I became a runner nearly 20 years ago, more by requirement than choice. You see, I joined the military in 2003, and if you are familiar with boot camp, you know that running is at the center of almost all physical training. I was never a runner growing up, in fact, I despised it. But out of necessity, I trained to prepare for boot camp. Upon the completion of boot camp, something odd occurred. I found myself running for pleasure. Actually enjoying the physical activity and pushing myself harder to become faster, to increase my endurance, and to outcompete myself with every run. Eventually, I entered my first competitive race, a 5K – Which I performed miserably in, not having ever run in a race before. I came out of the gate at lightning speed, fueled by adrenaline. Within 3km, I was already gassed, completely out of breath, and gasping for air. That was my first lesson on pacing and the importance of beginning slowly and increasing speed with distance. It ’ s a lesson that continues to be learned in almost every aspect of my life as well, most importantly, with my sobriety. Many Hola Sober readers are familiar with me by now, beyond the novelty of being the magazine ’ s only male columnist, perhaps joining one of my online meetings, watching an interview, or even following my social media. If you are one of those people, you are aware of an event that occurred recently, in March to be precise. I relapsed. After two and a half years of continuous sobriety, I fell into the trap of “ one drink will be ok. ” We know that will never, ever be a truthful statement, for the alcoholic can never have just one drink. Facing the pressures of demanding work and an uncertain situation back home while living overseas, I became hypnotized by the lie of moderation. Much like running, it takes months and years to become a competitive athlete, but only days to lose your edge. Consistent training is required to remain in top performance shape. A dedicated regiment is demanded for excellence and the ability to outperform yesterday.
Travis running a marathon on deployment in El Salvador 2011
That is where I failed. I incrementally began skipping meetings, slowly stopped my daily readings, and eventually quit speaking with my sponsor and meditating, thinking that “ I ’ ve got this. ” You see, you can run for years, but take a couple of months off laying on the couch, and you experience a significant setback. Alas, it ’ s not the end. I am one of those weird people that not only run for enjoyment, but also watch running races on television, such as the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, and every running event in the Olympics. Yes, as I admitted, I am weird. While watching, I have witnessed on multiple occasions, a runner trip and fall. I have seen in person as well, during races I myself have competed in, fellow runners miss a turn, and again, trip and fall. But in every instance, they got back up, evaluated themselves, and returned to the course. These runners, having trained for weeks, months, years even, were not going to give up because of a loose shoe string, an unfortunately placed traffic cone, or an innocent bump into another runner.
Photograph courtesy of Travis Akers
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker