A LONG TIME AGO-BEFORE HE'D FREEBASED OPIOIDS or robbed his best friend or checked himself into rehab for the sixth time Ammons had dreams of a future involving running.
Ammons can only shrug when asked to pinpoint the lowest point in a life filled with them. He spent a decade careening along the rock bottom, mired in what he now calls "the worst possible self-hate."
Mitch Ammons knows his story could have ended like the stories of so many buddies from his darkest years with an obituary. Instead, the longtime addict changed course in a manner that is, without hyperbole, beyond belief.
It's tough to fully grasp the scale of this turnaround until you see Ammons run-to see him metronomically cruise 4:50 miles for more than an hour or to watch him push himself to the brink of consciousness in an interval session at sunrise. Then you can absorb the way he embraces suffering-relishing the revelation of what his body can do while immersing himself in pain that must feel like a cosmic body rub compared to waking up every morning in opiate withdrawal.
People who love to run know that the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can yield life-changing consequences. It doesn't matter if you're running toward something or from something the activity can bring you redemption and community and purpose and confidence and inner peace. It can strengthen your quads and your mental resolve.
Mitch Ammons knows these things with more clarity than most of us will ever experience. Seven years ago, he was a newbie jogger who'd not run hard since the 11th grade. He couldn't trot a half mile without collapsing. And before that, he spent a decade drowning in a sea of toxicity-smoking, injecting, drinking, popping, and otherwise ingest>ing every controlled substance you can think of and quite likely a couple more than that.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 02, 2024 من Runner's World US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 02, 2024 من Runner's World US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
PARENTING THROUGH RUNNING
I GRAB MY headlamp and run down the driveway, heading out for the quiet streets an hour before sunrise.
STOP LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE YOU RUN! (TRY AUDIOBOOKS INSTEAD)
I'VE RUN MORE than 30 marathons over the past 20 years, but I recently found one hack that has made my last two training cycles the most fun I've ever had logging a ton of miles: audiobooks.
RISE OF THE "ILLEGAL" RUNNING SHOES
Banned shoes emerged courtside long before they found their way onto a marathon course.
THE SECRET TO SPEED IS IN YOUR BLOOD
Some of the world's best runners credit this unorthodox Norwegian training method for their success. Is it right for you?
TEAM BONDING AND AMATEUR FILMMAKING
I WENT TO my first high-school cross-country practice freshman year in jean shorts, mostly walking as I heaved and huffed.
I NEED A DRINK RUN
TO KEEP THE cold at bay one December night in 2022, my friend Justine and I got together for some mulled wine, a hot drink as delicious as it is sentimental to me, reminding me of holiday gatherings and Christmas markets back home in the Czech Republic.
HOW TO START A RUN WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT
I'VE ALWAYS FELT validation when reading a story about writers and their love of procrastination.
THE CASE FOR NOT RUNNING
I HAVE TO let you in on a little secret: I haven't been running much these last few months, and it's the best decision I've made.
THANKS, SPECTATORS!
IN THE EARLY MORNING hours of Marathon Sunday, the nerves hit me even before I donned the shirt I made for the race, with \"ALY\" across my chest in hot-pink glittery letters.
HOW FAR CAN RUNNING LAKEYOU AFTER A DECADE OF ADDICTION!
WHEN MITCH AMMONS FINALLY GOT CLEAN, HE COULD BARELY JOG A HALF MILE. NOW HE'S LINING UP WITH SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP DISTANCE RUNNERS AT THE 2024 OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS.
