Are you ready to take a transformative journey with me and my running buddy Taylor? Strap on your running shoes and prepare for a powerful conversation about the profound ways running and recovery intersect. Taylor's battle with alcohol and his subsequent journey to sobriety led him to the world of running, an activity that has been instrumental in his recovery process. He shares his inspiring tale of how he regained his self-confidence, one step at a time, on the running track. Just as running is about maintaining focus and moving forward, so is the process of recovery – a captivating parallel that we explore in this conversation.
Then, we dive into the gritty reality of injuries, a common obstacle in the running world. Taylor shares his experience of facing an injury and turning it into a blessing in disguise. We discuss how the downtime due to injury gave him the opportunity for introspection and allowed him to come back stronger and more determined. The conversation also covers the importance of seeking help and support during difficult times, emphasizing self-care and emotional connection as integral elements of self-improvement. So, whether you're a recovering addict, a budding runner, or someone seeking motivation to take up a new hobby, this dialogue has plenty to offer. Remember, help is always available, and together, we can become better humans.
For over 50 years, Harmony Foundation has worked as a nonprofit to serve those seeking recovery from substance addictions. Our residential and intensive outpatient programs are in a collaborative and respectful treatment environment with multiple specialty tracks offering additional support. Our main campus is nestled on a 43-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Estes Park, Colorado, that promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. With one of the most robust alumni programs in the county, clients remain connected and empowered for a lifelong journey of recovery.
For more information about Harmony Foundation, please visit:
www.harmonyfoundationinc.com
Are you ready to take a transformative journey with me and my running buddy Taylor? Strap on your running shoes and prepare for a powerful conversation about the profound ways running and recovery intersect. Taylor's battle with alcohol and his subsequent journey to sobriety led him to the world of running, an activity that has been instrumental in his recovery process. He shares his inspiring tale of how he regained his self-confidence, one step at a time, on the running track. Just as running is about maintaining focus and moving forward, so is the process of recovery – a captivating parallel that we explore in this conversation.
Then, we dive into the gritty reality of injuries, a common obstacle in the running world. Taylor shares his experience of facing an injury and turning it into a blessing in disguise. We discuss how the downtime due to injury gave him the opportunity for introspection and allowed him to come back stronger and more determined. The conversation also covers the importance of seeking help and support during difficult times, emphasizing self-care and emotional connection as integral elements of self-improvement. So, whether you're a recovering addict, a budding runner, or someone seeking motivation to take up a new hobby, this dialogue has plenty to offer. Remember, help is always available, and together, we can become better humans.
For over 50 years, Harmony Foundation has worked as a nonprofit to serve those seeking recovery from substance addictions. Our residential and intensive outpatient programs are in a collaborative and respectful treatment environment with multiple specialty tracks offering additional support. Our main campus is nestled on a 43-acre campus in the Rocky Mountains just outside of Estes Park, Colorado, that promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. With one of the most robust alumni programs in the county, clients remain connected and empowered for a lifelong journey of recovery.
For more information about Harmony Foundation, please visit:
www.harmonyfoundationinc.com
Hey, hey, welcome to season two, episode 24 of Monday State of Mind brought to you by Harmony Foundation. My name is Michael Mausel and I am your host. Here we go a new day, new mindset, new perspectives. Wherever you're at, take the next several minutes to get present. Get so excited about what we're talking about, because I got my main man, taylor, is back, and we've talked about some pretty heavy topics with Taylor and this one is going to be. I hope that it just lights a fire. It offers a new perspective for any of you that are out there that when it comes to sport and so we are here to talk about running. We are here to talk about endurance, long miles, all the things. Running and how being in recovery, working in programs, has been able to really transform our lives. When it comes to marathons, ultras, getting through different mindset shifts, all the things, and like when I told Taylor that this is what we were going to talk about, he's like I was totally thinking that too.
Speaker 1:I was like sweet, so we're already on the same page, okay, so Taylor and I, we've been running buddies, we are runners that we have done marathons, that we've done other races and it's just become a big part of our lives. It's become a part of Taylor's life. And so, taylor, when we look at how 12 steps, aa, how it has really just infiltrates your life, we're up in every aspect of our life. Today we're focusing on running, and so when you look at how you started out with your running career and where you're at with it now, and the challenges and like the triumphs that you have, how does it relate to your program?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I quit drinking. And I went and immediately in the running and I think so I got on the treadmill and I was like, okay, well, I'm not going to drink tonight, I might as well do something else really fucking hard, you know I'm not drinking, so I'm going to try to run. And it really clicked for me when I tried to go a mile or two miles or three miles. And then when I got into the program and you know it's just one day at a time, you know, step one, step two, step three, and so that was huge for me because I was doing something hard and I was seeing benefits from it. So running for me was doing something hard and seeing my body physically change for the better, feeling better about myself. And it aligned perfectly with the program because every single day I would come back and I was sober, I'd feel better about myself. So I was like I want more of this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, I love these. Said that and it's so funny. You're like I need something to do right with my time. I will just say this you know I'm biased towards alcoholics and recovery. I think that we have a level of resiliency or a level of commitment when we get into a new hobby. Yeah, and there's no you know, I'm just going to dabble in it. It's like no.
