Why I Run archived

Why I Run : A Veterans Day Edition by Katie Cordova

November 11th, 2018

Today is Veterans Day. This day has been set aside as a nationally recognized holiday to honor those who are serving or have served in the military. Veterans Day honors living veterans, which is different than Memorial Day with is a day we set aside to honor those who died at war. (Good tip.)

Did you know that Brokeman’s Running Company is a veteran owned company? I served, at the ripe old age of 19, overseas in Iraq in 2005. Being a veteran is detrimental to my running journey, and it’s necessity in my everyday life.

Relatively speaking, my deployment was fairly easy. As easy as it can be serving in an impoverished and hostile nation during a time of war as a young girl. But I didn’t have a family back home. I didn’t directly fight in combat. I didn’t see death, and most days, my job was safe. One place I stayed even had a pool! (Although I worked too much to enjoy it).

In the military, in my close knit unit of 22, you develop these relationships of brotherhood and sisterhood, a stronger bond than anything I’ve experienced since. Where life turns real serious real fast, and you either join in and watch out for eachother like you never have before, or you fail. You live with each other, eat with each other, shoot high powered machinery with each other. You stay up for days on end with each other, and pull each other out of mud and drive through the sunrise over sand dunes in foreign countries and pull all nighters with full body armor and your M-16 locked and loaded at each other’s side. You laugh and celebrate and drink, and you yell and cry and fear; with each other.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s the deployment and the military life that changes people, or if it’s the people that choose to enlist are already lost, and that lostness is magnified by a world that exists only within it’s own rules and own heartache. But regardless of that cause, the fact of war changes people. We’ve seen it in the eyes of older vets in our country for decades. But have we seen it yet in the veterans that have come home in our post 9/11 world yet? Have you seen it?

Every veteran has a hole. It’s unavoidable. The military fills a part of your life you will never be able to replace and creates a hole that needs to be filled. We’ve all seen the our older veterans fill those holes for decades. But have we seen it yet in our young vets?

Running heals souls. Running saves lives. Countless studies have been done in the past decade about how running can aid in reducing the symptoms PTSD. While I’m no Dr., I am living proof of these things.

In 2008, a year and a half after I got home from my deployment, 3 months after the passing of my father, who died from alcoholism, I signed up for my first turkey trot because my entire family was running it in honor of my dad, who was a runner. I was thankful my uncle paid for my entry, because I would have never spent $40 on a race! I remember it being really early and really cold. But I also remember it bringing back some feelings that were familiar to me. It took me out of my element and forced me to work hard at something that I didn’t really feel like doing. It put me in an environment where everyone was out there for the same goal and encouraged and motivated each other throughout it all. It allowed me to push myself to limits I hadn’t pushed myself in years. And I loved every minute of it.

In 2010 remember the day I decided to go for a run instead of having a drink at 2pm. It wasn’t my first run, but it was the first time I chose to run with the purpose to fill the hole with running instead. My hole was so deep.

Running, and especially the goal setting task of signing up and training for a race, reminded me of the things that I loved in the military, and it allowed my hole to be filled up just a little bit each time I chose to run. I signed up for a longer distance race, and ran my first half marathon in 2011. My spark had been lit and I could feel the daily grind changing me slowly into someone that seemed like somebody I wanted to be much more than who I had given in to being.

When I think about why I run, running became my sanity. It became the way I dealt with the pain I had in my heart and anxiety and frustrations. But it also continued to make me who I knew I wanted to be. Determined. Strong. Confident. And fast and free like a child.

In the almost 10 years I’ve been running, I can’t even tell you the amount I’ve ran. I do know I’ve completed 5 marathons, and unending road and trail miles. I mostly run alone. I do love getting in long runs with a group, but the bulk of my miles are spent with me and my head and the pounding of my feet and my breath.

Those miles are spent thinking about my dad and thinking about who I was and who I’ve become and who I still long to become. They are spent mostly praying that every person who struggles in life can find running in their lives. That they can see how it can change them and make life something they never would have dreamt. To give them a strength they never thought they had in them.

I’ve been sidelined for a few years from serious miles because of the growth of my business and the growth of my family, but even the smallest daily miles continue to keep me growing, keep me from ever forgetting and keep that hole filled where I need it to be.

“We run to undo the damage we’ve done to body and spirit. We run to find some part of ourselves yet undiscovered.” - John Bingham

Hi! I'm Katie and I'm the owner of Brokeman's Running Company. Running is my passion and I created this company because I had a mission about running that I felt so strongly about sharing, and I loved running so much that I just HAD to work in the industry.

