. I got addicted to running, and within a month was up to three, four, five miles or more every day.

Eventually, I started getting up early to run six or seven miles every morning. I signed up for my first 5K — and won my age group. At my oldest daughter’s urging, I signed up for a half marathon in Dallas. It would be six months after I started running, and 13 miles felt ridiculous. I was running half that.

But I started training for it. A week out, on my last long training run, I badly strained my hamstring. I was pretty upset because I really wanted to run the race. I wanted to finish a half marathon with two of my daughters. So I rested it, got some massage therapy, and ran it anyway. It was painful and probably ill-advised from a recovery standpoint, but I did it.

I’ve now run in cities all over when I’ve traveled. I’ve run in L.A. and London. I love how portable running is as an activity.

And since then, I’ve run a couple more halfs, including one sponsored by the university where I work, the Bearathon — also known as “the toughest half in Texas” because of the incredibly hilly route through Waco’s Cameron Park. And I now want to conquer the next

(Side note: I lost 160 lbs on my weight loss and fitness journey, and in the process I went from 48 percent body fat and an undetermined but low muscle mass to under 10 percent body fat and over 50 percent lean muscle mass. I basically lost a whole extra person in terms of the weight that I was carrying around.)

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I started out trying to best my previous run’s speed every time I went out. I think I thought faster was better, and that’s probably what led to my hamstring injury (I also had no clue about the need to warmup before a run, so that was a contributor as well).

Now, ever since doing a training plan for my last half that emphasized zone 2 running and varying weekly runs (intervals, Fartleks, easy runs, etc.), if I’m not training for anything in particular, I’m trying to learn how to just enjoy the run.

I’m a competitive person, so I tend to think in those terms, but running is something I crave now, so when I go out to run and I’m not training, I just want to enjoy myself and reach a goal — a distance or time I want to hit that day.

Running in Texas in the summer can be a real challenge. The temperature yesterday afternoon “felt like 104” according to my weather app. Running four miles in that is draining, so my focus on hot afternoon runs is just to take it easy and pace myself.

As I said above, I really want to train for and complete a full marathon. I had planned to do the one in Dallas in December where I ran my first half. But I did not have time to start training adequately back when I needed to so that I’d be ready for that race.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I balance my running with having a family and with a very busy full-time job as a university professor and administrator. Though my kids are grown, two of them attend college where I work, so they don’t live at home, but they’re still in town.

And I try to balance it with my relationship with my wife as well. I am fortunate that my job allows me the flexibility to run during the day, as long as I keep up with the work — which is often a challenge!

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I think the main thing way this journey has helped me and changed me is furthering something I learned a long time ago: I can do hard things if I work at it, even things I never imagined I could do. I’m especially enjoying being in the best shape of my life at the age of 54 and pushing myself to achieve new things physically when I never emphasized that before.

I have never been a person who liked exercise, but now I feel like I have to do something physical every day. And as I’ve lost weight and kept it off, my overall energy level is such that I feel antsy if I don’t do something physical every day.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I think my limit will be successfully completing a full marathon. Once I do that, I’m sure I’ll want to do it again, but I don’t know if an ultra is in my plans, and I’m not sure running in the World Majors is realistic for me. I would love to be able to train for and complete a full, any full, and then do one of the majors just to be able to say that I finished New York or Boston.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I honestly just love getting out there and listening to music or a podcast, feeling every step and thinking about how far I’ll go that day. It’s still a joy to be able to get out there and do it after never being able to before.

I do occasionally get bored of my routes and change things up for that reason. I have very few places to run in my small town outside Waco, so unless I want to hop in the car and drive somewhere else, I usually get stuck on the same few stretches of road that are safe for running.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I would tell that kid not to let himself get so far gone in terms of weight and fitness that the road back would seem so challenging. But I would also tell him that he can do so much more than he thinks he can with his body and mind.

And most importantly, I’d tell him something I’m still trying to internalize: that you must learn to find joy in the journey and not only in the result. That is true for my professional/artistic pursuits as a professor and filmmaker and for my physical pursuits as a runner.

I’m trying, still, to learn to just enjoy what I can do and not base my sense of accomplishment or happiness on where I stand against everyone else doing whatever I’m doing.

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Now, without further ado… today we hear from Lana Rodriguez, a longtime THM reader whose life has taken her on a journey from small-town Texas to a career in the U.S. Navy, and now back to Texas where she lives with her family.

She played all kinds of sports growing up, but didn’t take up running until the mid-2010s because (like a lot of us, I imagine!) she dreaded doing it whenever coaches asked her to. Fast forward to today and she has learned the value of finding things out on her own, and discovered a joy in running she never thought possible.

I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Lana Rodriguez. I'm from a small Texas town, Hearne, Texas, which is close to College Station, Texas, home of the fightin' Texas Aggies- whoop! I currently reside in Brenham, Texas, home of Bluebell ice cream. I am 44 years young, and feel as if I'm on my fourth or fifth life now.

Two months after graduating high school, I shipped off to Navy boot camp and did nine years in the U.S. Navy where I worked with a couple of different weapon systems on ships in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and San Diego, Calif. Towards the end of my Navy career, I went to school at night and became a licensed skin care therapist, totally changing career paths.

In 2009, I moved back home to Texas with my two very young children, and worked two jobs while going to college at Texas A&M and graduated in 2014 with a degree in Communication and Journalism. (I was the first person in my direct family to get a college degree, and still the only one so far.) I have written for some small Texas-based magazines and also for the college of liberal arts at Texas A&M.

In 2015, I (finally) landed a federal career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an HR assistant, and over the last 10 years, I've worked my way up to become a Supervisory HR Specialist.

I have two children, my daughter is in college at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas, and my son is a senior in high school this year. My husband and I also have four Yorkies — Rossi, Coco, Audi and Nico. I love to travel but do not do it often enough.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Currently, I only run on the weekends — Saturday and Sunday, and I do four to five miles each of the days. I drive to town — I live about eight miles outside of the city, and it's not a safe area to run because of a gravel road and busy highway — to a nice park to run or go to the gym if the park is packed with sporting events or pouring rain. Light rain never stops me from running outside!

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was very athletic growing up, but did not like running at all. Running was my least favorite part of training. I remember dreading it!

I played every sport, but spent most of my time devoted to softball. I played little league, and in junior high and high school. My family did not have money to let me play in the leagues that cost money. The position I played was catcher, although I did play third base sometimes.

I also played while I was in the Navy on my ships' teams. Other sports played: volleyball, basketball, golf and track (high jump). I was always doing something, never sitting still. My mom played softball when I was very young and had my sister and I at the softball fields most weeknights.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I was inspired by one of my cousins. She has run full marathons in many cities, including the Boston Marathon. In 2012 and 2013, I was going through a weight loss journey — I have always struggled with weight and being bigger than my siblings and cousins — and was very active in a local gym.

I was working with a trainer, and I kept hearing about how much fun people would have at races, and signed up for a Thanksgiving Turkey trot 5K. I had a friend and her husband that encouraged me and said that they would do it with me. I did it and had the best time.

Ever since that race, I've done at least a dozen 5K races, several 10K races, and three half marathons. I plan to do another half this December (the BCS Marathon) and a 5K each in September, October and November (the Gourdy's Pumpkin/Fall Runs.)

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I have ran further since that first 5K. I have not, however, been interested at all in a full marathon. Running makes me feel so good — If I miss my weekend runs, I feel “off.” Not complete, or something like that. I think a lot when I run, and even listen to my entire church services on Sundays when we do not attend in person.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I have a family. My son is a senior, and my job is very mentally intense and exhausting. I blame this for [my] not running during the week. Once I get off work (6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) I just do not feel that I have the energy to run.

I am looking for ways to overcome this feeling of fatigue and make myself go and get in some runs after work during the week. I'm hoping if the weather cools off in the upcoming months that I will be more motivated. It's been pretty toasty here in Texas, and the hottest time of day also coincides with the time that I get off of work.

My family knows that I run on the weekends and they let me have my "me time" without question. My son has done one 10K with me, the Bluebell Fun Run. He said he was miserable. He plans to join the military next year, so maybe after he runs more, he will eventually love it too. (Maybe? LOL)

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Running helped me achieve weight loss goals many times over the last years. It's helped me achieve physical endurance and mental clarity — most every weekend.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I have learned that with minimal training that I can run 13.1 miles — a thing I never thought possible more than half of my life.

My body also remembers that I can run that far, so if I can get my brain and breathing in check and on board, running isn’t hard at all. I also learned to love running, versus thinking it was horrible, and how much it does for my mind and soul, not just my body.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I would like to do another half marathon each year. I have slacked off and not done one in a couple of years. I would also like to travel and do some runs in other places.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

The feeling afterwards — mind, body, soul — is what keeps me going. As mentioned previously, I feel "off" or incomplete in a way if I do not get in at least two runs a week.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I would tell that kid to be more open minded. At a young age it's easy to take what others say, do, think and feel, and let them influence you, positively and negatively.

It's better to experience things and make your own opinion of them. That’s how you break generational curses — you do better, learn and grow outside of where you grew up, so that your children and their children will do and be better!

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Now, without further ado… today we hear from my friend Cathie Caimano, who started running in a consistent way during college yet never considered herself a “real” runner. Not until she met her now-husband Jeff, that is, when she was in her mid-forties.

Fast forward to today and she has accomplished things she never thought possible before then — including running the New York City Marathon, a 100-kilometer ultramarathon, and a 400-day-long running streak — all by simply sticking with it.

I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I'm Cathie Caimano — also known as “Fr. Cathie.” I'm an Episcopal priest, and I live near Charlotte, N.C. (on the shores of beautiful Lake Norman). I'm 58 years old, married to Jeff, an accomplished triathlete and coach — though he has a day job! He also coaches me.

We have three grown kids, two daughters-in-law, and we're soon-to-be first time grandparents. We also have an adorable and thoroughly spoiled Great Dane.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Right now I run four days a week, about 25 to 30 miles. I run 45 minutes on weekdays, 60+ minutes on Saturdays. I'm currently training for a half marathon, so I'll work my way up to two-plus hours of running on Saturdays.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was an athletic kid. I grew up in the days of kids running around and playing outside, so we were constantly playing pick-up games of soccer, basketball, tag, etc., in the neighborhood where I lived. I played basketball in high school, and generally loved gym class.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I always loved running, and knew I was a runner. Somehow, though, when I was young — all the way through high school — I just thought I wasn't a “good enough” runner, so I never did it with any seriousness. I was never on the track or cross country team — I was too insecure to try.