Speaker 2:I'm going zero to 100. I was dreaming about a hundred mile races, like when I was only running a mile.
Speaker 1:It's like when we get sober. Like when we get sober and we have 24 hours, we're already planning our year sobriety speech oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Like that's what we're going to say to everybody Right, Because that's what we do.
Speaker 1:It's like it's all or nothing, yeah. And so this is not just for people in recovery. This episode especially is applicable to anybody who is thinking of starting out with running or picking up any new hobby. The challenge is the triumphs. We're getting into it right now, Taylor, when you started running, and even on hard days when you didn't want to do it if you're like God, I know I should run, but I don't want to do it and you did it anyways. It's kind of like with sobriety there's days we don't want to do it. I don't want to pick up the big book.
Speaker 2:I don't want to go to a meeting.
Speaker 1:I don't want to do these things, but we always feel better after we do it, and so what was that experience like for you when you first started getting back into running? And like getting through those uncomfortable moments of building a new habit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm the master of my mind and that was huge for me because the mind was running my entire show during my entire drinking career. So when I quit drinking, I started running and I'm like, oh, this is too hard at mile one. And but then I'd get to mile two and I'm like this is hard, I'm going to stop, but I keep going and I keep going through all the suffering and the pain and my legs would hurt and my whole body would hurt and I'd be like I got to run up hill now, what the heck? But I kept doing it and when I would reach the top of that mountain I was struggling but I made it. That gave me self confidence back. And that's the same thing with recovery and not drinking. I would have days where I'm like, yeah, I'm going to drink and I was like, but I didn't. My mind is not the master of me. And running and recovery, like you said, they go hand in hand because I don't have to be led by the first thought.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ah, and I love that you said it's not always about what we think it's gonna be and the fact that my thoughts don't control me. Like you get to choose what you're gonna accept, and I think that that's important when we're looking at picking up a new hobby or new sport like running. For you, even in the races of being like this is hard, I don't think I can do it of. Like bringing it back to basics like hey, I don't have to look at mile 24. Yeah, I get to look at where are my feet right now.
Speaker 2:Exactly, that was huge. Like I would be on mile 18 of a race and I'd be like, all right, next one, next one's 19. Just gotta get to the next mile. And then it was mile 20. And I hit a wall and I'd be like, okay, I'm gonna go to mile 21. Yeah, I would never think, oh, I got 10 miles left or I got 15 miles, like that would just wreck me, yeah. And I could see that. And it's kind of like when people get into the program and they see people with like 20 or 30 years and like, oh, am I ever gonna get to this point? And people are like you just don't have to do it today. That is the same with running and I think that's why it clicked for me. You know I ran a couple of marathons.
Speaker 1:Now I go running almost every single day and I feel great I would love to talk about when it comes to the emotional part, like we talk about sometimes with sobriety. It's emotional, there's a lot of ups and downs and there's a lot of times where, like when you hit that high, especially for people, that you get to that race and you finish that marathon, and it's kind of like when you get in sobriety and you get to that year, it's like well, now what you know, you reach this high in running, and I'll even say it's not just running you guys, it could be the CrossFit game, if you guys are a CrossFit, or you make it to a competition, anything biking, a bike race, and then it's like you finish that race and then you're left with well, now what?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I would finish my marathon and I would start planning the next one. Right, that was like my immediate go-to. Of course, I would take a day or a couple of days off and just recoup and hobble around for a little bit, but I was always thinking about the next race. Yeah, and you know, and I'm thinking about a race right now, I'm gonna be training for it and life never stops. Yeah, it never stops for anybody. It will continue to go. So I'm gonna keep trying to push myself to be as best as I can.
Speaker 1:Right, and I love you. So, if you didn't know, what I wanted you to touch on is that when we go into races yes, races are running, or whatever it is it's about you. It's not about everybody else, it's about you being better than you were the day before.
Speaker 1:It's about noticing the little milestones that happen, because I think sometimes you know, taylor, and I will speak for myself I get so caught up in these bigger things that are happening when it's like, you know, michael, did you get up and did you run faster today than yesterday? Did you get up and actually just go out and put your shoes on. It's that whole saying in recovery progress, not perfection. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, in the beginning I didn't just do it for me, I was doing it to prove everybody wrong, right.
Speaker 1:I'm like the truth comes out.
Speaker 2:I got sober and I was like you know what? I'm gonna run a marathon and prove everybody wrong and I'm not just some drunk, homeless drunk person. And so I started running and that didn't go too smoothly for a while because I wasn't running for me. I was running just to have an image of being something that I never was before. But I had to create that person through sobriety first, and then, once I started doing it because it made me happy or because I had friends that were running and I just wanted to talk with those friends and get to know them. And once I started doing it for others and for myself, without this whole ego trip, that's when it changed for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's so interesting, especially relating the steps to running, to endurance. It's looking at what we're doing every day is like we're playing the long game. It's a journey, it's not a destination Like even though. Yes, technically speaking, the races are the destination, but the journey continues.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, like I said, this never will end. Yeah, it'll end one day, but this is a lifelong process and it's all about the journey. Like you said, if I ran and I had my head down the whole time, I would miss the forest, I would miss the mountains, I would miss the other people running the race with me, I would miss everything that makes running great and it's just like sobriety. You know, if I keep my head down and I sit in the back of the rooms and I don't say anything and I don't share, I'm not being a part of, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that.
