"Why I..." Wednesday 3: Why I Run (and why I came out to the running community)

Welcome to another week of "Why I..." Wednesday!

This week, I'm so privileged to share the story of Chulwon Karma Park, an amazing run-streaker who lives with rheumatoid arthritis, and also recently came out as transgender. She was gracious enough to share her story with me, and the Run Over Depression community.

"I run because there was a significant portion of my life when I couldn’t and it was something I never thought I could do.  One day I decided to put that thought away for good and decided to tackle the beast that is running. I approached it like a skill to be learned rather than an innate activity to refine.  So it’s one of the things in life I’ve overcome so now I love to run and don’t take it for granted.

"I became self-aware of my transness sometime around 2013-2014. I was concerned about making life more difficult than necessary for our children. [My wife and I] decided I would just make a sacrifice and force this image of heteronormativity. That didn't work out, and I was growing increasingly unhappy. In October 2020, I was at the end of my rope. I was in so much pain from a rheumatoid arthritis flare, and my dysphoria was at an all-time high. The constant attacks on transgender rights in the media made things only worse. In November, I began to live my truth. As dark of a place as I was in, this was a huge turning point for us because we were about to embark on a journey no one had prepared us for. It has been scary. But it made us stronger, bolder, and living life with more conviction.

"One day, my son had come home from playing with the neighborhood children and called me a "Chinaman" and made slant eyes at me and said "Ching Chong". It was at that point I realized that there was no point in trying to shield my children from bigotry because of my transness - they had already gotten a taste of racist micro-aggressions. This made me realize that my approach was wrong altogether. Instead of shielding them from all this, I needed to prepare them to handle it better. This meant that I needed to start living my truth now. Not after they leave home for college, not at some undetermined time in the future, but now. 

"I definitely think that running helped my decision to go public.  It has afforded me hours upon hours to reflect on my thoughts, my life, etc. 

"One morning, my son brought me this Lego figurine of me that he had put together and told me that he loved me as a dad, but he loves me even more now as a mom, since I began transitioning. (I answer to both dad and mom, as I have always done.) My heart is full. ❤️"

As of this posting, Karma is on Run Streak Day 2574. You can follow her journey on Instagram @streakinginsandals and on TikTok @transkarma.

"Why I..." Wednesday: Why WE started Run Over Depression

Sorry for the delay, friends. If you follow us on Instagram, you may have seen the IG Live about why we started Run Over Depression. In the wake of our recent loss, we have postponed this week's planned interview with 2552(!)-day run-streaker Karma Park, and instead will share some valuable resources and information that I discussed yesterday in my first attempt at going Live.

Run Over Depression was the brainchild of Jim Shoopack, who also blogs at Mental Health Musings (be sure to check that out) and speaks publicly about mental health on podcasts worldwide. 

Back in 2005, Jim had read that the endorphins released after running could greatly contribute to mental wellness. Having experienced a bout of depression himself, he decided to try running a marathon (and to recruit his friends). It's a funny thing anout running: People love it or hate it, with very very little gray area. I know I was skeptical at first! But as a believer in science, and someone who has faced my share of adversity, I jumped on board. Run Over Depression's first marathon, Steamtown, will forever hold a special place in our hearts, and permanently cement my personal disdain for hills! 😉

To date, we have run countless marathons, half marathons, and shorter races of all distances, together and separately. We look to divert the focus from time, to a focus on the experience of running with other likeminded people. Some of our favorite sayings are "slow still gets you there!" and "A 12-minute mile is just as far as a 6-minute mile."

The statistics on depression are staggering. According to the WHO, depression affects 264 million people worldwide, and 800,000 people die by suicide each year. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in people aged 15-24; young people, who have not even begun to make their way in the world, robbed of their chance to shine by an illness. And while mental health patients cost the most of any other demographic, on average, 2% of national healthcare dollars are allocated to mental health services. 

COVID has made things worse.

A very recent article from Harvard suggests that COVID infection, among its many side effects, can have longterm repercussions on mental health. This, of course, suggests a biological component to mental health/illness. So much for telling someone to "just get over it", eh??

So here we are. A year into the pandemic that was supposed to have a flattened curve after 2 weeks of social distancing. 

It's no surprise to many that mental health is declining. The past year has undoubtedly been worse than even the year before, the one when two of my best friends died on the same day and I realized once and for all that I was in the wrong career for my own mental health (separate post to come!). 

Still we run.

Still we encourage others to 'run'.

Whether 'run' means actual running; whether it means dance, yoga, acrobatics, walking, biking, or skating; we want you to do it. Do it all, do some; do it every day, or when you can. 

We love you. 

You matter. 

Tragedy

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that a great tragedy has befallen the Run Over Depression family. 

As always, we serve to remind our audience that help is available 24 hours a day via the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, and locally from 7a-11p via the Penn Foundation.

You matter. You are loved. 💛

"Why I..." Wednesday 2: Why I Run

Welcome to Week 2 of "Why I..." Wednesday!

This week features good friend and longtime Run Over Depression supporter, Steve Knight. Read his story now.

My name is Steve Knight and I work as Technical Support Specialist at Temple University Hospital. Running has been a part of me for nearly my entire life. I come from 4 generations of runners; my dad, uncle, cousin, including myself. My first experiences with running started when I was 4 years old when I used to go on jogs with my father. Deep down that was my way of truly connecting with him and running is something we both share and love. Every time I hang out with him we always “talk shop”.  