But when I went to college, I started running every day! I was in Washington, D.C., so I would head out and run along the tow path on the Potomac, down to the museums (I would duck in and look at an exhibit, all sweaty, then run back). I loved to run through the zoo. It was my time to just be with myself and explore.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

Since college, I just kind of ran on weekends, and occasionally did races, but I never thought about being a “good” runner. I went to seminary in New York City and again, I used running to relax and sight-see. I did start watching the NYC Marathon in person — and I vowed someday I would run it!

When I met my husband, though, things changed. I was 46 then — I'm a late bloomer in love and in running. Jeff is a serious athlete, and he encouraged and challenged me to take my running seriously. And I did! And a whole new part of my life opened up.

I started running farther and faster. I did run the NYC marathon — in 2014, just weeks before Jeff and I married. I started placing in my age group — and winning! I ran a sub-two-hour half marathon when I was 53 (1:59:53!) — the fastest I've ever run.

A few years later, I ran an ultramarathon — 100k. I did a 400-plus day running streak. I started thinking of myself as an athlete — and loving it!

Also, I joined a running group in 2014 — it evolved as part of a run training group. We're an informal group — the Cornelius Crawlers! — but we've been together for over a decade, running almost every Saturday together.

We attend each others' life events: weddings — and even funerals. We run races together — and endlessly dissect our ups and downs as athletes. We've become like family, and this has been such an amazing gift to my running and my life.

We now have our own race — the Crawlers Marathon (and half!), the last Saturday of the year. We run and crew each other. We even have prizes! Then a party after.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I mostly work from home — I have my own online ministry: , as well as serving a small congregation. So that makes it easier to run during the week — though I do work almost all weekends and holidays! So this makes scheduling races somewhat of a challenge.

I serve my church only two Sundays a month — partially because they're a small community, and partially because it makes it easier to race. Also, my husband has big races, too! So we look at our calendars every year and plan our “A” events, then “B” events around those. We probably do about six to eight athletic events total a year. We're both accomplished crew members, as well as athletes 😊

Our kids are grown — though we're expecting our first grandchild in the fall! So now we're planning our races around being near our grandbaby 😊

Running is so crucial to my physical, mental, and spiritual health that it is right at the center of my life. It helps that the other centers of my life, prayer and time with my husband, are also intertwined with my running!

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

SO much! But I will say that finishing the NYC marathon was absolutely, without question, the moment I was proudest of myself. I did not know if I could do that — and I did. It hurt, it was hard, it was freezing cold that day, and it proved to me that I really am stronger than I think I am.

There's a photo of me when I finished (I'm attaching it below) where I am just sobbing for joy. It's my favorite photo of me, ever.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Running has taught me about my limits, and about overcoming them. It's brought me closer to God, and to myself, my husband, my friends. What's changed? Now I know I'm good enough. I take myself seriously as an athlete.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

Right now I have one goal: be a fast old lady!

I'm so inspired by older athletes, especially women, who are really blazing trails and breaking records. Right now my fastest times and longest distances are in my fifties. As I look towards 60 (I'll be 59 in a few weeks), I want my personal bests to be in that decade. I want to keep pushing my limits.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I rarely get bored running, but I do have to set challenges before me. I have embraced my competitive nature, and now I want that age group podium every time I race (or top 10% if it is a big race). I joke about it, but it's true: every starting line feels like the Olympics for me. I love it!

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

You are a real runner.

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There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:

The response has surpassed all my expectations, and the stories that have poured in have bowled me over, each and every one of them. It’s been so much fun, and so moving, to get to know each of you better and hear your stories — that’s the whole reason why I write the newsletter, as they’ve become by far the most fulfilling part of it.

Today we hear from Alexandra Schweigert, who took up running just a few years ago and already has accomplished a lot — and learned a lot. One of my favorite things she said, which you’ll read below, was learning not to get too caught up with speed and other performance-based metrics: now, she’s moved “from a performance-based mindset to one rooted in longevity, enjoyment, and self-care.”

I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

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So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

Hi there! I’m Alexandra (she/her), a 30-year-old living just outside Ann Arbor, Mich. I’m a dog mom, a sister, a partner, a friend, a runner, and a writer.

I grew up in a 2,000-person mountain town outside Denver, Colo. — the kind of place where you ran barefoot all summer, disappeared until the streetlights came on, and thought a “traffic jam” was a deer in the road.

I studied International Studies and Political Science for my B.A., then earned an M.A. in Global Community Engagement, which opened the door to a lot of travel. I set a goal to visit 30 countries by the age of 30, and hit it just three days after my birthday last December. (Thank you, Turkish Airlines stopover program.)

After that milestone, I wanted a new challenge for a new decade of life. I landed on the somewhat-common goal of running a half marathon in all 50 U.S. states. Since I’ve always been a writer (I’ve published a workbook and a few pieces in magazines like Bella Grace), I decided to chronicle this goal on a new Substack, From State to Finish.

By day, I work in alumni engagement for a university. By night and weekend, I love being outdoors, finding cute coffee shops, or hanging out with a good beer on the deck.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Michigan seasons definitely shape my training. In the summer, I average 25 to 35 miles a week. Once the school year starts and work ramps up, I settle into more of a 15- to 20-mile groove.

I run three to five days a week: two recovery runs, two more focused training runs (speed work, intervals, fartlek), and one long run to build endurance. I also mix in two to three CrossFit sessions.

I love the strength benefits, but honestly, I stay for the people. CrossFitters, like runners, are a unique breed and I love the quick nature of it, and how frequently the workout changes.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was athletic as a kid. I was a competitive gymnast through high school, spending about 15 hours a week in the gym. In college, I made the cheer team my freshman year. I loved it, but by sophomore year, I wanted the freedom to just be a student.

Endurance sports didn’t enter my life until after college, when I realized I needed to design my own workouts. Running filled the gap: I could stay active, move on my own schedule, and still feel like I was working toward something.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

My mom was a college track star, so running was always in the background. I dabbled in it during college and my early post-grad years, but in 2020, when Covid hit, running took on new meaning.

I started reading running blogs and newsletters, and I got excited about how much I could accomplish when running was part of my routine. I noticed my thoughts felt clearer after runs and energy spiked.

After Covid, I made a big leap and packed up my life in Colorado to move to Michigan on a bit of a whim. I didn’t know many people yet, so I was spending a lot of time in my own head and looking for ways to fill my days. That’s when I began running more seriously.

That summer, I completed three Michigan half marathons (two official organized races and one just-for-fun run organized by a running company). Running quickly became more than just a workout — it was a way to build community, find stability, and anchor myself during a brand-new chapter of life.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I don’t know that I run farther or faster, but I definitely run more consistently. I’m proudly part of the “10-minute mile club,” and in the early days, I felt like I always had to be pushing myself — faster paces, longer distances, bigger goals. Over time, I’ve realized running doesn’t have to be a constant chase for improvement.

These days, my focus is more on fueling my love for the sport and appreciating the lessons it teaches me. I’ve learned so much about the importance of warming up, cooling down, slowing down on easy days, and dialing in my nutrition and hydration to avoid injury and feel my best. My relationship with running has shifted from a performance-based mindset to one rooted in longevity, enjoyment, and self-care.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Sometimes I balance running better than others. While I’d love to be a parent someday, I’m very aware of the privilege of time I have right now. I care for my dog, have a committed relationship, maintain a full social life, and enjoy hobbies outside of running — but I’ve been fortunate to build in plenty of time for my training.

That said, I’ve also learned that making time to run is never just about logging miles. When I’m running regularly, I show up better in every other part of my life. I’m more creative and productive at work, more attentive in my relationships, and more present in my day-to-day life.

Running has become one of the cornerstones of my well-being, and I’ve seen firsthand how taking time for it pays back in energy, patience, and focus.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I think one of the biggest things running has given me is proof that I can stick with something even when it’s not easy or exciting every day. Training for races has taught me to show up for myself over and over again, even on the days when my legs feel heavy or the weather is terrible. I’ve been able to apply that same persistence to my work and personal life.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Running has taught me that consistency beats perfection every time. I used to think progress only came from pushing harder and going faster, but over time I’ve learned that showing up — even on the days I don’t feel like it — matters more.

It’s also made me more patient with myself. I’ve learned to celebrate small wins, like finishing a tough run or nailing my hydration, instead of only focusing on big milestones. Since I started, I’ve become more resilient, more disciplined, and a lot more comfortable with the idea that growth happens slowly, but it sticks.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

My entire Substack is about running a half marathon in every U.S. state, so that’s the big dream I’m chasing right now: 50 runs, 50 states. It’s part running goal, part travel adventure, and part personal growth journey.

Beyond that, I’d love to try a Ragnar Relay one day. There’s something about the idea of running through the night, relying on a team, and sharing in that gritty, sleep-deprived camaraderie that sounds both ridiculous and amazing.

I’m also open to seeing where running takes me as my life changes... maybe that’s longer distances someday, maybe it’s pacing others, or maybe it’s simply continuing to run for joy and health for decades to come.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I think the easiest way to keep running fresh is to build variety into your training plan through different types of runs, distances, routes, running partners, even playlists. It keeps things interesting and challenges you in new ways.

Earlier I mentioned cross-training, and that’s been key for me too. On days when I’m just not feeling a run, I can still bike, row, or do strength work and know I’m contributing to my running goals.

When it comes to finding new motivation, there are endless possibilities. We live in such a tech-friendly world that makes it easy to connect with runners everywhere. I use Pinterest, running apps like Nike Run Club and Strava, and even TikTok or Instagram for fresh ideas. Surprisingly, some of my favorite workouts and routes have come from random posts by other runners online — it’s like getting inspired by a global running community.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I was a wild, free-spirited kid, and while I’ve kept some of that energy, adulthood has a way of dulling the magic. If I could talk to my 10-year-old self, I’d tell her to hang onto it for as long as possible.

