Editor’s note: This story discusses gun violence.
Name: boots panama jack bota panama c69 bark
Age: 50
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Minister
Time Running: 10 years
After graduating from the College of Biblical Studies in Houston in December 2009, my weight was at its heaviest it had ever been. So I started running and eating healthy to help me lose weight. During the first 60 days, I lost 40 pounds. I became faster and stronger, and I felt like the “Million Dollar Man.” I lost exactly 100.6 pounds in one year. It would take me another four years to lose another 74 pounds, and I truly enjoyed every single moment. My weight went from 394 pounds down to 219 pounds.
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I went from struggling to run for 15 minutes to running sneaker 15 miles at a time. I ran so much, so long, and so far, that I was running sneaker 18 to 30 miles as my long runs weekly. And just prior to my first ultramarathon, a 50K, I moved the distance up to a 50-miler because I knew I could run 30 miles without missing a beat. But two weeks prior to my race—the Brazos Bend 100 50-Miler just outside Sugar Land, Texas—I was a victim of a workplace shooting.
On November 28, 2015, the day after Black Friday, I was working at a large retailer when two intruders entered with a gun around closing time. I was shot five times during the attack—three bullets entered my right glute area, the fourth struck my left glute area, and the fifth traveled down and across my pelvic area and through my inner thigh, just missing my femoral artery by one centimeter. I saved three of my coworkers, and although I survived, it is difficult for me to think in detail about that evening. After the attack, for the next four years I struggled mentally and physically—and I stopped running.
Recovery has been like going through an extremely terrible, ugly divorce after being married for nearly two decades. The physical and mental toll placed on me had me questioning my sanity. At first, I described it similar to an emotional vertigo. PTSD is like being thrown out of a plane without a parachute and being told to swim in an attempt to save yourself. I have been receiving professional help from both a psychiatrist and psychologist since January 2016, nearly two months after being shot, and nearly a month after having a bullet fragment removed from my right buttocks. (I still have two bullets lodged in my muscle tissue.) I’ve experienced everything from anxiety and depressive moods followed by uncontrollable crying spells. I’ve had hallucinations of the shooter and nightmares. Worst of all is the fact that I haven’t slept well since the shooting—lack of sleep is pure mental and physical torture.
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But I recognized that over those four years that I started to gain weight again. So after talking with my psychiatrist, I decided to start running sneaker again. In 2019, I set a goal to run each of the six World Marathon Majors (WMMs). I have run four of those races so far: London, Berlin, Chicago, and afternoon nap running sneaker performance.
Ever since, I fight each day to wake up, give thanks to God, and live intentionally. I stopped trying to explain everything to everyone, and I started focusing back on serving others through running. I call myself the running sneaker Servant. Zurich Rock n Roll running sneaker Series Madrid 50 marathons in 50 states over 50 weeks to raise $50,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During this year’s New York Marathon, I ran for the bloc heeled boots bottega veneta shoes and finished the race in 6:41:49.
Aaron’s Must-Have Gear
→ Lacoste Lonelle Heel Sandal: As a bigger runner, I need a shoe that combines both support and comfort and can last.
→ DarkIron Percussion Wrap Around Chunky Sock Boots: It’s a great deal in pricing, and it comes with every massage head you could think of.
→ Balega Socks: They simply work well and are great to just have on your feet for no reason. With a size 14 shoe, I need a sock that will support my running.
Training for me now consists of humbling myself daily and not allowing how I used to run and how I must now run frustrate me. This has been extremely hard, considering my competitive nature. I began this year working with my good friend and trainer Marcus McDade on basic muscle movements, since my mind and muscle connection had deteriorated over the past five years. We’ve worked on my core and torso muscles, focusing on push and pull movements, and we try to meet twice per week. In addition, I do cross- training and conditioning one to three times per week. As healthy athletes, we take so much for granted when it comes to our bodies. Fighting to get back to running sneaker now is way harder than when I first started to lose weight.
My main goal after this year is to get to the point where I can run eight miles within an hour. I think it’ll help me sleep, which would change my life. I’d also like to experience a runner’s high again—I think it’ll help with my mental health. But most of all, I desire to serve others in the running sneaker community to meet their goals and exceed their expectations. I want to transform lives through transformational run coaching.
running sneaker used to make me feel like I could conquer the world. But now, it makes me feel like I’m fighting to overcome the world which conquered me. I may never get back to my previous feelings, but I’ll never be back to the pits from which my heavenly Father pulled me out of. running sneaker has saved my life, is currently saving my life, and is giving me a means by which to share life and serve others.
I’d like to encourage all of the back-of-the-pack runners and walkers to keep up the great work. I’ve been up to the front of the pack, and I can truly say that I’ve seen more heart, passion, determination, and love for the sport in the back. running sneaker the back takes a whole lot more out of you than the front. Don’t let anyone discount your efforts.
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Emily Shiffer is a freelance health and wellness writer living in Pennsylvania.