I have ran 5 full marathons and aspire to be a vagabond when I grow up, traveling around in my car camper and running every inch of the United States and beyond.

I am a mother of 3 boys, a loving wife, and died hard believer that Jesus saves. I'm Columbus born and bred and love this little city I call home.

Dream Big. Inspire Others. Run Long.

Why I Run : A No Limits Legacy by Allen Conner

Running has come to mean a lot of different things to me recently. The more and more I sit around trying to think about the content for this blog entry for Brokeman's Running, I keep coming back to one important point that is shaping my view about running. A no limits legacy.

I attended a seminar a few years back about helping people escape poverty, and the speaker said some things and asked some questions that really stood out to me. The speaker said to a room full of middle class people, "Why are you not wealthy? And even if you know the reasons, why have you not done anything about it? I have friends who were in middle class, and now they are millionaires. Why are you not wealthy?" It was an awkward question that left most of us scanning the room looking at one another. He then proceeded to say "That is the same thing you have mentally asked yourself about people who are in poverty." You say things like, "Why don't they help themselves? Why don't they just get a job? Just stop buying rims for your car and get a retirement fund. Strap up your boots and get to work like I do and my father did before me."

This seminar went on to teach perspective changing material for the rest of the day. My head was spinning. But as a lower-middle class attendee, something tickled my brain that I had never considered. The jump to becoming wealthy. I had always been told that anyone could make the jump from being in poverty to being in middle class by working hard and saving money. (There is more to it, but that was the mentality). So, what is the secret to make the next jump?

Just like running, the secret isn't hard work, it's all mental. Hard work is certainly a part of it, but it isn't the secret. The difference between middle class and the wealthy class is the same difference between planning for retirement and planning to leave behind a legacy. The difference between Half Marathon Runners and Ultra Marathon Runners is just where the finish line is. That's it. It's all mental. It's all perspective and what you choose to focus on. Of course it takes hard work to run a Half Marathon, just as it takes hard work to save for retirement. Of course it takes hard work to become wealthy, just as it takes hard work to run an Ultra. Hard work isn't the secret though. The secret is your perspective on the future.

It has taken a long time for me to align my mentality in this direction and to accept that the only limit on me making the jump from 26 half marathons to my first Marathon is just mental. It's not like I cant do the training, or I don't get enough food (I eat plenty, believe me), or any other excuse. Just like there is no reason why I don't think about what kind of legacy I will leave behind for my children and grandchildren to follow. All we have to do is change how we see things.

Instead of "What do I need to do so I can not work for the last 20 years of my life?"

Think "What do I need to do to set my children's destinies in motion?"

Instead of "How can I train to finish my next race?"

Think "How can I train to see how far my body can take me?"

In socio-economic standards as well as running standards the difference of a no limits legacy is where you put the finish line, or better yet, if there even is one. Do you put the finish line at retiring? Or do you want to watch your children be more than you ever could? Is the finish line at the end of a 5K? 10K? Half? Full? Ultra? 100 MILER?!?!

You know where your finish line has been in the past.

Where will it be in the future?

Or will you even have one?

'm Allen Conner a Brokemans Ambassador from Dayton OH. Growing up I was never active but in college I fell in love with rock climbing, which lead me to running because I needed to lose weight to get better. Along the journey I fell in love with running.

My first day of training I ran a quarter of a mile. Now I am almost finished with my goal of running 30 half marathons before turning 30. Only 4 left, and I will be done in Sept! I also compete in Obstacle Course Racing and have done Tough Murders, Spartan races and competed in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships last year and am looking forward to attending again in Oct. I'm looking forward to switching gears towards trail running and breaking into some longer distances soon. Feel free to follow my personal blog at

Www.suburbanintrotohomesteading.blogspot.com

Why I Run : 10 Very Important Reasons I Run by Lindsey McClean

I started dabbling with running 14 years ago when I was 18. I turn 32 this month and it has literally changed my life and shaped me into the person I am now. When deciding how to tackle writing this post I decided that a list would be the best way to organize my thoughts. Being a teacher, I am great at making lists….

“I owe so much to running. I was a bit of a mess

when I started. Sometimes I still am but I have

developed the tools to be a temporary mess rather

than a permanent one.”