Keep running barefoot down the block. Keep whispering secrets under the moonlight. Don’t take life too seriously. And whenever an opportunity comes your way, no matter how intimidating, say yes. That sense of wonder and boldness will take you far.

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There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:

To a person, every story you’ve shared has moved me, made me think and made me feel — and, they’ve helped me feel closer to the community we’ve all built here together over these past few years, as this is what makes doing this newsletter mean so much to me.

Today, we hear from , whose life has taken him across the U.S. and now lives with his family in Utah. He’s had some big ups and some equally big downs in his life (as he shares below), but through it all I’m incredibly moved by how he has learned from all his experiences — nothing has gone to waste, he has truly taken the time to do some real self-searching.

I know you’ll enjoy his story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Mike Mabe. I am, first-and-foremost, a husband, father, and Christian. I am 39 years old. I am a senior superintendent in commercial construction. I have lived all over the country, but I currently live in Utah and intend to be here for the long haul.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

I run six days per week. My average running mileage is around 70 miles per week. I, also, lift three times per week. For my shorter runs (six to eight miles), I run on my lunch break. For anything over 10 miles, I will get up before work to knock it out.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I played basketball growing up but was not very good at it. I, also, ran track in high school. My events were the 800-meter, mile, and two-mile. I was, at best, an average runner. A long run for me at that time was five miles.

Health and fitness were not a big focus in my household growing up. We weren't unhealthy, but we didn't make decisions in our eating habits or daily activities that surrounded fitness. Most of what we did was yard work and home remodeling.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

My father was a decent miler in high school track. When I was a teen, he told me a story that made an impression on me and got me started in running.

After serving a mission for our church, he attended college in Idaho. He was on a scholarship playing the drums in the marching band. However, he really enjoyed track and went to open tryouts. The warm-up was conducted by a current distance athlete for the track team. My father did the warm-up [but] was gassed by the end. That was juxtaposed to the current distance athlete who didn't even look like he had run a single stride. That intimidated my father, so he left the track that day and didn't run another day in his life.

He told me this story and said he regretted quitting. Looking back on it, he knew he could have regained the fitness to run with that athlete. He just let fear make the decision, rather than facing it.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I got into running in high school, but I was average at best. Running took on greater significance for me after high school, while I was incarcerated.

After high school, I spent 18 months in prison. I started in a lockdown unit for about three months before being sent to a facility operated by the Army National Guard.

Every morning, we did physical training. We would wake up at 6:00 a.m., rush out to the deck and do various body weight exercises — push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, lunges, flutter kicks, etc. That was followed by 15 minutes of running on a gravel road that stretched the length of the facility. Most of the inmates walked, but I really enjoyed pushing to go further each day in the 15-minute time limit.

About six months into being there, Mr. Larry, who was a guard, was given permission to gather a select group of inmates to compete in a national competition against many ROTC programs. I, along with seven others, were selected and separated off for physical training three times per day. I spent two months preparing by running countless laps on the gravel path and lifting weights.

At the competition, I competed in the 800-meter, mile, and two-mile events. I still remember running the mile event like it was yesterday. My parents were allowed to come to the competition. They dropped everything and drove out.

I lined up with the other runners. Looking to my left and right, the other runners, in my mind's eye, appeared stronger and faster. I was intimidated. When the gun went off, my hesitant start reflected my intimidation.

I dropped immediately to the back of the pack. It was a familiar position for me, since it was where I often found myself throughout high school at track meets.

Despite being intimidated and being at the back of the pack, I willed myself to meet the runners directly in front of me stride-for-stride. Their strides were so graceful and effortless, while my strides felt heavy and forced. However, I kept up with the chase.

I continued to match their stride through the first two laps. When I passed into the third lap, I looked up and saw my dad. He was standing in the field on the other side of the track. Our eyes met and he nodded his head. It was a small gesture, but it was enough. Suddenly, I wasn't in a competition with military cadets. I was on the gravel path alone.

Past the first turn of the third lap, I surged into the second lane and passed the small group ahead of me. I cut back into the first lane in the middle of the pack, around the second turn. Once on the straightaway again, I maneuvered around two more runners.

The bell rang loudly for the last lap as I passed it. Surveying the field ahead of me, I realized I was in fifth place. First and second were out of reach, but fourth and third were well within reach. I, also, noticed my dad. He was in the same spot in the field, but he wasn't standing calmly like before. He was leaping up-and-down and motioning wildly with his arm for me to keep pushing.

On the first straightaway, I surged ahead and passed fourth before getting back on the inner lane for the final turn. Third was just a few strides ahead, but was pushing the pace going into that final stretch. I matched him stride-for-stride. I couldn't see my father, but could hear him yelling, “that's it, son! That's it!”

On the final stretch, I was locked in a dead sprint for the finish line with third. I watched him out of my peripheral and noticed he kept turning his head to look at me. Just then I knew I had it. If I could just keep sprinting, he would break. I was on that gravel path alone. Just me and the stretch of road ahead. It all felt so natural.

About 10 meters from the finish, third slackened his stride and I soared passed him to the finish line. The cheering at the finish was loud, but above all of it I could hear my father.

It was an incredible moment. One that both he and I remember with satisfaction. Getting on the podium at the mile was the first time I felt any sense of accomplishment.

Now, I run mountain ultra-marathons. I have had the fortunate opportunity to run with the elites in a few UTMB world series events. I haven't been able to keep up with them for a full race yet, but I am working on that.

I love the sport, but I love how it has evolved my family culture. My wife, kids, and parents have come to most of the events. We are developing the belief that we are able to accomplish what we want if we are diligent in our pursuit of it.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I am a meticulous scheduler. Every Sunday, I spend an hour planning out my week. I block out time for work and family, then I put in my training where I can. If that means I am getting up at 3:00 a.m. for a run, then that is what it means.

My list of priorities are family, God, work, then running. I plan and then execute, with a commitment to be present in the moment. If I am at home, I am at home. If I am at work, I am at work. If I am running, then I am running.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I recently ran the Speedgoat 50K. It didn't go according to plan. I ran in the top twenty for about half the race, then the wheels came off.

About a mile out from the finish, I ended up in a foot race with a 20-year-old in front of me. I was able to chase him down. He sped up for about a quarter mile before pulling off to the side. I thought he was relenting, but then saw him puke. I stopped at his side, placed my hand on his shoulder, and, while offering my hand I said, “let's finish this together, brother.” He wiped his mouth, smiled, took my hand, and we ran the last quarter mile to the finish together.

I have suffered like that in races and have had similar kindness extended to me. That's one of the many things I love about this sport. We are competing against each other, because it is a race; however, we are in the trenches together and forming a unique bond. It didn't seem so much like a conscious act of kindness that I committed as just fulfilling the culture of the sport.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Remain humble and hungry. As “Bad-A” as you might think you are, there is always someone bigger and badder. You better be ready to face them.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I want to podium at some of the worlds most competitive mountain ultra-marathons. I am actually writing about my experience on my Substack. Feel free to check it out!

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I am not motivated to run all the time. I don't know anyone who can stay motivated forever. When I am staring at my shoes and struggling to put them on, I just remember why I am doing this. I am trying to accomplish something that seems near impossible for two reasons:

1. I want that to be the culture with which my kids grow up. If you want something, go get it.

2. I want to bring hope to the hopeless. After all, if an ex-con without an ounce of natural talent can accomplish something as crazy as running with the top one percent in the world, then what does that say about what you can accomplish?

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

Keep your head up, kid, and grind.

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There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:

Your responses, what you’ve shared with me and with everyone here at THM, has blown me away. I love hearing people’s life stories, and getting this window into yours has been so much fun — it’s made me feel closer to the community we’ve all built here together over these past few years, and it’s what makes doing this newsletter mean so much to me.

Today, we hear from Corrina Terry, a native of Las Vegas (and a longtime THM subscriber) whose enthusiasm for running first began when she was nearing 30, having just had her first child and searching for a way to get back in shape. Little did she know the journey she had set out on, one she’d later discover would become “a metaphor for life.”

I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours, please know I’d love to hear it. Reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there! — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Corrina Hall Terry. I am 55 years old this week. I was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. My mom and her dad were raised here, while my dad and his family are from southern Utah. I have a lot of relatives both here and in Southern Utah.

I lived in Provo, Utah; Laie, Hawaii; and Salt Lake City, Utah, during my late teens through my early thirties, when I moved back home.

I am an English teacher at a vocational high school here in Las Vegas. (My husband is also from here. We actually grew up together. People always ask if we knew any mafia people when we were growing up. We did. The mafia guys who die in the movie Casino? We knew their kids. We went to school with them.)

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

A couple of years ago during Covid, you interviewed several running coaches. I chose one of them ( from Fitness Protection Program). She really upped my running game. I needed it.

During the school year, I run after school during the week and Saturday mornings. During summers and holidays, I run in the morning. Las Vegas can get down to the 30’s in the winter, but we rarely get snow or rain, so I am able to run in the winter without an issue.

The summers are hot, as you can imagine. I wake up very early (4:30 a.m. or so) and try to get out the door by 5:30 a.m. I follow the monthly schedule that M.K. gives me, as well as strength training and weight lifting.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was an athletic kid growing up, but my love was swimming. I grew up with a swimming pool and was on the high school swim team for a year before I discovered I could get a job and have my own car, so I unfortunately let the swimming go. My parents were very active running, swimming, and playing tennis, until they hit their fifties. They really influenced me to be active.

In college I would go to the indoor pool about once a week and swim laps. I loved it. It took me six years to get through college because I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, but I always took a P.E. class and an English class. Go figure. Now I run a lot and I’m an English teacher. (I ended up getting a degree in English, focusing on literature.)

I really let myself go physically after graduating from college though. I tried walking, but wasn’t consistent. Something was missing.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I got into running because after I had my son I was 29 years old, 35 pounds overweight, and I felt miserable. There was no indoor pool near where we lived that I had access to, so swimming was not an option.

I had always wanted to pick up running, but I was kind of afraid, which sounds weird now, but I didn’t know if I could do it. I had had consistent dreams since I was a little kid about running though and that idea of becoming a runner wouldn’t go away.

