How I started running….again
By: Sadie Schroeder
I say that I’ve always been a runner, but in reality, I had a few years where I was on a running hiatus. In middle school, I
ran because I was good at it, I was fast, and all my friends wanted to do cross country, too. In high school, I ran because I
was still fast, but I started to dislike trying to get that PR, I was always hurt, and I probably wasn’t disciplined enough to
take care of my body enough to succeed to my best capability.
Once I was in college, I stopped lifting and only ran (very seldom) because I felt I had to. I made running a punishment for
going out or eating unhealthy on a college budget. I made every excuse not to run, nevertheless, and I was still hurt all the
time because I hadn’t learned to take care of my body.
I graduated college and it took me about 3 years to get back into running. So, this is where my adult running story
begins...
WORKING AND RUNNING THROUGH COVID
I started running again right before COVID hit. I think it’s the one thing that may have saved my life. I was in a toxic
environment at work and truthfully, I was pretty depressed because of it. I knew that I had to do something. Unfortunately,
running wasn’t fun at all when I first began again; I had terrible knee pains, my shins were covered in stress fractures, and
I did not know a lick about nutrition or mobility/strength exercises. Depending on the pain level after those runs, I only
sometimes felt ‘great’ after exercising from ‘runners high’.
Everybody says that you will feel awesome after working out, and I’m here to kindly tell you that the beginning of
your journey will not greet you with roses and a glass of bubbly every day. I’m also begging you not to let that be
the reason why you quit.
Slowly, but surely, I stuck to it one-to-two miles every other day, and I lost some extra weight and gained a bit of
confidence back. It’s more of a blur than anything how my COVID days went. I worked at a grocery store and put in 10-
hour days with one day off a week. I was scared, I was angry, I was empathetic, I was exhausted, I was proud of the work
I was putting in, but I was numb. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I look back at that time and feel even worse for the
people who were and are closest to me. The one thing that I was sure of was that I needed to start taking my health
seriously. I needed to learn how to exercise and fuel my body so I could function without pain.
There were so many outputs to tune into, and
so.
many.
opinions.
LISTEN TO POSITIVITY ONLY
So, I kept myself accountable by running or lifting after those long days for about 30-45 minutes at a crack. I listened to
my body and stretched, hydrated and fueled to the best of my knowledge. I also learned that if I created my own ‘hard’, I
was finally able to deal with more uncontrollable aspects of life that used to be debilitating. I blasted Gary Vee's3 and Andy
Frisella’s podcasts1 in my ears daily and listened to them have no mercy on anybody feeling sorry for themselves. Things
started looking up, no matter how awful the world looked from the outside.
I finally started to look forward to my runs after work. They were beginning to become a relief from stress. However, I still
suffered from injuries since I didn’t consistently take my time to stretch or strengthen appropriately. Also – I had to
educate myself more about ‘diet’. I had only just started tracking my macros (proteins, fats, and carbs) which was a great
way to track what I was putting into my body.
75 HARD CHALLENGESummer of 2021 started, and one morning I decided to start ‘75 Hard’. 75 Hard1 is a challenge started by Andy Frisella
that swept the country with a structured set of rules to live by to get your life back on track; workout for 45 minutes twice a
day, three hours apart minimum - one workout has to be outside no matter the weather, read 10 pages of nonfiction daily,
drink a gallon of water daily, photograph your body composition daily, no alcohol, and lastly, follow a diet of your choice
with no cheat meals. All of those rules for 75 days straight. If you messed up, you had to start over from day one.
At this time, I worked at a bar and managed a liquor store, so I was always moving and had endurance. But let's be real, I
was constantly in pain from overworking myself and who-knows-what-else. I honestly had no knowledge about working
out or how to track my macros in a healthy way, I loved going out with friends or trying the newest bourbons and wines,
and I was really good at making excuses. So, this challenge was treated more like a lifeline than anything. Gotta start
somewhere, right?
Long story short; towards the end of this challenge, I gained mental clarity, I gained accountability, and I gained a hell of a
lot more confidence than I’ve ever had before. I was also the strongest I had ever been and could actually start pinpointing
and working out where those repeat stress pains were coming from!
It was at the end of 75 hard that I wanted to test this newfound endurance and mentality by doing David Goggin’s
challenge 4X4X482. This is where you run 4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours. Due to my work schedule, my 75th day of
75 hard landed and I only had time to do a 24-hour trial with enough time to recover after. So, I completed my solo
4x4x24, in a thunderstorm with nonstop downpours of rain, on my very last day of 75 hard. No excuses. I refrained from a
lot of physical activity the week after but was ready for my next challenge.
MY FIRST EAU CLAIRE HALF-MARATHON
That’s when I decided to run my first ever, (and longest duration run), half marathon at the Eau Claire Marathon just a
short month later! The camaraderie on the day of the race was empowering, the participant turnout was insane, (and a bit
overwhelming), and the crowd cheering from damn-near start to finish brought tears to my eyes. I have a lot of supporters
in my life and through this running journey I’m on, but to see the community cheering you on is a different type of feeling.
There were homemade signs posted up that made me laugh and smile, costumes and pajamas from the sidelines, music
blasting from spectators with fun cheers, and my favorite, the UW-Eau Claire Marching Band that sends vibrations
through your body right when you need an extra jolt at the end. This race was three years ago, and I can still remember
how my heart felt those last three miles. Better yet, I can remember coming over that last bridge and feeling so weightless
with how incredibly loud the crowd's cheers were alongside a smaller band, ECM’s surround sound music speakers, and
the announcer calling out every finisher.
When I crossed that finish line, my chest hurt so bad, I could feel my heartbeat in my eyes, I was coughing, my legs were
weak, and I had abdominal pains that made it hard for me to talk. It’s hilarious, but that feeling is something that I strive
for. That’s a big driver of why I signed up for the full marathon the next year.
There is quite no type of story like your first 5k or your first ‘longest distance’ record because the feeling of
accomplishment from something you worked so hard for is something nobody can take away from you.
Since then, I’ve run a couple of marathons and a handful of ultramarathons, and it’s safe to say that finding the strength to
get your butt up off the couch and work for your health is by far one of the hardest barriers in life that a person must break
and endure. I remember reading blog posts much like this one when I first started, and I rolled my eyes more than ever at
the “go-get-em!” attitudes. Find yourself a person who inspires you and follow them on social media or grab one of your
friends and start going on daily walks or hikes if that’s what it takes to get you started. Most importantly, learn how to
conquer your health alone. You are the driver of your own accomplishments. As I always say, you owe your health to
yourself, everybody else only reaps the benefits.
Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself if you don't succeed the first time. Keep trying and you'll get there.
Citations:
1 Andy Frisella, “75 Hard: The 75-Day Tactical Guide to Winning the War with Yourself,” Andy Frisella, accessed February 14, 2024,
https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info.
2 Goggins, David. “David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge: March 5, 2021.” David Goggins, March 5, 2021. https://www.gogginschallenge.com/.
3 “Wallpapers,” Gary Vaynerchuk, 2024, https://garyvaynerchuk.com/wallpapers/.