Fitness : All four years of high school, I played tennis and stayed decently active. During college I did manage to avoid the freshman 15 but my weight was fluctuating some and I was craving something to keep me consistently active. At this time, the University of Dayton had a pretty small, mediocre gym and I hated waiting for the elliptical and treadmill. It was brutal. You checked in and had to wait in line for your 30 minutes on a machine. That didn’t do it for me. I started running outside regularly before classes. I could go on my schedule, there was no need to wait for my turn or restrict my run to 30 minutes. Honestly, it was awesome waking up before my roommates and sneaking out of the door. Running offered me some freedom from the monotonous gym. It gave me freedom.
Stress : Running for fitness was only 50% of my motivation. The other 50% was spurred on by pure stress. Without going through all the details, I was struggling sophomore year. I was a bit overwhelmed and I needed a healthy outlet. Running helped me release some of the stress and anxiety I was experiencing and having difficulty balancing. I wasn’t ready to ask for help. I am a special kind of stubborn and it’s mind boggling how difficult a request for help can be to muster up. So I started running regularly and I ran almost every morning. I started running farther, I started to love running for more than just stress relief. It quickly became a thing I loved.
Eating Disorders : Ironically, even while running was a healthy outlet I was slowly spiraling in another direction that was pretty counter productive. I started to struggle with bulimia. Ugh. I cringe admitting that. My instinct is still to deny this some. I didn’t have “full” bulimia. I didn’t binge and purge everyday. The reality is that despite all the excuses I can defend myself with, the simple fact is that I started overeating and then freaking out and forcing everything back up. Logic would always kick in periodically and I would go days, weeks, or sometimes months without throwing up. Running helped me overcome this. Running was more of a priority. On days I threw up it made running more difficult. I would feel horrible and weak. Sometimes, after a bad purge, it would affect my run the next day. Ultimately, I knew what I was doing was wrong and if I was going to have the body I wanted, or feel good I needed to stop. As mentioned above, I was hard headed and it took years to finally reach out for help. I had friends in college who suspected and questioned me, one even went to my mom and I denied everything (thank you by the way). The real break in my habit was feeling comfortable enough to tell my now husband. I was throwing up on and off for nearly 5 years. Running helps me remember my priorities. BUT, and I must stress this, I didn’t stop on my own. I found my person, I found someone to lean on. This is always a struggle. It never really goes away. When I am worried I go on a run and I talk to my husband.

“Nothing felt fair, nothing felt right,

everything felt wrong, So I went for a run,

because I didn’t know what else to do.”

Mind Clutter : Stress and bulimia pretty much segwayed into depression and anxiety. When I felt too much I would run. When I was anxious I ran. Running became my release. Running has helped me get through some major hurdles. It gave me time to myself. It allowed me to process and think through what was going on. Running helped me breathe when I felt like I couldn’t. This past year has been rough. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August. It felt like my lungs had collapsed, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I was crying every day. I was being told I only had 2 more years with my dad. Nothing felt fair, nothing felt right, everything felt wrong. So I went for a run, because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know how to let me husband help me, he was also grieving. This year has been toughest year I have ever experienced and the most wonderful all at the same time. It’s been very confusing. I have pushed myself and run farther, harder, and faster than I ever have because life has felt so damn scary, I haven’t known what else to do. Now that we are almost a year from my dad’s diagnosis he is beating the odds. He is one hell of a fighter. Through it all I have been running and doing my best to stay strong. Running has helped so much this past year. Any time life throws a wrench in my path, I run.
Family : I swear I run for more positive reasons! Sharing my love for running with my family has been the best gift. My sister asked me to run a half marathon 10 years ago. I probably laughed at her but then I agreed. The rest is history, I loved racing. It was not on my radar at all and suddenly I couldn’t wait to run more marathons. I ran my first full 3 years later. Oh my god, everything hurt. But, my family went to the race with me and my dad was so excited he asked me to qualify for Boston so that we could take the trip together. So again, a family member asked me to do something and I said yes. My husband has been my favorite running partner for 7 ½ years now. He almost ran my first full with me because he wanted to impress me. He’ll deny that, he’ll claim he just wanted to be with me but he was also trying to be impressive. I consider myself very lucky to have my favorite hobby in common with my partner. Since then, my big brother has gotten back into running and he is now active with the same running team I am a part of. My little niece occasionally runs kid runs and I’ve been gifting my 7 year old cousin with race entries this past year because he desperately wanted a medal. He will be running his first 5K this month! I literally started the new year by running a 1 mile race with Elliott. It was way more exciting than staying up late at a party.

“Sharing my love for running with my family

has been the best gift.”