My husband at the time (first husband) told me to start easy. He told me to start with walking a block and jogging a block and I did that for a mile. I had terrible shoes, no running clothes whatsoever, and we were totally poor, so none of the accessories we count on today. (He was in college and working at the time and I had stopped working after our son was born.)

I had no idea what I was doing, but I had this dream of doing it and so I did. I slowly built up my jogging blocks and decreased by walking blocks until I could jog a whole mile. I owe him a lot for getting me started.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I do not run a lot faster today than I did all of those years ago, but I can run much farther. Also my interest in running has become a huge part of my life. It was 26 years ago when I started and there were no AirPods back then and we were broke, so I learned to run without listening to music.

Even now I only listen to music on Saturdays and during races. I use my running time to think about things, pray, and try to figure out the answers to the problems in my life and those around me. So running, to me, is really a spiritual time when I talk to God and wind down. It has really helped me mentally, physically, and spiritually.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

My current husband and I have been married for almost 18 years and we raised our two boys together. (One from each of our previous marriages.) They are grown and out of the house, so I have a lot of free time now.

When they were little guys, I would get up early on Saturdays and run before everyone woke up, so I could be there for breakfast. Back then I wasn’t running very far, so it didn’t take me long. During the week, I’d pick them up after school and go on a quick run. My husband worked from home at the time, so it was easy.

Now I balance running with teaching and my church calling, which is working with the youth. We also have two mini dachshunds, which are fun and they love walks.

I have enough free time that I can put in two hours on Saturdays and take my time running after school during the week. I think my husband feels like a running widower, so I try to encourage him to walk or run with me. He’s really sweet about supporting me at my races and will run them once in a while.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

I am proud that I can run half marathons. I never dreamed I’d be able to do that when I started. I ran my 25th half marathon in May! This has really built my self-confidence in running and in life. I keep my medals on my wall at school and tell my students that if I can train and run these races, they can do difficult things too.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Running has become my metaphor for life. It has pushed me and challenged me to become a much better person than I was when I started. It’s taught me patience, discipline, and endurance. I learned that I am stronger than I ever thought possible. I think we underestimate ourselves and what we are capable of.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I seriously hope I can be one of those ladies who is 93 and still running. I’d like to keep running two to three half marathons a year.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I rarely get bored with running. I love being outside alone running, especially after being inside with teenagers all day. Having a coach has kept me challenged. Our workouts change every month, so there’s always something new to look forward to. Plus I try to sign up for two to three races a year and that gives me something to look forward to and work towards.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I would tell myself that I can run and don’t be afraid to start. I would also tell myself not to be so hard on myself. Forgiving yourself for your mistakes is as important as forgiving others.

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Those words have echoed for me as I’ve read the stories you’ve shared with me, and which I’ve been sharing with all of you here these past few months. Every single one has moved me and shown me something new about this amazing community we’ve built here together over the years.

Today, we hear from longtime THM reader , who’s become someone I call a friend over the past year or two, as we’ve had a chance to correspond and talk by phone, even though he lives on the other side of the world from me, in Israel. (The world really is very small now, isn’t it?)

I know you’ll love Shmuel’s story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours too, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I’m Shmuel Chaim Naiman, a 36-year-old Orthodox Jew originally from Baltimore, Md., now living in Israel with my wonderful wife Tamar and our children Avital (age 10), Eitan (3), and Achiya (1).

I work as a rabbi and spiritual mentor at the local Yeshivat Lev HaTorah, and as a foraging guide in the natural world of Israel. I’m also a certified health coach.

Over the years, I've developed a broad perspective on health and wellness, especially related to life in Israel. My interests include history, geography, hiking, archaeology, and foraging edible and medicinal plants.

Much of my work is under my Healthy Jew brand, which began here on Substack. I’m passionate about helping people integrate their spiritual lives with their physical experiences. Caring for our health — physically, mentally, and emotionally — isn't only essential for spirituality; it’s the starting point for all good choices.

Another core part of my identity is being a walker, hiker, and runner.

As I often say, the key to Healthy Jewish living is "moving from here to there" — journeying toward goals beyond today's reach. While this applies spiritually, it also begins literally: intentionally and effortfully walking, hiking, and running. The metaphor only holds meaning when grounded in physical movement.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

I run 5 kilometers once or twice a week. I consider myself a basic runner — committed but not extraordinary. I've tried longer and shorter distances, but I always come back to 5K.

It takes about half an hour, a perfect block of time to regularly invest in health, whether through running, meditation, or yoga. It shifts me from my comfort zone into my “effort zone” without consuming too much of my day.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I wasn’t athletic at all growing up — I was the town klutz, always chosen last for baseball and sent to “outer-outer” left field. My early memories of fitness aren’t particularly positive. But my parents — especially my mother — raised us with a strong emphasis on healthy living, which ultimately sparked my later interest in health and fitness.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

Over a decade ago, during a prolonged personal crisis, a mentor suggested creating a plan for survival. A core part of that plan was taking a brisk 30-minute walk every day. The first weeks were tough — my legs ached terribly — but I quickly felt happier and more energetic. I stuck with it, and as my body strengthened, my mind and spirit followed.

After about a year of walking, I started running, which further increased my strength and stability. Running is immersive motion — transforming me physically into the "to" of the journey from "here to there."

Especially during stressful times — like what we've experienced in Israel over the past two years — running keeps me centered. I discuss this extensively in my recent book, Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I reached 5K after about half a year, and that's been my standard ever since. Years ago, I occasionally finished under 25 minutes, and sometimes I wonder if I could do that again today. But I'm content with my usual 28 to 32 minute range. For me, running is more lifestyle than sport.

I put my more intense effort into hiking. I regularly set out into Israel’s mountains and fields, carrying full camping gear for three to four days, sometimes covering over 20 miles daily in temperatures above 90 degrees. I enjoy pushing myself in that way.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Great question! Yes, I have a busy family and work life, so I don't schedule a specific day or time for running. I simply ensure it happens at least once a week, usually after a decent night's sleep.

For example, last night we had fewer air-raid sirens than usual [this interview was recorded during the Israel-Iran war], so I slept nearly eight hours and plan to run this evening after grocery shopping.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

It’s hard to pinpoint a specific achievement, but overall, running has greatly contributed to making me more functional and happier than I was as a teen or young adult. It significantly helps with my tendencies toward anxiety, obsessiveness, and frustration. Running also gives me more physical and emotional energy, strength, flexibility, and agility.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

If I can run, anyone can. I'm not naturally athletic, but simply showing up consistently has had a powerful positive impact on my life.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

Honestly, I don't even know what a World Marathon Major is. I've read Born to Run, so I’m familiar with ultras and respect people who do them — but they don't really interest me personally. If I can keep running 5K twice a week for life, I'll be happy. Maybe someday I'll push to 10K, but I'd first need a convincing reason.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

Another good question. Running itself can sometimes feel boring, but the benefits are so immediate and meaningful that I keep going. If I haven't run in a while, I feel a restless tension that signals it’s time to get back out there.

I also find it helpful to approach running as a meditation. I don't listen to podcasts or music. I usually run alone, focusing on my breathing, the rhythm of motion, or the feeling of my feet on the ground. Staying fully present in the moment naturally works through feelings of boredom.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

Hmm, this question is a bit uncomfortable; perhaps I still have work to do in therapy on that. But it does make me reflect on how far I've come. At age 10, I couldn't have imagined myself becoming a regular runner, or dedicating so much of my life to physical health and encouraging others along the same path.

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Ever since, your responses have blown me away — I love hearing people’s life stories, and getting this window into yours has been so much fun. It’s made me feel closer to the community we’ve all built here together over these past few years, and it’s what makes doing this newsletter mean so much to me.

Today, we hear from Alexandra Flynn, a Canadian (and a longtime THM subscriber) who’s traveled around the world to run in amazing races — most of the marathon majors, in fact. What I really love about her story, though, is how she fits a (very!) active running life into a larger, very full life — how each complements the other.

I know you’ll enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours too, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I’m Alexandra, 50 years old, living in Vancouver, Canada. I’m a law professor at the University of British Columbia, where I work on the constitutional status of cities and housing law. I’m also a mom, a writer, a runner, a board game player, a friend, a partner, and an aunt. My life is full and often chaotic—but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

It depends on what I’m training for. Over the past two years, I’ve been training for marathons, so I typically run four to five times a week. Weekday runs are shorter — between six and 10K — with a longer weekend run anywhere from 15 to 30K. Right now, I’m letting my body recover after running four marathons, so I’m down to two to three shorter runs per week.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

Not at all — I actually failed [gym class in] kindergarten! I was the kid who dreaded gym class and any group sport. The cause was uncontrolled asthma, which improved when I left home for university.

In retrospect, I was very active throughout my life: I loved walking, biking, swimming, exploring, and I was a lifeguard. My single mom supported me with lessons, even though money was tight and she worked long hours. We weren’t an especially active family, but my mom always encouraged my curiosity and independence.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

I got into running in my early thirties when we had our first son. It was something my husband and I could do to stay active without a need for a fixed schedule. We trained for our first half marathon with a running group and were so grateful for their kindness as we pushed him in his stroller. My husband didn’t love it as much as I did, but we still run 10Ks together — and every year with our sons, too!

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

Yes, definitely both farther and faster. At first, I could barely run three kilometers without stopping. I’ve since run six marathons and dozens of half-marathons. I’m not very fast, but I’m steady and stubborn.

Running gave me something I didn’t know I needed: a way to rewrite the story I told myself about my body. I used to think it was weak or unable. I now know that anything is possible — sometimes slow, sometimes tired — but I’m here, still moving. I’ve learned to enjoy pushing my limits in a way that feels expansive.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

Our two sons are now (unimaginably) 17 and 20, with the youngest starting university next year. So carving out time for longer runs is much easier than it used to be.

With a full professional life and aging parents-in-law to support, I have to be purposeful with my time. Running is something I claim for myself. It’s where I breathe. It helps me stay healthy — physically, emotionally, and mentally. Running in my fifties feels different than it did in my thirties. I’m more patient, more grateful, but also more determined.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Running gave me the strength to do hard things. It’s taught me that I can do anything if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I ran the New York Marathon while working full-time, doing a PhD, and parenting young kids.

