Mile 20 Mindset Podcast Episode 023 - Featuring Brian Collins

From Heartbreak to Marathon: Brian Collins’ Journey of Healing Through Running**  
  
**Introduction**  
In the latest episode of the Mile 20 Mindset podcast, host Allen Maldonado welcomes Brian Collins, a remarkable individual whose journey into running transformed his life following personal loss. Collins shares how running became a therapeutic outlet for him, leading him to take on the ultimate challenge: completing a marathon.  
  
**The Beginning of a Journey**  
Brian Collins’ story of running began in an unexpected way. It was during his college years at Alabama State University when he met his grandfather for the first and only time, just a week before the elder passed away. This emotional experience stirred something within him, prompting him to lace up his running shoes and hit the streets of Montgomery, Alabama. "Just go for a run," he recalled the impulse that led him to run four miles, a distance he had never tackled before.  
  
While running was initially a form of escape and healing, it soon evolved into a passion. Collins found solace in the rhythm of his feet hitting the pavement, reflecting on life, and connecting with his emotions. "Running is my therapy," he shared, emphasizing the introspective conversations that unfolded during his runs.  
  
**From 5K to Marathon**  
After several years of participating in 5Ks and 10Ks, Collins felt the calling to take on a more significant challenge: a marathon. The decision wasn’t instantaneous; it came after the loss of his mother in 2021. Seeking a way to cope with his grief, Collins’ wife encouraged him to commit to the marathon. "I can't let my wife get in this marathon and me not do it," he humorously recounted. With the financial investment in registration, he was determined to follow through.  
  
Collins emphasized the importance of training, which he approached with the help of Maldonado, who provided him with a structured training program. He learned to balance his long runs with his work schedule, often juggling 16-hour shifts while finding time to train. "The hardest part was trying to figure out how to juggle those long days," he admitted. Despite the challenges, the training process became a beautiful journey, filled with moments spent running alongside his wife.  
  
**Race Day: The Ultimate Challenge**  
As race day approached, Collins experienced a mix of excitement and anxiety. He recalled preparing for the big event, making sure to eat properly and manage his nerves. Inspired by Maldonado’s advice to view the race as a party, Collins focused on enjoying the experience rather than stressing about performance.  
  
When the moment finally arrived, the atmosphere was electric. As he took his first steps, he felt a rush of adrenaline and camaraderie with fellow runners. "It’s go time, let’s get it," he exclaimed, ready to tackle the challenge ahead. The emotional support from his wife added to his motivation, as she encouraged him to run his race and not worry about her pace.  
  
**Facing the Wall**  
Every marathon runner knows about the infamous “wall” around mile 20, where physical and mental exhaustion can set in. Collins faced this moment head-on, battling against the urge to stop. He described it as a critical point of self-conversation, where he had to push through the pain and remind himself of why he started. "It’s you versus you," he reflected, emphasizing the importance of mental resilience in running.  
  
**Conclusion: Key Takeaways**  
Brian Collins’ journey from heartbreak to marathon runner is a testament to the healing power of running. Through his experiences, he highlights the importance of finding outlets for emotional pain and the value of community support in pursuing personal challenges. His st

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy Alan Mal Donato, host of Mal20 Mindset. This is a running podcast for running enthusiasts for elite runners, novice runners, and those that love supporting the runners in their lives. I got an incredible guest, not just a friend, my brother. I could go down a long list of accolades, but I'd rather focus on him being just one of the greatest men that I've ever met in this human experience. My good friend, Brian Collins, man. Welcome to the show, brother. Welcome to the show. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Glad to be here. Man, my G, my dog for life. Um, let's start from the beginning. Now, you know, I know you and I know some of the inner workings of why you run, but for this pod, please, please tell an audience of like where did your running story begin? Honestly, I think my running story began. Um funny place. Uh I was in college uh in Alabama, I went to Alabama State University, and um I had never met one of my grandfathers before. Okay. And so uh I was able to go and see my mom's dad, my my grandfather. And um I I met him a week before he passed away. So I went and I saw him, he was sitting in the hospital bed, and it was just like a crazy experience of just like looking at him and him looking at me. And I always heard people talk about their grandfathers and all these different things, and I was like, wow, like I'm actually getting a chance to lay eyes on my grandfather. And then like a week later, he was gone. And, you know, I couldn't really be too emotional about somebody that I didn't know that I hadn't, you know, built a relationship and built a rapport with, but it kind of hurt. And some was just like, just go for a run. So I went for a run in the middle of Montgomery, Alabama, and I just, you know, ran about four miles. Had never done it before, you know, outside of, you know, trying to run track in high school, and I wasn't very good at it. And uh, yeah, that was that's where it started. Okay, that's where it started. Okay, so it it it the runnings, it was spawned from a a an emotional moment that you had to get in motion to sort of find some some healing for. And that's that's that's incredible. Um and not surprising as far as what brought you to running, being that running is my therapy as well. Um it is it has changed my life for the good. And it is those internal conversations that I love having. Um what brought you to deciding to run a marathon, though? Like that's like that's a so we have this moment where running gave you some healing. How do we get to 26.2 miles? Like, tell me where did you get from that from that moment that running was sort of your place of solace? How did we get to a marathon challenge? So I have been, I have been kind of, you know, a a 5K, 10K type of guy, you know, to kind of kind of stay in shape and do all these different things. And then 2020 came along, and uh, well, 2019 came along and it was like, okay, let me prepare, let me try to run LA.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