Speaker 1:So what I think is interesting too, because I want to take it to the other side of running, because you know, like, sometimes I remember you got injured not too long ago, right, yeah, oh, we got injured, oh, we had injury on the forefront, so, but what I love about this, because you guys like, sometimes things don't always go our way, like an injury like you had. Yeah, you know, like things don't go our way and injury can happen, like things happen that are out of our control. So I think that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get it out of my control.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to look at this as an inconvenience. Are you going to look at it as a lesson? Are you going to look at it as a teacher? And so I would love for you if you could touch on that, taylor. I think sometimes, a lot of times, when any of us get injured, we're like that's it, I'm done, I'm not doing this anymore. Right, you know, like, how were you able to walk through that as you were training and you know, like in preparing for races, right.
Speaker 2:Well, I wasn't able to walk at all when I injured myself. I was on crutches for a little bit, but I think the way I dealt with that was acceptance. I did this to myself. I was running at night and I was racing somebody. They were driving a car and I was running, which is stupid, and that was my part in it, and I was like you know what? This happened for a reason.
Speaker 2:So I got to rest a little bit and I got to read and I got to call people and I got to just take some time to not push myself so hard. So I looked at the downtime as being a black person. I looked at the time as being a blessing, because sometimes I can run myself ragged and I'm like, just know, my addiction comes out in running, as with a lot of things, and I think it was just God's way of telling me hey, so slow the brakes a little bit. So I did as much as I could when I was injured and worked out the muscle and now I'm running again. But I needed that time off and I'm grateful for it.
Speaker 1:Right. So you guys, just like Taylor, said, perspective is everything. Yeah, there are things that are going to happen to us, like when you pick up these hobbies, and there's things that you love to do that you're going to be crap. What do I do now? And so the beautiful part is is that you have a choice now, taylor, like you had a choice in that moment. Are you going to let this what we could call an inconvenience, a barrier and unfortunate circumstance? Are you going to let that take you down, just kind of like in sobriety? If somebody dies, if your dog dies, if something happens tragically, are you going to go out and relapse or, like with running, are you going to just give up forever? We have a choice. You have a choice.
Speaker 2:So it's like, you know, everything happens for a reason. Nothing in this world happens by mistake. And that was huge for me and my sobriety to realize that. You know, just because something bad happened to me, if I live in seeing it as something terrible. That happened to me, how dare that happened to me? Well, that's just me trying to control things and play God myself. But when I see everything happening for a reason, I'm like, well, I'm going to let this take me down. You know I got injured, okay, well, I'm going to do some other things and call some people and not be down on myself and slowly but surely work myself back up into running again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what I love about recovery that I want to touch on. One last thing is that it's like if you're even thinking about picking up running, if you're thinking about picking up a sport and you are somebody that's in the program or you are sober, asking yourself if you're scared or you're freaked out, it's like, hey, you've already done a really hard thing by getting sober.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right, and so it's like, if you are thinking of picking up running or doing like ultra racist triathlons, Ironmans, you name it it's like I hope that you can walk away with this confidence of, hey, you've already done something really hard, you know how to go through uncomfortable moments, you know how to turn your will over and do something. So it's like know that you are already armed with power that you didn't even realize you had.
Speaker 2:Right, right. And self-confidence comes back too. When I took my last drink, I was 100 pounds. I looked like I was skin and bones, you guys.
Speaker 1:yeah, you was a walking dead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was. It was the land of the living dead for me and I was saved from a living death. Yeah, and when I started running, I started to believe in myself again and I was like I got this, I can do this, I can do this, and same thing with not drinking and helping other people. I got this, and it was the first time in my life I ever had self-confidence. And running running played along with that too.
Speaker 1:Taylor, Taylor, if somebody is thinking about, if they're like Taylor, I haven't ran ever. What would be something you say to someone? They're freaked out, they so badly want to get into it, but they don't know where to start. What would you say to?
Speaker 2:them. Start by walking down the street, making it down the stop sign, making it a block further the next day, telling yourself whenever you want to quit, just go a little further. Yeah, and I guarantee you, if you continue to build up those days, if you really want to run and run marathons. It takes some time but you'll be thankful for it.
Speaker 1:Taylor, you are such a gift on this podcast Like I can't thank you enough for showing up.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, you're a gift in my life too. Thank you.
Speaker 1:This is how we do. We build better humans. For any of you who have not listened to the past two episodes from Taylor, his contact Instagram handle will be in the show notes below, so please feel free to reach out. If you have any questions or anything, taylor's here for you. Please reach out to me.
Speaker 2:I will answer any questions you guys have.
Speaker 1:Ah, this is how we do. Before we part ways, all of you, amazing humans, I do want to remind you that help is available. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to Harmony Foundation at 970-586-4491. And remember that together we build better humans. All right, you guys, we'll see you next week.