Running also helped me grieve after losing my mom in 2020, giving my sadness movement, rhythm, breath. Whenever I face a challenge, I think of the marathons I’ve run — that this hard moment will end, and I can get through it. Running has also deepened my compassion for others going through something difficult. I dedicate every run to someone in my life who has or is struggling.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I’ve learned how hard I am on myself and how to be kinder. I’ve spun out far too often over not being fast enough and can still get stuck in negative self-talk. I’m learning to meet that voice with curiosity and love. I say to myself, “You’ve got this. I love you,” during tough stretches.

I’ve also started listening more closely to my body rather than criticizing it — for example, I recently learned that my asthma isn’t as well controlled as I thought. It’s been a big journey — one of self-awareness, compassion, and learning to truly listen to myself.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I’d love to run all six World Marathon Majors. I’ve finished five — New York (2014), London, Berlin, and Chicago (2024), and Boston (2025). So Tokyo is next, hopefully in 2026! After that, who knows? I’m not drawn to ultras (yet), but I love challenging hikes and long runs. I’ll likely keep using running to explore the world.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

It changes. Sometimes it’s a race. Other times, it’s setting a challenge — like running a 5K, 10K, and half each month. Always, it’s the need for solitude, fitness, and clarity.

And yes, I do get bored! When I do, I mix it up: a new route, a comedy podcast, unfamiliar music, or I leave my watch at home and just run by feel. I remind myself: you’ve got this. I love you.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

You don’t have to be the fastest. You don’t have to be the best. You just have to show up. Running will teach you about yourself and keep you strong. One day, it will feel like a deep, full breath. The girl who hid during gym class? She’ll run marathons. She’ll do hard things, find her stride, and feel proud for becoming someone who never stopped trying.

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Since then, I’ve been blown away by the response and have loved reading every single one of the stories you’ve shared — to be quite honest, I’ve been lagging lately in my own running, but reading these has been getting me inspired to lace up my shoes and get back out there.

I’m especially moved and inspired by today’s story from , who juggles a LOT of running with a full-time job and being a mom of very young children, as her youngest was born just a few weeks ago. (And a pair of newsletters! Elaheh, I think I could learn some time management lessons from you 😀)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did — and, if you feel inspired to share yours too, I’d love to hear it. All you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Elaheh, I'm 34 and I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with my husband, two-year-old daughter, and seven-week-old son! I work in media — my day job is at CNN where I work in business operations but my background is in writing and editing and I keep that up through two newsletters, one about running () and one about commerce and media ().

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

It currently looks a little different than "normal" because I'm just getting back into running after having my second child in May. I'm working to get back to my base, which is running five days a week and averaging around 40 miles a week (though that might be a bit ambitious with two small children and a full-time job…)

I’m on maternity leave right now so I have a bit more flexibility to get my workouts in. I still exercise five days a week but I basically have no core strength or aerobic fitness so I do a lot of cross-training (spinning or swimming) and postpartum physical therapy exercises as I gradually start to increase my running load.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I had a pretty quintessential suburban childhood and played a lot of sports because that was the thing to do, but I didn’t excel at any in particular. I played lacrosse and soccer, ran cross-country, and swam. I tried a lot of other sports too; I was pretty into golf for a few summers and joined the basketball team for a week.

I always found fitness and sports to be fun, and I loved the camaraderie of being on a team. I was very studious though and could never figure out how to balance homework and sports, so by junior year of high school, I gave up all sports except cross-country.

But I barely ran. I went to a big high school and there were more than 60 girls on the cross-country team, about half who were there just to socialize, including me.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

My parents were and still are very into fitness; my mom in particular was a big runner when I was in middle and high school. I grew up about 40 minutes outside of New York City, and we would go into the city on weekends for her to run New York Road Runner races.

Once when I was around 12, both my parents ran a race and they parked me next to a tree in Central Park and told me not to move until they finished. (I didn't!) Anyway, the concept of going for a run and running races on weekends was just a natural thing to do in my family.

I ran off and on after high school but didn’t start a consistent running routine until after I graduated college and needed an outlet for my mental health. I found running, especially long runs, to be very meditative.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I was VERY ambivalent about running when I was on the cross-country team, I thought it was so boring and had no desire to be good at it. Now, I'm obsessed!

I ran my first marathon when I was 26. I signed up because I really just enjoyed the ritual of long runs and thought I might as well work towards the marathon distance. I didn’t pay much attention to my pace but I ran it in 3:43.

After that, I realized I could try to qualify for Boston, and I eventually did. I really love the marathon and I’ve honestly just become addicted to running that distance as fast as I can. It's really empowering to push myself physically and see what I'm capable of.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

A lot! It feels a little impossible to balance running with having two small children and a job and all the other things that come with managing a household. But I don’t feel like myself unless I’m running and have a race to train for, so really any free time I have in a day is dedicated to running, or doing something that improves my running.

During a typical work week, I work two to three days from home, so I’m able to run in the time between daycare drop off and signing on (I usually spend the day in my sweaty workout clothes but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make). I don't usually run on days I go to the office, but sometimes I'll run home from work.

My husband also runs, and we each get a weekend morning that’s our long run time while the other is on childcare duty. I’m also incredibly lucky that my parents live a few blocks away and are almost always available to babysit — my weekday runs right now revolve around their schedule since my husband is back at work. I wouldn't be able to keep up my running routine without my parents' help.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

One of the reasons I love running is because it’s such a pure example of how hard work pays off. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. And I think that attitude has helped me in my career.

I made a big leap a few years ago from the editorial side of media to the business side, and it took a lot of resilience and hard work to keep powering through all the rejections from people who told me I needed an MBA or more business experience to make the switch.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

I used to think I was the type of person to quit things when they got hard, but running has shown me that I'm, in fact, quite resilient! When I ran the New York City Marathon in 2021, I got such bad stomach pains around mile 22. It was my first marathon post-Covid race cancellations, and I was trying to qualify for Boston.

As I was running down 5th Avenue, I started crying because I knew I wasn't going to hit my goal. I saw my husband and parents cheering and ran to them and just sat on the curb, ready to call it quits. Then a stranger gave me a bottle of water and told me to keep going, and it just turned something on in me.

I got up, booked it to the finish, and ended up qualifying with 30 seconds to spare. It really taught me to push through when things get hard — you can still reach your goals.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

For now, I'd like to break three hours in the marathon.

Before I had kids, I was ultra-curious. I did a guided run around Mont Blanc during UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) in 2019 and just thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I briefly got into trail running.

I did a few trail races and trained for a 50K, but the combination of living in New York City and having small children makes it logistically impossible. Something to look forward to when I'm an empty nester, I guess!

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

Luckily, I haven't gotten bored of it in the last few years because I've either been pregnant or postpartum and I've just been hungry to get back to my "normal" fitness level.

But typically, I try to break my running into seasons where I focus on different distances, and that's helped keep me motivated. For a few months I'll focus on the marathon, but I can't run more than one a year at this point, so then I'll find a 5K or 10K to focus on.

I also love traveling for races or going on a "runcation." The group run I did around Mont Blanc was so fun (it was with a company called Run the Alps) and reinvigorated my love of running at a time when I felt like I was taking it too seriously.

I met a ton of people, soaked up a new running culture, and got to see a new place. That's another thing that will have to wait until my children are older, I think!

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

Hmm... this is a tough one. I was always intimidated by people who were singularly focused on sports, so I would tell myself that you can be good at sports while still having a life outside of them. I'd also tell myself to just keep working hard, because it does pay off!

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Now living in Austin, Texas, Minh has traveled across the U.S. and grew up in Viet Nam, later spending time in Minnesota before landing where she lives now. One of the things I loved about reading her story is that, unlike me — I started running by just buying a pair of shoes and heading out the door — Minh got hooked on running after taking a college course in it, learning all the in’s and outs I wish I knew.

(She also writes a newsletter I love, — don’t hesitate to check it out!)

If, after reading Minh’s story, you think you might like to share yours too, please know that I’d love to hear it — all you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Minh, I'm 25 and I am from Viet Nam but now living in Central Texas. I work remotely for an education company.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

My running routine is twice a week, one short/medium run mid-week and one long run on the weekend. I keep this routine when I am training for half marathons.

I tried running three times a week before, and got burned out trying to incorporate weight training and having enough rest. This training cycle I add a third run some weeks because I crave the movement, but the strict routine is twice a week.

My shorter runs are 3 to 5 miles and longer runs are 6 to 11 miles.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was active growing up and my parents always joked that I have springs under my feet. I like to jump around, chase friends, play at the playground, etc.

In Viet Nam, sports are not taken as seriously in schools as in America, but I still participated in basketball, badminton, relay running, soccer, etc. Any chance I got to be active, I would take it.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

This is a story I love telling because running came into my life so randomly. I got into running my last semester in college when I signed up for a running class. (Partly cause I want the grade boost, partly cause I want to challenge myself as I am terrible at this sport!)

No one in my family or close friends at the time ran, so I have no role models or friends to run with/look up to. This class taught me a lot about running basics: forms, run/walk methods, safety during runs, and how to progress to minimize injuries. I ran my first 5K as the final assignment.

How did the class work?

When I think about running, it seems like such a simple sport yet I couldn't even run a 5K without stopping. The class was interesting because it was 100% online with pre-recorded lectures, materials to read, and assignments to run on your own time every week.

We did have a Strava group where you could see your classmates performance and frequency. I believe each time you ran, you had to make a post in the group. I liked this format because it was very flexible, I could run outside when it was nice and later on mostly on the treadmill when it got cold in Minnesota.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

I caught the running bug after the class. I moved to Austin, Texas from Minnesota and started running on my own and completed my first 5K race shortly after. I have since raced multiple 10Ks and a half marathon.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I don't have family to take care of and I am young in my career so I am lucky that I can run whenever I want outside of work hours.

During busy periods, I like to squeeze in a 5K here and there because it helps turn my mood around. Making time for an hour during a busy day for me is doable. If it's too dark or cold/rainy outside, I will run on the treadmill. Otherwise, I would run outside.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

There are so many good things about running that I am grateful for that it would be hard to pinpoint just one thing but I will try my best!