And then 2020 came and it was kind of, you know, crazy. It was still early in the year. And uh I was just like, nah, I'm not, I'm not prepared. So I kind of just like, I just let it go. So I just kept kind of running my little 5Ks, 10Ks. The end of 2021 came, and my mama left here. And you talk about um trying to find a way to do therapy and trying to find a way to get through things. Yeah, that that exertion of you know what running puts you through is what kind of took me there. And I was still kind of on the fence, and my wife was like, Well, I'm signing up and I'm paying for mine. And I was like, Well, I can't let my wife, you know what I'm saying? Yep, yep. I can't let my I can't let my wife, like, you know, she don't even run like that. I can't let her, you know, just get in this marathon and me not do it. So then I was like, all right, I'm gonna pay for it. And when I put my money on the line, the way my accounts is set up, I was like, Yeah, we run it.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

I got I I gots to do it. I gots to do it. And these marathons ain't cheap. They are not cheap. What? Yeah, yeah. So okay. So, all right, you decide this. Uh uh, your wife, uh she she she put it on you. She put the pressure, she put the pressure on you to do it. Um let's talk about the training.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Like, what did training teach you about yourself? Um it just, it just taught me, you know, what I'm capable of, but I gotta give, I gotta give, you know, the salute to you because, you know, I was just like, okay, let me go run a bunch of miles every day, and then you gave me a training program. You know what I mean? I was asking people and I was kind of Googling stuff, and you kind of gave me a training program, and it was like, okay, let me do it like this, okay. Long run day, long run day, or short run day, short run, okay, do a long run, and then you build from there, and that's kind of how I took it. And I remember uh, I remember you was like, yeah, so if you want to get started, just go to the track and run the strakes and jog the crookets. I did that a gang of times. Yeah. Yeah, bring it out Sprint Days. Yeah. And then I then I would just kind of jog the crookets, and that's how I built it up.

