I didn't start running in earnest until spring of 2007 after I quit my toughest addiction, cigarette smoking. With encouragement from my stepson & needing better ways to cope with a life free from substances, running would become my go to mental health adjustment "medicine." I ran to deal with the depression I was feeling from saying by to my "best friend" of 30+ years. On February 12th 2007 I inhaled my last smoke filled breath. The thing about giving up substances after abusing them for 16 + years is that now you need to cope with life on its own terms! Not an easy thing for someone that self medicates to deal with daily stressors. Not surprisingly, given the early age that I started using alcohol & drugs, I was diagnosed with mild depression & bi-polar 2 disorder. The majority of addicts are also diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The thing about self medicating is that the mental health side of things most likely will go unchecked until you start dealing with the substance use issues. By spending the majority of my days from my mid teens until my late 20s high or drunk I really never felt depressed. Hung over & upset with some of my exploits yes, but I was a pretty happy addict until the day I wasn't. Hell I didn't even miss a beat after ending up upside down in my pick up on St. Clair Ave or having a gun put to my head while trying to buy crack. Self medicating enabled me to "deal" with these "near death" experiences while nary batting an eye!
Back to the reason I am writing this blog in the first place. My running progressed to doing my first 5k in June of 2008 & my first marathon in Cleveland in 2009. I ran pretty consistently and did many local road races from 5k - 26.2 for the next couple years. I enjoyed both the physical & mental health conditioning that hours in my own head with an elevated heart rate provided. Not to mention the great people I met at NE Ohio running events! Love the motivation & support that everyone provides!
I noticed in 2011 that I was losing the therapeutic benefits of running due to my quest for a Boston Marathon qualifying time! Running was becoming to rigid & structured by following marathon training programs that basically dictated my every running move. I was no longer running freely!
It was during this time that I was introduced to trail running & gave up most road running. It was a godsend to run through the woods without any specific plan. I love the outdoors and being in the woods running was just the "medicine" for my road weary mind! Funny thing about running, if you want to race you need to train. If you want to train properly you need some type of training plan. If you want to successfully run 100 mile trail races you need to be fairly regimented in your training. Catch 22, sounds like what I was doing when running roads. Damn it anyway!
Well thanks to meeting Pam Rickard I was introduced to Runwell, The Linda Quirk Foundation & later, The Herren Project. Now I was rejuvenated to running because I would be raising funds for individuals battling their own addiction issues. I spent a couple years with Linda & Runwell working with their Ambassador Program & fund raising. I also raised funds for The Herren Project & was all set to get more involved with THP in 2018. This renewed sense of purpose & giving back to the community was just what the doctor ordered to keep my running mentally beneficial to me! A couple years later I left Runwell to start my own venture, Active Recovery Consulting. This would further engross me in helping individuals dealing with substance use issues. While the last couple years of earning certificates & credentials & promoting ARC have been a great internship they have also taken their toll. Yes I love helping people deal with substance use issues. Whether they, or someone they love is fighting addiction, I do my best to show compassion, provide guidance, and to educate. I realize however that by using running to benefit others it does not afford me the same mental health release as it once did. I feel this is due to the fact that whether personally or professionally, I am constantly involved with substance use issues.
It is with this is mind that I am taking a "selfish" approach and getting back to running for me and no one else. No more fund raising or spreading the word through my running. I do that all the time anyway! I need this one thing to be just mine again so as to reap the wellness benefits that running provides in order to continue helping others. I am still available if you or someone you know needs help. FB message me or email me at mvschaffer.100@gmail.com
On a professional note, I am thrilled to be getting involved in a pilot program that will have me connecting with individuals pretty much right after they accidentally overdose & are transported to the hospital. I am also looking forward to doing some work at a local rehab facility & will post more information in the coming days. It is with this in mind that I will be putting my Active Recovery Consulting on the back burner for now. If you are interested in becoming involved with or donating to either Runwell or The Herren Project click on their link below!!
I could not have imagined when I took my first running steps at Mentor Headlands in 2007 where the path would lead. The people I have met & places I have been have truly made my life blessed. Hope to see you out on a trail or a road somewhere!
Wishing you all the best!!!
Wow, just reading this Michael. I have found over the course of my life that my running has taken on many different looks and reasons to get out there. This step that you are now going to take is so admirable and will show others that change is good for the soul. Get back to running for the sheer joy of running and the feelings that it gives you ... you my friend are a great human being ... others will follow your lead!!!
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