Aside from health benefits, I gained confidence through running by accomplishing new milestones and proving to myself that I can do hard things. Completing my first half marathon was one of my proudest moments.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

Running teaches me that even if I don't like to do something, do it anyway and I tend to feel better. Some long runs are super intimidating and I procrastinate getting out the door frequently. But I always feel better after I am done, I don't think I have ever regretted a run.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I hope to finish training for my second half marathon in the spring and get a PR (fingers crossed), but my priority is finishing without walking and not getting injured. I also really want to run some scenic halves and to recruit my boyfriend/friend/loved one to complete it with me.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I don't always have sky high motivation for running — I don't think any of us does. I get motivation from how running makes me feel mentally (runner's high is great) and physically (my body feels lighter, more agile and strong).

When training gets stale, I sign up for a race to get me focused. I am lucky to live in an active and young city, [so] I get inspiration from the world around me. And, I always see people running around Austin. There are many running events and groups that anyone can join, which is great. I go to those events every once in a while.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

My 11-year-old self would probably not be surprised to see myself running now because she was super active back then. I would say to keep moving your body and believing in yourself, enjoy what your body can do!

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There are so many more reader stories we’ve shared — don’t miss these:

So far, we’ve heard from THM readers far and wide, insightful stories from Rosalie Chan, Erinn Connor, Ken Morrison, Colleen McBride, Chanse Carlson, Debby Jones, Ruth Franklin, and Edith Zimmerman.

Today, we hear from longtime THM member , who also writes a running-focused newsletter called that’s one of my favorite reads, one I know you’ll love too.

If, after reading Sam’s story, you think you might like to share yours too, please know that I’d love to hear it — I am trying to “meet” as many THM readers and members as I can. So all you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is Sam Robinson and I live in beautiful, downtown Oakland, California. I live with my wife and two-year-old daughter in a little converted loft space in an old ice-cream factory not far from Lake Merritt.

I turned 40 this February and my day job is as a content designer at PayPal, where I lead a small product-writing team. My real love is long-form writing and research, which I mostly do in my newsletter, , exploring the cultural, historical, and existential experience of movement and life on foot.

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

Sadly, I’ve been dealing with a bad knee injury, so not much running right now. When I’m healthy, my routine is extensive. I run every day. My weekly mileage used to be high, averaging around 90 to 100 miles per week. Nowadays, as a new-ish parent, 70 to 75 miles per week is about my max.

At the moment though, I’m just on the spin bike, lifting weights, and doing a lot of PT. It’s grim, Terrell. I’m so bored, I’m watching crappy Gerard Butler movies to keep from going insane on the spin bike. Like, I just watched Geostorm... by choice. Who the hell does that? People who have to ride a spin bike when they’d rather be running, that’s who.

Fingers crossed I’m back out there soon.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I had a 1990s middle-managerial-class childhood in the suburbs. For my brother and me, that meant playing a lot of sports, rotating with the seasons. It was baseball in the spring, sailing and swimming in the summer, soccer in the fall, and then basketball in winter.

My parents were both active — my dad was in the military and my mom ran cross country in high school and at Providence College. But they never pressured us to perform or improve. I think my parents wanted us to be healthy, to be part of a team.

They wanted us to make friends, have fun, and learn how to lose with grace. Winning wasn’t the point. Some folks might mock this as “participation-trophy culture”, but I ended up an all-conference NCAA athlete with a Ph.D. and a stack of national championship medals. Seems like it worked out.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, ‘maybe I can do this?’

So I did a lot of sports, right? But I didn’t consider myself to be a sporty kid, if that makes sense. I was nerdy, bookish, played a lot of video games.

When I got to high school, if I remember correctly, my mom suggested track would get me in better shape for soccer. So my freshman year I joined the track team. I kind of hated it. The competition was scary and holy hell did every race hurt. I finished the season ambivalent about running.

Then something happened that following summer, some internal pubescent switch flipped. Up until then I was not particularly driven: B-ish student, mediocre athlete, not particularly talented at much of anything. Over that summer, I came to this semi-conscious realization that I wanted to be good at things. Indeed, I wanted to be the best I could possibly be at things.

Was it part of growing up? Some new phase of identity formulation? I’m not sure. But my point of view on the world and my place within it shifted. I decided if I was going to play soccer, I would practice every day. If I was going to play the trumpet, I would be first chair. If I was going to run, well dammit, I was going to be the best in the school, and then the county, and then, Lord willing, the state. (Spoiler: I did not become the best in the state.)

Anyway, I got better at running.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

Running consumed me. I improved enough my junior and senior years to get recruited to run at Furman University in South Carolina. I was often injured in college and generally underperformed, but I kept competing after graduation.

I joined the post-collegiate running scene in Colorado and then here in the Bay Area. I never got legitimately fast, but won a few races and had some good performances, especially on the trails.

Nowadays, amid early parenthood, running fast is lower priority. If/when I get healthy, I’d like to tackle the shorter stuff again (5K to 10K range). I’m now in the masters division (40+), which opens up a new category of competition. But the goal of quick running doesn’t take up as much headspace as it did ten years ago.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I try to spin a lot of plates: family, stressful tech job, newsletter side-hustle, freelance writing projects I’m slowly making progress on.

My wife — a better runner than I — also balances a lot. Because our running interests overlap, we do an okay job at acknowledging that we both need time for work, running, and creative endeavor. And our daughter does well in a running stroller, thank God.

I mean, it’s hard. Parenting is hard. I feel tired and sad and worried and ill-tempered almost everyday. I struggle not to be a shitty father and husband, at least, I know I have a lot of work to do.

All that is to say, this is not the season of my life for self care, haha. I don’t sleep much. If my workout does not happen before 6:00 a.m., it’s just not going to happen. (Hence the Gerard Butler movies). It’s exhausting, but feels like the most equitable way to balance running, writing, and childcare with my wife.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, ‘this helped me achieve ______’?

Running is so central for me, this question is sort of like that Foster Wallace joke about the fish asking the other fish how the water is. Like… what’s water?

It’s hard to point to any one thing and say, “ah yes, running got me this.” Because running got me everywhere: to college, to grad school, to incredible friendships, to the job that helps feed and house my family.

I’m just grateful, really. I’m grateful to my family, to all the coaches and teammates, to so many friends who gave me opportunities to keep doing the sport. Nobody ever said ‘you don’t belong here.’ That speaks to a lot of unearned privilege and grace that’s been extended to me over the years. I’m very lucky.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

This is actually something I worry about. I’ve been running since I was 14. Sure, the distance, pace, and setting has varied over the years, but that’s a lot of time doing the same damn thing over and over again.

What I’m saying is, I worry that I’m dodging growth. Have I worn a little groove of running practice that’s comfortable and easy at the expense of exploring other possibilities? Perhaps I have actually not changed at all. Quelle horreur!

I suppose I’ve learned to be less inwardly focused. When I run now, I notice more. I try to pay attention to the texture of the spaces I move though, to be more curious about the terrain, buildings, objects, and people I encounter. I try to wonder more.

Like, why is this road intersection so wide? Why does the trail go this and not that way? Why are all my running shoes made in Vietnam, mostly by women? Why can you have P.E. in grade school but not as an adult? And so on and so on. And these often end up as questions I try to explore in Footnotes, from the sensory to the historical to the philosophical.

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

In terms of my own running, nothing special, really. I’d like to keep trying to race and compete and be as good as my body allows me to be.

But I would love to build something. Obviously, I’d love to turn my newsletter into a media empire (cackles maniacally!). But I’m also excited by the idea of directing a race.

Every town has some unique element, usually something that doesn’t map neatly onto 26.2 miles or 5 kilometers. For example, here in Oakland, we’ve got the flatlands and the hills.

For years, I’ve thought there should be a point-to-point type race from the bayshore to the top of the hills, which would connect the city across lines of neighborhood and class, ecologies of the estuary with the ecosystems of the hillside forests. How fine that could be!

Working on something like that could be a possible challenge for the future.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

You mean, beyond crappy Gerard Butler movies? I dunno, man. What else can we do? We have to keep on trying to get through whatever the hell this is. If running helps, I’ll keep running. And if I’m going to run, I’m going to try with all my ability, effort, and cunning.

I don’t plan to retire from running. If I need to stop or do something else, to paraphrase that Korean War general, I’ll just advance in a different direction.

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

Play the long game. It’s so easy to fixate on a single race, on a single workout. That’s especially the case if you’re young and hot-to-trot. For the first few years, I thought I had to go to the well on every single interval workout. But this is not the way.

No, the real discipline is not going as hard as you can. It’s working a “little hard,” but working a little hard every single day. Day after day after day. For years and years and years.

You can’t do that if you’re slamming your head against the wall every time you toe the line. Or finishing every workout completely gassed and tasting pennies. What’s needed are many moderate efforts multiplied thousands of times.

It sucks, but that’s the discipline. That’s what it takes to be good. So that’s what I would say to young Sam, who wanted to be as good as he could be.

Also, I’d tell him to buy Apple stock when it was 31 cents a share 😉

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I’m blown away by the responses I’ve received, as we’ve heard so many fantastic, moving and insightful stories from readers like Rosalie Chan, Erinn Connor, Ken Morrison, Colleen McBride, Chanse Carlson, Debby Jones, and Ruth Franklin.

Today, we hear from longtime THM member , whose newsletter is one of my absolute, must-read, favorite newsletters — it makes me laugh, it makes me think, it hits me with all the feels. Seriously, go sign up now and then come back and read Edith’s story, which I promise you’ll love as much as I did.

And if you’d like to share yours, please know that I’d love to hear it! I truly, truly am trying to “meet” as many THM readers and members as I can — so, all you need to is reply back by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

My name is , and I live in upstate New York with my husband and two young daughters. I’m turning 42 in June, and my main work these days is my newsletter, Drawing Links, which I illustrate with comics and stories about my life. I’m also a freelance writer and illustrator, and I just had my first cartoon published in The New Yorker!

What does your running routine look like? How many times a week, and how far do you run?

I run most days, usually six times a week, about 25 miles a week.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I was not. I was a theater kid in high school, and while I was curious about sports/fitness, I got a vague sense at some point that they were “not for me.” As the years passed, I felt more uneasy about this, although I mostly tried not to think about it.