unknown 5:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

That's where I got it from. So it was like literally, I got it from, you know, got it from the fam. Like, hey, this is what you need to do. This is how you, this is how you're gonna break it down. And then I would check in, like, hey, so if I see this and I I got it from you. That's that's what it is. I appreciate it. I appreciate it, man. So what was the hardest part of training? Um was it like juggling the schedule? Because you know I know you got kids, or was it mental? Was it injury? Like what was the what was the most difficult part for you? The training was cool. I think the hardest part was was trying to figure out, you know, how to juggle those long days. Like I have days at work where I work like 16 hours. So it's like, okay, probably can't run on that day. And then I gotta kind of like, you know, stack, stack a few days where I may be tired from having worked my shift and then, you know, go go get those miles in. So the biggest challenge was that, you know, or or, you know, I got to drop the kids off at school, then go get some miles in. But it was, but it was beautiful though. Like looking back on it, like the journey was beautiful. Um, you know, the days I got a chance to get miles in with my wife, that was cool. It was kind of like like a low-key uh exert yourself date, like a day date. So that was that was dope. Yeah. Um, but but it was, it was, it was beautiful, man. And um somewhere in there, like uh there was a lot of a lot of things that went forward toward my process of healing. Um, you know, so I ran a lot of miles and shed a lot of tears while running miles a lot of times, you know, just thinking about my mom. And um, you know, that first marathon, I dedicated it to her. Okay, so let's talk about talking about the marathon, let's get to the race day. Like you've done the 5Ks, you've done the 10K's, but race day for a marathon is something different. It's, it's, it's, it's, uh, for a runner, it's like it's our playoffs, it's our Super Bowl. It's it's a magical day, and especially if you're running a marathon such as the LA Marathon, which is, for one, one of the craziest marathons to start start at. Meaning that you got to go to the top for the Dodgers Stadium at the crack of dawn. Take us, take me to the race day and how you felt and how you prepared. Well, prepared for a race day, I I I definitely felt, you know, some jitters of trying to make sure I ate the right stuff. Wanted to make sure I didn't have to like, you know, take a dump before I started running. Yeah. All the party parties be loaded.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Yeah, they loaded the game.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Was kind of was kind of there. Um, yeah. But I remember talking to you, and you were like, man, look at it as the race is the party. So all this training is everything that's gonna get you there, but the race day is the party, and just go party, go have fun with it. And so that was that was that was it. You know, that was the thing. It's just like, okay, look at it like it's a party, and just, you know, let all the different moments that come in there like just soak it all in. And that's that's what got me through. Dope, dope. So, so give me, give me what were the thoughts that were running through your head as you're taking your first few steps. Like, we you're in your corral, everybody's you hear people cheering, clapping, everybody start removing their their jackets and the and their the the disposable clothes that they they got they have on their own. Yeah, all of that is happening, and you have your first few steps into this marathon. Like, what were the thoughts going through your head? Like, oh, I'm a part of it. Um it's happening now. What what were you thinking? Like, it's go time. Let's get it. Like, I remember I got a I got a um I got a video, and I'm just like, let's go, let's go. And I'm like, nodding my head. I think he was right there, like, whoa, let's go. We all turned up. Yeah. And um, yeah, it was just like, it was just go time. And I remember my wife saying to me, she said, you know, don't worry about me, run your race. I know that you, you know, I know that you're strong. She was like, don't worry about waiting for me. You get through the race. Like you, you enjoy yourself and run the race. So I remember we we rolled out of Dodger Stadium and I and I kicked in the gear, and I I didn't see her again until like damn near mile 18. Like that's when we that's when we ran, that's when we crossed paths. Right, right, right, right. Yeah. Okay, so so talking about mile 18, let's let's get let's get to the let's get to the heart of things. And what I mean by that, the heart of the marathon, that mile 20 moment, that wall, that sort of that conversation you have with yourself where it's you versus you, and the other side of you is saying stop. It's screaming, hey, why are we doing this? Um, take us, take us to that moment, and which mile was it? Of a couple moments that that I remember.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

So when you run the LA Marathon, you have to run past the Century City Mall, right? And the way that they have the streets set up is you're passing people that are finishing. Yeah. As you're as you're like maybe mile, you know, I don't know, 13, 14, I don't know. So you passing people and you seeing people finish. So I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna go up here, go around the corner, and then I'm then I'm I'm back. I'm I'm finished.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Man.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

I was like, all right, uh, when when do I start running the other way? Right. Right. Yeah, I listen, you are you I I think you're probably the third person that has complained about about the new, because that was new. LA used to go all the way down to Santa Monica and you didn't see that you see in the finish line, it it messes with everybody. They they wrong for me.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

Okay, yeah. Yeah. So I'm looking, I'm like, okay, okay, I'm just gotta go up the street. And, you know, like the street just kept going. It just kept going. And, you know, yeah, that so I remember uh, you know, I had my little, the little jail packs and all that. And uh I had a Motrin in my pocket. I think when I got to mile 20, like I started feeling like my knee, my ankle, my foot, my something. And I I unzipped that pocket and I popped that little Motrin. Yeah. I went to the little, I went to the little little water stand, got me a water, and I was like, all right, we're gonna we're gonna keep going. Yeah. So uh that was the that was the first instance. I think I think I remember it was like mile, I think I got to like mile 21, which was like somewhere around that bridge. Just my brickwood. My breakwood. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep. Uh that kind of hit me uh where I was just like, all right, you know, I I I started like low-key walking, and then I was like, okay, I'm gonna go to power walk. Yeah. And then I was like, all right, nah, I'm not going out like that. Let me run. Yeah. So that was that one was tough. And then I remember getting to uh mile, I think I was at mile 26. I was at mile 26. I saw the sign. So I saw the sign, and I literally, like literally stopped. I was like, man, it's a rap. Like, it's over with. It's 26. And some random dude, some random dude didn't know him. He's like, hey, man, hey, you've just run 26 miles. All you got left is the point two. Go get it, go get it. And I was like, man, you know what? Thank you, random man. Like, I appreciate it. So random man.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

