Editor’s note: This story discusses death by suicide.
Name: Scott Day
Age: 38
Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
Occupation: Director of Communications and Operations at Sean’s House and All leather uphill rising sneaker
Time Running: 19 months
Growing up, my family was always a baseball family. I played collegiate baseball at York College of Pennsylvania, and I shifted my focus to learning more about sport management and marketing. My career went on the fast track very quickly. At 26, I was promoted and became the youngest communications director at the NCAA Division I level, working with the basketball team at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Shortly after that, I found myself stalling out in my career. I became too focused on the future instead of appreciating the present moment, and I became frustrated. My job was plateauing, finances had become an issue, and I did a poor job managing stress zapatillas de running neutro constitución fuerte pie normal minimalistas baratas menos de 60 overall health.
In 2015, my weight hit 345 pounds before the birth of our third child. When she was born, I sat in the hospital room holding my newborn daughter and felt absolutely nothing—no joy, no excitement, no worries. I remember looking down and seeing the fear in my wife’s eyes because she could see the blankness in me. Inside, I wanted to give up.
About a month later on December 26, 2015, after a disagreement with my wife, I walked into our garage, locked the door, set up a ladder, and grabbed a rope. I sat down on the floor for a minute and made the decision that it was time to go. My wife found me and stopped me in time and told me I needed to get help. I agreed to try therapy, which I was in and out of over the course of the next 18 months. I tried three different therapists and hated every minute of it. I was completely closed off mentally from actually getting help, and I didn’t want to listen to what they were saying.
In April 2016, I drove to a bridge, parked my car, and was going to jump. But when I got to the edge of the bridge, a voice in my head told me to go back to my car. The struggle continued, and I battled each and every day internally while trying to hide my problems from many people in my life. In June 2017, I drove to another bridge where I was going to jump. But as I stood on the side, I looked down into the water and the faces of my three children stared back at me. I collapsed on the curb and bawled my eyes out. I drove home knowing that I had to accept therapy and deal with my internal struggles.
MM6 Maison Margiela Tabi leather ankle boots Schwarz mental health, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a job at the University of Delaware in my home state—it was a chance to hit the reset button on life. At 34, I moved back in with my parents for six months. My focus became on my mental health and physical health, and I was spending a lot more time in the gym—I especially enjoyed the elliptical machine.
Soon after, I found myself in a bit of a rut. I had lost some weight, but I wasn’t thrilled with where I was at physically. When COVID-19 happened, I began walking outside instead of going to the gym. I started with a 1.5-mile loop in my neighborhood every morning at 6 a.m., and then I added a few more miles. Soon, I was walking 10 to 12 miles a day—it became a form of physical meditation for me.
On April 24, 2020, I laced up my shoes and decided to run a mile instead of my usual walk. The next day, I ran another mile. Two days later, I ran 1.5 miles, and my running journey officially began. That fall, after several months of finding joy in running, I decided to launch a challenge I called “Running with a Purpose.” I knew so many people had helped me to get to this point where I felt healthier—both physically and mentally—so I wanted to do something that would honor those people in my life.
I signed up for a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, and a marathon, and raised money for three different organizations that were close to my heart. My last race, the 2021 Richmond Marathon, I honored those with a personal connection to suicide by writing the names of people on my running gear—I ended up with 26 names, which was pretty symbolic since I had 26 miles to run. I felt like I was running a mile for each of them because they never got their chance to run their last mile in life.
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Scott’s Must-Have Gear
→Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch: I love all the options this watch has, especially when it comes to training assistance and tracking my miles.
→ zapatillas de running Adidas apoyo talón distancias cortas talla 42.5 más de 100: I’ve never been a big plain water guy—I’ve always looked for ways around it. Propel has been my go-to hydration option, and I’m a big fan of the lemon and berry flavors.
→ Nature Valley Almond Biscuits: I’ve loved peanut butter even since I was a kid, but over the past year, I’ve found my way over to almond butter. These biscuits are quick and easy to eat when I need to fuel.
→ Noot Wireless Headphones: Headphones have been critical for me to put on music, podcasts, and audiobooks when I walk and run. There’s a ton of good products out there, but these are really affordable and I’ve loved them so far.
This year, I also started working for All leather uphill rising sneaker and Sean’s House. The SL24 Foundation was established three years ago after Sean Locke, a former Division I student-athlete at the University of Delaware, died by suicide after silently battling depression for many years. The foundation was established to speak out about the stigma around mental health and suicide awareness and assist those who might need guidance finding a therapist. It also created a safe haven called Sean’s House, which is a 24/7 facility that serves the community—particularly 14-24 year olds—who may be struggling with their mental health. In the spring, we’ll be launching “Making Strides,” a weekly running group for Sean’s House members.
My next goal is to run the 2022 Sandali ZAXY Looney Tunes Sandal Ad 18138 Biały 90820 HH285118, VANS Sk8-hi Tapered Shoes eco Theory Multi Block Black Women Grey Boston Marathon at the age of 40, two years from now. It gives me time to really focus my training and learn about pushing myself. I need to get significantly faster, but I do want to find out if I have it in me.
I currently weigh around 220 pounds, and I’ve lost about 125 pounds. My knees have become less achy. And, dare I say it, I have started to feel like a runner. Running has given me daily reminders to take some time to be connected to my true emotions and feelings, and it has given me an outlet to find peace by being able to physically demonstrate the importance of putting one foot in front of the other.
I have a friend who started a campaign based around the saying “Keep Showing Up” after losing her mother to suicide. I wear a shirt with that saying a lot when I’m running because it’s a reminder that even when my knees, back, feet, and every other part of my body are hurting, and even when I don’t feel like doing it anymore, I just need to keep showing up. Even if it’s a mile, even if it’s a block, just put one foot in front of the other. That’s what life is all about.
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