Logically I knew that fitness was for everyone, but I also never felt comfortable “working out,” so I wasn’t sure what my deal was, or what I was supposed to do. I just assumed I was naturally lazy and sedentary. I did like dancing, though, at parties and contra dances, and I’d do that maybe four times a year.

I was also a pretty heavy drinker and smoker, which were habits I prioritized. Then I quit both, and other habits (like running) eventually came to fill the gap. I wrote about this for Vogue last year, if anyone is interested.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, “maybe I can do this?”

It was luck. I would NEVER have thought running was for me.

I had gotten into an exercise class called The Bar Method, done at a studio in a big group, when Covid hit and sent everyone back home. I was 36. The studio offered remote classes as a holdover, but I didn’t like them, so I was more open to taking a friend up on his offer to join a Strava-based running group. We’d all just do our little exercise routines and then upload them for the group to see later.

The fact that we were part of a group but didn’t have to actually do anything in front of one another (I still don’t like the idea of running with anyone) appealed to me. Initially I mostly walked and occasionally trotted, until eventually I ran the whole way around Prospect Park without stopping (in Brooklyn, where I lived at the time — a little more than three miles). That was thrilling. Then I was hooked. The fact that I like running remains one of the biggest surprises of my life.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? Do you run farther, or faster now?

My interest has become an obsession. The only times I’ve missed more than a few days of running were the months around when my two daughters were born. I run faster now, but shorter distances, because we moved upstate and the roads are hilly.

What do you balance your running with? Do you have a family to take care of? Kids, parents or other relatives or loved ones? If so, how do you balance all of it and still make time to run/care for yourself?

I do have a family. I’m technically a stay-at-home-mom (?), but we also recently hired a full-time nanny, and my older daughter goes to daycare, so I’m trying to figure out what I should do for money next. So I’m more free, but I’m in that awkward phase where I’m like, Well, what’s it going to be, then?

Before we had childcare, my husband would watch the baby when he could, which put some strain on our relationship. I’d basically simmer with resentment any time he couldn’t do it, because it felt like my running habit was essential for our whole family, even though I knew it was reasonable for him to be busy. I’m very grateful those days have passed. Also I love the running stroller.

Is there anything you’re especially proud of that you can point to your running and say, “this helped me achieve ______”?

Sometimes I feel proud just of running itself, especially since it’s something I never thought I’d be able to do. Sometimes when I’m feeling sorry for myself, I’m like, Well, I’m not a total loser, I ran today.

I also like running. It’s not “fun,” exactly, and it doesn’t “feel good,” either, although those are the words I use. It’s boring and it feels bad, but it’s also fun and it feels good. It’s boring and it feels good. It’s fun and it feels bad. I think I mostly just really like that I do it. I get a lot out of it, identity-wise.

What have you learned about yourself from your running journey? Is there anything that’s changed about you since you started?

A lot has changed since I started running (which was only six years ago!). I got married, had two kids, bought a house, and moved to the country. (And deep in my heart I think I owe a lot of that to running.) I put work on hold for a while. I started new work paths. In some ways running has felt like one of the only constants in my life.

I learned that I am able to keep myself warm. I used to be afraid of the winter and think it was a time for only being indoors, scampering from the car to the house, but running throughout the year, including in freezing weather, has taught me a lot about how powerful the human body is. It’s a furnace. Running five miles in five-degree weather boosted my self-esteem.

And on a lighter note, I learned something ABOUT running (well, I’ve learned a lot of things about running), which is that you’re supposed to try to look cute and happy when you come across a finish line! Lol.

I didn’t realize there were automatic cameras going off, but this photograph, from my first and so far only half marathon, makes me smile and is way more accurate than a smiling photo:

Where would you like to go with your running? Is there anything special you’d like to achieve — like, say, running all six World Marathon Majors, or running an ultra?

I’d love to run a full marathon. I’ve only done one half so far (and a bunch of 5Ks). I’d also love to do running tourism — traveling the world, running half marathons and sight-seeing. My husband would quit his job to cheer me on, and my children would develop an interest in sitting still and waiting to clap for me when I cross the finish line, lol.

What keeps you going? Especially if you’ve been running for a while — do you ever get bored with it? How do you find new things to motivate you, to keep you going?

I am afraid to disappoint myself. It’s part of my identity now. I’m also afraid of losing my fitness level or, truthfully, of gaining weight. Running also helps me change my mood and get out of my head. (Although sometimes I get MORE into my head, but in a different way…)

I also love running CLOTHES. In my “regular” life, I was very much an “earth tones, natural fabrics” person, but wearing tight neon stretchy outfits has opened a wonderful door for me. I really love how silly, beautiful, and useful running clothing can be. And it turns out I love bright pink! And patterns! No need to be subtle!

Look back at yourself when you were a kid, maybe say 10 years old. Remember how you felt, what you thought, especially what you thought you were capable of back then. If you could talk to that kid now, what would you say?

I would say, “You will become a runner, isn’t that insane?!” But I’d also say to just wait and not rush anything, because I like that I came to running “late.” There’s no diminished glory or anything to compare myself to.

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We’ve heard so many great stories so far, from Rosalie Chan, Erinn Connor, Ken Morrison, Colleen McBride, Chanse Carlson, and Debby Jones. And now it’s time to hear from another longtime THM reader, .

In this one, Ruth shares how she’s just getting back to running after a long hiatus, one that has included raising three young children. I also talk with her about her new book, The Many Lives of Ann Frank, which was released earlier this spring.

We got to talk about so many fascinating parts of Anne Frank’s story, about the writing of the book, and what it’s like to re-discover the joy of running and exercise, even in the smallest ways. I know you’ll enjoy Ruth’s story just as much as I did.

And if you’d like to share yours, please know that I’d love to hear it too! All you need to is reply back to me by email or in the comments below, and we’ll go from there. — Terrell

So, let’s hear a little bit about you! Who are you, your age (if you’d like to share), where you’re from, what you do, etc.

I'm a book critic. I write book reviews for magazines like The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and Harper's, and I'm also an author of books.

I've written two biographies, when the first one was called Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life, about the life and work of Shirley Jackson, the author of [the short story] “The Lottery” and some other American classics of suspense and horror and other genres. And yes, in the book you just mentioned, which came out in January, The Many Lives of Anne Frank, which is sort of, part a biography of Anne and part a cultural history of how she came to have the kind of iconic status she has today, and what that means to different people in different contexts.

How did you become a writer?

I did love to read and write as a child, and to be honest, if somebody had told me as a child that someday I'd be able to get paid for reading books, I would have thought that that wasn't even possible. So in a way, I am kind of living my childhood dream, but it's, you know, it's not always that rosy, of course! And being a freelance writer, especially in this economy, involves a fair amount of hustling, so I was on staff as an editor and writer at The New Republic for many years, back when that magazine was still in Washington, D.C., and then I got some support from grants that allowed me to strike out on my own and freelance full time.

Like many writers, I do a combination of things, you know, I freelance magazine journalism and book writing, and I also teach. I'm an adjunct professor of writing at Columbia University, where I teach in the creative writing program. So, but I started off, you know, just as a person who really loves to read and to talk about books. I actually did part of a Ph.D. in literature before deciding that I didn't want to write about books for an academic audience — that I wanted to focus on the general reader, the general public, and talk about books with regular, ordinary people who love to read.

Were you an athletic kid growing up? What are your early memories of what fitness and health were about?

I didn't always love it. I will say it took a while. I mean, I had always kind of wanted to be a runner. I grew up in the eighties, when it was first starting to become a thing. And I remember that guy, Jim Fixx and his book about running, which my parents didn't have it ourselves, but I must have seen it at a friend's house.

I got really interested in the idea of what it would of what it would be like to be a runner and, you know, to have that kind of meditative time and discipline, I think was what really appealed to me. And so that's why I went out for the cross country team. And I remember how hard it was, especially that first season — getting used to this new way of thinking about moving and sports.

I was not an athletic kid before starting cross country… it involved a whole kind of new mindset that I was a person whose body was able to do this, but I remember just starting to get used to the mileage that we had to do and all the other stuff — hill work, speed work. It was like learning a whole new vocabulary from my body. But after that first season, I was totally hooked on it, especially after I won my first race. That was it — such a great feeling.

I still sometimes think about the stuff that my cross country coach told me. I’ve told it to my kids — well, the few times that they've ever agreed to run with me! I [tell them], breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

How did you first get into running? Was there something that inspired you — like a performance at the Olympics, for example, or a runner you discovered by watching them on social media or TV? Or was there someone in your own life who inspired you to think, “maybe I can do this?”

I've run my whole life, since I started on the high school cross country team. I think of myself as a runner, even though I actually just started actively running again a couple of months ago, and I wrote a newsletter about it, because I actually started running with my dog, and that is a whole different kind of running I'm discovering.

So I've just started, and I have this new motivation, which is keeping my dog exercised and fit. But I've been running since I was 15 years old, give or take. And especially as I've had three kids, so I wound up taking time out for each, [for] pregnancy and recovery and but I think that's one thing that's great about running, is that it's sort of like an old friend.

You know when you're ready to come back to it, it's still there for you, and you can pick it up again. Maybe you're not exactly in the place that you were when you left off, but you know that you'll get back there.

Also so much of the work is mental, right? It's just believing that you can keep going for as long as you want to, and once you've taught yourself that you're able to do that, I think that's the part that you don't lose. You know, you may not be quite as fit as you were before, but you have the mental stamina.

How has your interest in running evolved since then? You run with your dog now, right?

I have a mutt. He's a little guy, he has short legs. People think he's part Corgi, but the DNA test did not so who knows? But he's also part Lab, most likely, and so he has sort of like a big dog's attitude and upper body on these little legs. And honestly, it never even crossed my mind that he would be a good running dog.

But then I started taking him to these parks where you can run off the leash, I saw that he just loves to run, and it's beautiful to see like, you know, I think maybe you probably, you know, as a runner, but you probably don't always feel like you love to run, right, just the joy in the motion you're doing it for other reasons that you appreciate, but like the animal, the animal quality of the delight in motion, I found so beautiful, and I think it rubbed off on me watching him.