Competition/Confidence : After my first race, I was racking PRs without really trying but once my family got involved I started to research speed training and I had a set goal. Qualify for Boston. This crazy running path I have traveled the last 6 years is all my dad’s fault. I kept getting faster and closer to my goal. I also started loving the smaller races. I started winning and placing for my age group. In the past year I actually came out first overall a few times at some of these smaller races. I was getting more competitive. The beauty of this, is running seems to be the best competitive sport. I pass runners and they tell me good job, runners pass me and I encourage them. I pass runners and make sure to tell them how awesome they are. It’s such a kind community.The best part is that most of the competition is against myself. Through this all my confidence has soared. My running journey began due to difficult times and negative circumstances. It gave me a positive outlet in face of depression, anxiety and bulimia. Since then it has morphed into something amazing. Something I can say with pride. I am a runner. I am a GOOD runner. For someone who can be too high strung, too worried about pleasing, too much of a perfectionist, someone who struggles with a positive body image, that is HUGE.
Adventure : For the most part I ran around my neighborhood and signed up for races close to home. In the past 4 years my husband and I have starting branching out and seeking fun, new places to explore while running. When we got married, my husband, Pat, lived in Florida and we traveled and moved every few months for his work. Living in New Mexico was a game changer for us. We lived right along a mountain range and the urge to explore was powerful. We started venturing into the mountains to trail run. Now, when I go on vacation I find new trails to explore. Since moving back to Ohio we became members of the Ohio River Road Runners Club and have discovered Ohio parks I had never been to despite growing up here. Running has become a vessel to experience more.
Community : The running community is a wonderful one to be a part of. It is inclusive, differentiated, positive, supportive and fun! Moving back to Ohio was a more difficult transition than we expected. Our social scene had changed dramatically in the couple years we were gone. Last summer we found the 5 Rivers Running Team and my big brother introduced us to the Ohio River Road Runners club runs and we joined up as a family. At any point in time I either had one person to run with, a roommate or my husband and suddenly we had a ton of people to train with and attend races with. Suddenly we were running our first team relay and my husband was so excited we signed up for two this upcoming fall. I now have people who will meet me at 6 or 7 AM to get more miles in for a long run while training. I had runners pushing me along after a tough run or finishing with me to keep me going. Running has become a social activity, we run for fun! We are crazy but it is the best kind of crazy. I discovered Brokeman’s Running Company through this group too. I was immediately drawn to the company’s philosophy toward community, mental and physical health, making running more accessible and sustainable. Becoming an ambassador has extended and improved the running community I was a part of.

“Running helped me release some of the

stress and anxiety I was experiencing and having

difficulty balancing. I wasn’t ready to ask for help”

Coaching : Running has helped me through so much I often ponder how different things would be if I would have started earlier. Ironically, I used to refuse to join the track team. I would only run at tennis practice if Coach made us. I claimed I hated to run. Before getting married I discovered Girls on the Run. I was anxious to get involved but I knew I wouldn’t be at my school the next year. GotR is an international running program for elementary and middle school girls. The girls train to run a 5K but all of the practices focus on different mind, body and soul skills. Heck, I use some of the confidence and stress strategies myself. As soon as I signed the contract for my current teaching position I started giving my principal information on GotR. Last year, our first season, I had 1 co-coach and 7 runners. This past school year we had 4 coaches and 29 girls. We got the middle school team going as well. Watching these amazing girls train and grow through the season filled my heart. There were days this season when going to practice after work was the last thing I wanted to do but my co-coaches were amazing and I had dragged them into volunteering. I was committed to these girls and usually, by the end of practice I was energized and gained a more positive outlook on my day. It is an amazing program and I hope it helps these girls avoid or cope with some of the struggles I experienced.
Food : And lastly, who am I kidding. I love to eat. The more I run, the more I can eat. I’m just grateful that I now have a healthy(er) relationship with food and eat to fuel my body. I don’t eat perfectly 100% of the time but I strive to fuel with quality food. It’s always a learning process but it’s one worth the time and effort. It’s a simple and totally indulgent reason to run but it’s a motivator nonetheless.

“Running helps me remember my priorities.”

I owe so much to running. I was a bit of a mess when I started. Sometimes I still am but I have developed the tools to be a temporary mess rather than a permanent one. Running has transformed from a vice to a way to better experience a fulfilled life. Sometimes it’s still a vice. Sometimes I just need to run and process whatever I’m feeling or experiencing. Often now, I run because I just want to be outside, I want to compete, I want to be social, I want to explore and I want to share with others. Running has enriched my life in so many ways. I am a runner. I love to run.