Just Another Runner’s Perspective July 2025 Written By Gale Fischer
When Running Is Needed Most
“Some days it’s not about health or building muscle. It’s just therapy.”
Life is full of moments and extended periods of time when frustrations mount. Plans made may not come to fruition. Setbacks sometimes occur. It may seem that hard work has been put in, and the script has been followed diligently, step by step, only to have disappointment rear its ugly head. There are times when everyone experiences periods of gloom, which can sometimes lead to self-pity. In these moments, a fresh perspective can replace despair with gratitude.
As I went through the motions at my physical therapy appointment a few weeks ago, I couldn’t shake the discouragement that seemed to dominate my emotions. It seemed a pattern had developed with my running routine. In fact, for more than a year, a rash of injuries had turned my running routine into a non-running routine. As I finished my PT session, I saw a running friend, Richard, warming up for his own session. Richard had run a minimum of one mile every day for 5,813 consecutive days, with his running streak of nearly 16 years coming to an end last summer. His streak didn’t end because of a pulled hamstring or a broken foot. Richard’s streak ended because his body couldn’t handle the physical rigors of running due to brain cancer attacking his body. As I was leaving the PT office, I stopped to say hello to Richard. During our brief conversation, he requested that I run for him next.
Richard is known by many in the local running community. Even those who don’t know him personally have more than likely seen him running through the neighborhoods of Battle Creek wearing his 5 toed minimalist shoes and sporting his bare legs, even in Michigan’s coldest winter conditions. Like many in the running community, he has found his way to make an impact. His recent cancer diagnosis has had a numbing effect on me and many other runners who know him. Richard has tried to remain positive through this challenge, not an easy undertaking considering his age, healthy condition, and fitness level up until his terminal cancer diagnosis, and now the huge change in his life.
On my drive home from my PT appointment, I reflected on my encounter with Richard. Was it a chance meeting, or was a higher power responsible for this moment? I had been stuck in self-pity mode. My conversation with Richard shifted my mindset out of neutral and into drive. Sometimes, a fresh perspective is needed to push beyond the attitude of dwelling on what you can’t control to a perspective of appreciating life’s blessings.
For those with a passion for running, it is hard to deny the emotional power it can provide. For a running enthusiast, being deprived of running anytime is challenging, but manageable. However, not having it to lean on during life’s darkest moments can be gut-wrenching. Those who don’t run might not understand. It’s like the singer losing his voice or the poet stripped of the ability to find the words. Running has enhanced Richard’s life through the years, just as it has for many of us. His life was on a smooth pathway, and he was enjoying life as a father, as a husband, and also as a runner. Cancer has changed the trajectory. To be able to run now might not cure his cancer, but it would certainly provide an emotional boost to guide him through this chapter of his life. He is not able to run right now, perhaps at a time when he needs it most.
It is all too easy to fall into a life of predictability and take even the most simple things for granted. Going out on any given day to run for an hour or more is a gift, but can easily seem like just part of a basic daily routine. Continue to keep Richard and his family in your thoughts. If you know Richard personally, reach out to him and let him know you are thinking about him. As you adhere to your running schedule, dedicate a run to Richard or take a mile out of an upcoming run and pray for him. Richard may not be a runner now, but in my mind, running will always be a part of what defines him.
Until next time, this has been just another runner’s perspective.