Because I started thinking, “hey, you know, I haven't been running [in a while] because I’m oh, a woman in middle age who’s supposed to be lifting weights and doing less cardio. And I've been dutifully following all this advice. But this is fun — I like this.

How do you pick the the people you're you're going to write about? Especially because for freelance writing — say, a magazine assignment — that's one thing. But how do you pick something you're going to invest years of your life into?

It's kind of a complicated calculus of what kind of information is out there, my own interests and passions, and then what people are willing to pay for, right?

So you have to balance all of these things with Shirley Jackson. She just was one of those writers who always was a touchstone for me. Her book The Haunting of Hill House especially is just one of my absolute favorite books ever, and but it wasn't until around 2010 the Library of America brought out an anthology that was a collection of a very a diverse selection of her writing, so short stories and a couple of the novels and also some of her autobiographical work.

And until then, I hadn't known that she essentially invented the mommy blog form. You probably remember, you know that there's this big boom in the 2000s, with lots of internet writers writing about parenting, and Shirley Jackson was doing that in the 1950s, writing about her life as a mother, [as] a wife to an absent-minded professor, husband and mother of four kids in the small town [of] Bennington, Vermont. And it was really striking that the same person who was writing these classics of horror literature, was also writing these lighthearted little essays about her son's little league games.

So, I got really interested in who is the person behind these books. If there's one thing that unifies all my writing, it's the interest in the creative process. I'm just really interested in what leads a certain person to produce a certain work of art at that particular time in history. It's a combination of all those factors, personal motivation, plus historical and cultural and social circumstances, and then, like the spark that we call genius or creativity or whatever.

And I'm always really fascinated by that when I write profiles of writers, which is also something that I love to do, and that's what I'm always looking for in the biography as well. It's sort of the key to the imagination.

That's a perfect lead-in to your new book, which, for anyone who's not familiar with the book, it's it's a biography of Anne Frank and a telling of the story of how she came to write her famous diary that we all know today. What I thought was so interesting is, it's almost like you're looking over her shoulder as she writes the diary. How did you decide to approach the book in that way?

The story of Anne Frank, of course, everybody knows her story. The Diary is one of the most famous nonfiction books of all time, and has told so many people the story of her experience in the Holocaust.

But what people don't know about it is this important piece — which is that Anne herself rewrote and edited her diary with the intention to publish it. This has been public knowledge for around the past 40 years, when the all the drafts of her diary were published by an important Dutch historical research institute and made available for scholars to study, and yet it has not penetrated the public imagination.

There's still this mythology of her as a girl who sort of accidentally wrote this book that became a great literary classic, and people think of it as almost a found object. I think it's really important, out of respect for her memory, but also in terms of understanding the diary, that we understand that Anne's intention was, in fact, to take what was a private diary — a diary like any of us might have written about our thoughts and our feelings and our friends and all that — and then to transform it into a testimonial document that she intended to tell the story of the persecution of the Jews of the Netherlands.

In one way, the book is one any young teenager would be writing, but she was very conscious of the fact that she wanted people to read this — so it was almost like she could stand outside herself. She was two people at the same time in a way.

We know this story because Anne writes about it in the diary. She writes about, in March 1944 — after the family has been in hiding for almost two years — she hears a Dutch minister from the government in exile on the radio calling for citizens to preserve their documents of the war years for inclusion in this future National Archive.

He literally says — and I find this very moving — he says that history can't be written on the basis of official documents alone, and that for people to truly understand what they went through as a nation, they need private documents like letters and diaries.

So, Anne writes in her diary that when they heard him say that on the radio, everybody in the annex immediately made a rush for her diary. They all knew that she had such a document, but it also became clear over the next couple of months as she looked it over — that was something she did regularly, to revisit her diary and make notes to herself as she looked it over — she must have realized that the rough draft of the diary she had written, it wasn't sufficient to serve this testimonial purpose.

There's one entry that really stuck in my mind as I was trying to process what she had done, and I was, I was looking at this scholarly edition with all the versions, and comparing versions for some of the different entries, and trying to understand what was important about the changes, because often they were small changes. And then I saw in the entry that she writes about this Dutch Minister's speech in the first draft.

She writes, “wouldn't it be funny if ten years from now, people were to read what we ate and did and talked about here in hiding,” and when she went back to it a few months later, she changed that line to: “Wouldn't it be funny if ten years from now, we Jews were to tell what we ate and talked about and did here in hiding?”

And I thought, that's just really the essence of it. She realized that the story of the Holocaust had to be told, [that it] had to be told by the people who experienced it themselves, that other people couldn't tell that story. And so you can see, then, when she went back over the diary, the changes she made were to add to its significance as a testimony.

She added more information about the persecution of the Jews. She added a lot more details about things that happened, both before they went into hiding, and then things they heard about and happening in the outside world while they were in hiding. To tell that story more fully.

What strikes me as you say that in is that such a young person to have that presence of mind, to be able to project herself ten years from now, to say we need to tell our story — while she's still very much in the middle of it. I imagine being terrified in the middle of that, but she is yet still thinking of that there's going to be a time beyond us that we have to tell.

It's so powerful. I think we can almost take it for granted looking back on it, because we know that the Holocaust testimonial has been such an important form. But of course, she didn't know that.

One thing that interested me was to try to figure out what her sources might have been, what might have inspired her. We know quite a lot about what she was reading in the annex, because she wrote about it, and she also kept a commonplace book where she wrote quotes from her reading.

This this truly is to the credit of her father, Otto. He's invested a lot in keeping her and her sister, Margot, and then also Peter van Palace, who is the son of the other family, in hiding with them. Otto spent a lot of time homeschooling them and making sure they kept up with their work and kept their minds stimulated. And so he read to them a lot.

He read to them in German. They worked on their French and their English. She's even got quotes in this commonplace book from Oscar Wilde, which she and Peter read a play of his together. And so I looked at a lot of this stuff, trying to understand what might have influenced her, and I found a couple of things.

One is this well known Dutch young adult novel about a girl named Jop. It looks like Joop in English, but it's pronounced Jop and her adventures with a group of friends. And it's actually written in diary, in in the form of diary letters, just the way that Anne wrote her own diary, and so that is a clear influence.

But I found a couple others as well that Anne talks about, including letters written by a woman named Liselotte von der Pfalz, a young German noble woman who was married off while still a teenager in the court of Louis, the Sun King in France.

Now this period of history is not my thing, but more than 200 years before Anne Frank, this woman was writing letters home from France, back to her family in Germany, telling them all about the events that were taking place at the court. And it's clear that she also she felt like a prisoner in Louis' court. She needed permission to do almost anything, and so when Anne talks in her inner diary, she mentions reading these letters, which are have become a German literary classic. So it's just fascinating to think about the different influences she might have incorporated.

So it’s not just the actual content of her letters, but just the fact that she was writing those letters and that example, and of preserving that historical record.

This is where, you know, we get back to your writing practice as well and to mine. But the practice of writing regularly, as you know, is, you know, such a, not just a useful mental stimulant, but also just a great way to process your thoughts and your ideas.

Because this is a nonfiction book, you've got to — I imagine — do quite a bit of outlining and all kinds of research. How do you approach your writing?

I made notes for this book for several years before I figured out what the structure would be. And, I started writing this book around the beginning of Covid, just before that period started, and that was a tough time to be a biographer, because [all the] archives closed.

A lot of research used to be dependent on visiting archives in person and seeing the documents. One benefit of the whole lockdown period has been that many more things are now digitized than they used to be. But at the time, that was quite frustrating.

I knew from the beginning of this project that I didn't want to write a conventional biography of Anne Frank, because she was not unlike Shirley Jackson. Her life just didn't lend itself to that kind of treatment. And I also benefited from the fact that her story is so well known, I didn't, you know, have to tell the story of her, of her life.

But at the same time, that kind of freedom was very intimidating. You know, if I wasn't going to write a conventional, chronological biography, then what was it going to be? And so I spent two or three years just doing research, making notes, in the hope that the structure would eventually come to me. And, you know, eventually it did.

Part of it is working things out on the page, even if I'm not kind of writing formally, I do a lot of note taking, and I'm always using those notes to reflect, not just to record the research, but also to reflect on my ideas.

What I found particularly interesting was how Anne’s father Otto, purely from a human point of view, he has lost his family after the war, he's putting his life back together and dealing with that grief. This was a part of Anne Frank's story I didn’t know at all — his efforts to get the book published, and how dealing with the published publishing companies and what they were willing to publish, and what Jewish stories they were and were not willing to tell.

You know, Otto Frank often has been demonized in the telling of the story of the publication of the diary. People accuse him of censoring Anne’s feelings —of her body, or her criticisms of her mother — and I found that this just wasn't true.

In fact, I came to have just the deepest sympathy for him. Because, first of all, he was the only member of the eight people who were in hiding in the annex to return from the concentration camps. He lost his whole family.

Many of us read Anne Frank's diary as teenagers. I'll say that reading it as an adult and as a parent is a very different experience. One of my children was thirteen when I started working on the book — which was Anne's age when she started writing the diary.

It's impossible, just as a looking at it as a parent, it's just impossible not to have the deepest sympathy for Otto Frank and what he must have gone through, and the idea that, you know, he experienced all that, and you know, recognized that his daughter's book had the potential to, you know, to literally change the world. I think it really is just inspiring.

That part especially moved me, as someone’s who’s also a father. It was incredible. What has the reception to the book been like?

I’ve been really gratified by all the interest in the book I've done. I've been doing a lot of events, and I have a few coming up. So if people are interested, all the information is on my website, as well as in my newsletter.

It's been really great to meet people who are interested in Anne as so many people have important memories of having read the diary as children or young adults. She's a touchstone figure for so many people, and so when I'm doing public speaking, people often want to tell their own story about their relationship with Anne and what she meant to them, and that's the part that I really enjoy the most… so many interesting cases of people whose lives were changed by her in unpredictable and unexpected ways.

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Thanks so much to Ruth for this wonderful conversation! If you’d like to read more of her work, here’s where you can find her:

Website: RuthFranklin.net

Her Substack newsletter: Ghost Stories