I’ve fallen in love with running and it’s changed my life.

A little backstory, I was never a runner as a kid. I didn’t compete in school. I played tennis in junior high and high school and the most I ran was a mile for fitness exams.

In my late-20s, I was single for the first time in a long time and had some friends getting ready for a half marathon and they challenged me to do it as well. I started running to train for the race, and eventually ran it with them. It was fun, but that was really it for me.

Fast-forward to last year. I was 39, out of shape, the heaviest I’d ever been. I hadn’t exercised in any real capacity in a very long time (a global pandemic + my wife giving birth to our baby girl kind of kept my priorities in other places for the last ~7 years).

But over this past year, to get back into shape, I’ve started running again. This time with no plan or end goal in mind, just to run. And I’ve fallen in love so much with it! It’s genuinely enjoyable, I look forward to my runs and challenging myself. It’s not about races or external validation (though I’ve run a few 5ks over the past year). It’s just been for me.

That mindset shift has changed my life over the past year. I’m 40 years old and in the best shape of my life. I can keep up with my daughter, who is no longer a baby but now a rambunctious kindergartener. And my libido is through the roof. (Wife really likes that!)

So, yeah. Thanks, running. You saved my life.