So to save the day.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Man, to save the day. So, so then, so then I had this moment where I'm running, I'm thinking about all the training. I'm thinking about, you know, the days I had to drop the kids off at school. I'm thinking about work, and I started thinking about my mom. And so my eyes start, my eyes start welling up, and I'm running, and it's just like I'm about to lose it. I'm about to just like be full on crying, like just straight crying. And I remember it was, it had started raining. So I took, I had headphones on. I took one off because I was just like, you know what? I just want to take it in. Like I got my music plan, but I just kind of want to take it in a little bit. So I move my headphone to the side, and it's starting to rain harder, it's starting to rain harder. And then I just hear these three little voices, and they're like, dad, daddy, daddy, daddy. And I'm like, I know those voices. And so I look to my left, I see my three boys, they there with my sister, and it's raining. Like my sister, my sister looked like she she's hot. She's like, man, got me out here waiting. Y'all got my hours for two seconds. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And it's the BS right here. So the boys, so the boys is right there. So I so I make my way to the left, I dab them up, I get them a hug, and then they're like, Daddy, go to the finish line, go to the finish line. And I look out, I look at, I look in front of me, and everybody got this like broken stride. Like everybody just beat up. Everybody stride looked exactly the same. Wasn't nobody in my in my corral, wasn't nobody running like so like they had it no more. Right. Everybody was so like, it was like a little, it was like a little hop limp. So I got my hop limp on too, and I hit that finish slide.

SPEAKER_03 15:53

Brother, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

So, so tell me, I mean, listen, you about to you about to bring me to tears as you, you know, you mentioned moms, you mentioned this magical moment of your three sons screaming at you to finish.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Like, come on, man.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

How did it feel when you finally crossed the line, though? And you did it in front of your boys. How did that feel? It felt amazing, man. Um, it's one of those things where, you know, you get to a certain point, you work, you do all these types of things, you do all these different things, and you want to um, you know, it just it just becomes like you're going through the motions, right? Because you're trying to provide for your family, you're trying to be a good husband, you're trying to be all these different things. But to have something that you can accomplish and and and complete for yourself, um, and just a reminder of what you're capable of as you going through grief, as you, you know, sickness, health, all these different things that come about as life hits you, it was amazing. Because it was just like, man, like don't ever, don't ever forget who you are and what and what you're capable of. That's the feeling that I had. Yeah, man, that's that's beautiful, man. Uh my next question is how do you think running has changed or completing this marathon? How do you think it's changed your life um post receiving that medal? Um well there there's the you know, we we've said for a long time, you know, life is a marathon, not a sprint. Um and you know, a lot of times we just try to we just try to, you know, bully our way through things. And you gotta respect the process. I mean, I I know that it's possible for people to just run a marathon and not train, but um life is a life is a journey. And so the the whole thing of it was was respect to the journey. Like, you know, it's gonna, as I, as I get older and as I progress, it'll be a whole lot of moments and minutes that I don't remember of the marathon. But all those days doing hill repeats and running miles and running around the track and getting a chance to run my rife, even running with the kids, you know, running after work, running at 10 o'clock at night, all those different things that I did, that was a reminder of, you know, this is the things, these are the things that you're capable of, you know. And like my mom always said, you can do anything that you put your mind to. And that that was a that's a that's a a constant reminder. That's the thing that always kind of rings in my head. You know, whatever you set your mind to. Beautiful, beautiful. Um so there's a there's there's definitely some people watching right now, um, are listening, um, that are on the fence, that are considering running their first marathon. What would be your biggest tip to them um if they choose to run the marathon? Y'all see me? If I can do it, if I can do it, you can do it. But uh my biggest tip, my biggest tip is, my biggest tip is enjoy the process. Whether it hurts, you know, some days you're gonna get up and you're gonna go run and it's gonna completely suck. Take it and accept it as progress. You gotta, you gotta take each day and stack each day. So just take that progress and just snowball it into something big, and next thing you know, you'll be running uh down the finish line of a marathon, getting a medal. That's what it's about. Man, I appreciate that. Okay, all right. So this we're gonna go into our our last segment of the pod, which is the knees out speed questions. These are one-word answers. You can, of course, elaborate if you need to. Um knees out means yes, knees in means no. All right, so question number one During training, did you ever think about quitting but still showed up for yourself? Knees out. All right, all right.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

Do you think everyone has at least one marathon in them? Knees out. Okay, okay. Um is the marathon more mental or physical? Mental.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

I always throw that question in to make sure you're paying attention. Just make sure you pay attention. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, no, you got it, you got it. You in. You in it.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

Just keep it you game. All right, all right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

These out. Yeah, man. All right, well, listen, man. Thank you, B. Um for joining the pod and sharing your story. Um excited for how running continues to just not help you but help others, as it is exciting to see the world sort of embracing running in a way that I I don't remember it being that way 10 years ago. And I think it's in large part of everyone really yearning to love themselves. And running is sort of a way that you do that um mind, body, and spirit. So um, so yeah, that that concludes another episode of Mal20 Mindset. Please follow and subscribe. Peace, y'all.