My knowledge of running runs deep as I was trained on both sides of the spectrum. I’m naturally a sprinter but I also learned the mechanics of distance running from my father since he was a natural distance runner. My uncle was a sprinter and a great middle distance runner and he was very proficient in the 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 400 meters and the mile. And from this legacy, that’s where I primarily acquired my natural skill for running both ways. I’ve always called myself a sprinter who could run distance.  

In high school I ran both track and cross country and this has given me great discipline when approaching the philosophy of running. I ran the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, triple jump and the mile along with running 5Ks in cross country. When I look back on it now I realized how fortunate running has been in my life both on and off the court. I was teased a lot growing up and didn’t really belong anywhere except in my own private world, but running was the great “equalizer”. If it wasn’t for track and cross-country I wouldn’t have made it through high school.  

Running has given me a true sense of belonging with others who share the passion and also gave me the confidence to embrace any challenge that comes my way. I always thought that running the “race” was a true reflection of LIFE itself. It really teaches you how to deal with adversity in a positive way. I truly learned that life is not a sprint but a marathon and no matter the distance you truly have to pace yourself and deal with life as it comes.  

As I got older and started battling depression more directly I realized how running has been a great benefit for keeping the darkness at bay. When I run, I’m in my own world and I can mold the experience to whatever reality I choose. After dealing with a slipped disc injury since after high school I started to gain weight and couldn’t exercise like I used to when I was younger. I think that’s when the depression started and put me in a dark place for a while. After recovering from my injury I got back into running in 2009 and started feeling like my old self again. Since then, running has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It became more of a life style rather than just running against the clock. Instead of running for “time”, I embraced the enriching time of “just running”. And it’s given me so many benefits like true physical fitness, mental focus and spiritual clarity. And these are tools you can utilize for the rest of your life. Running for me is like hitting the reset button keeping me forever trapped within the moment.  

Over the years I’ve run numerous 5Ks, 3 Broad Street Runs, and about 12 half marathons and those have been some of the great accomplishments in my life. Running has brought me out of the darkness of my own mind illuminating my soul with clarity. Every time I go running each layer of darkness just sheds away and I start anew. It’s been the greatest inspiration in my LIFE.  

Inspired? You can reach Steve at rapnerd72@outlook.com.

"Why I..." Wednesday, Interview 1: Why I Run

 

"My name is Thomas Comer. I am 59 years old, retired from the Department of Justice.  I have battled moods, depression and insomnia for most of my adult life.  Over the years, running has been the best weapon against these demons.  I actually started taking running seriously in 2009, at the age of 48 and though I started to do it for fitness reasons, I soon found out that the major benefit was to my mental health.  

I run every day, I am a run-streaker and I love it. Running is an escape for so many, probably a cliché but it’s true.  When I am running, I am in my own world and for this reason, I seldom run with others. I prefer it to be my solitary time. No matter how low my mood is, no matter how dark, the run always helps.  ALWAYS.  It doesn’t solve the issue, it’s not a magic elixir, but it always makes me feel better. 

Even when I am nursing an injury, and forced to do short runs, they help.  When the time comes that I can no longer run, I will walk.  Each and every day, I get out there……no matter what is in my head, my feet are hitting the ground.  Making it a part of each and every day, helps insure I don’t give in easily to darkness and anger or whatever is bothering me. No matter what, I GO.  It works.  

As a runner I have done 21 Half Marathons and 4 full marathons, including the thrill of my running life, the 2018 NYC Marathon.  Goals like races have really helped me raise my self esteem and defeat dark moods.  My only goal is to finish, I don’t get caught up records and speed, to me that would be a distraction. 

I lived for three years in NYC (Bay Ridge Brooklyn, 2017-2020) and loved it.  My running started in Arizona, then continued in Colorado (where my streak started) and last year we moved out here to the Bay Area.  Moving can be stressful and running is a companion that makes it easier. 

During COVID, my daily runs became even more vital.  I endured wearing a mask while I ran, but just getting outside and getting a quick run in gave me a sense of normalcy in a time when depression battles were raging hard.  I seriously don’t know how I would have coped without my daily runs.  

In closing, let me say, that if someone is battling mental health issues like depression, find something that gets your heart rate up.  If you don’t enjoy running, find something you DO enjoy.  I’m not a doctor or anything, but I can promise you the benefits are substantial."

You can follow Tom's journey on Instagram @topcatrunner. 

"Why I..." Wednesday

 Hello friends!

It has been awhile since our last post. But now that we are a year into the pandemic, it seems a good time to revisit why we started running in the first place. 

Every Wednesday, we will feature an interview detailing the role of fitness in keeping balance, especially in the last year. 

If you would like to share, please email us!

RunOverDepression@gmail.com

Inconceivable!

Two things happened today.

This:

....and then, this:

I ran 100m at a 5:30 minute mile pace. Let me repeat that for those in the back. I RAN A 5:30 MINUTE MILE PACE! Okay, okay, it was for 100m BUT IT WAS A 5:30 MINUTE MILE PACE. 

Before we go on, let me tell you about my friend Derek. Derek is a Serious Runner. Derek recently shared with his audience that he had run a 5:40 minute mile the other day. Derek is the epitome of a long distance runner, and even Derek was even surprised that Derek completed a 5:40 minute mile. Again, Derek is the epitome of a runner. Long, lean, young guy....yeah, I'd totally hate him if he wasn't one of the nicest people on the planet. But I digress. I was super proud of my friend Derek when he accomplished this feat. After all, he's a Serious Runner, a Real Runner, a professional pacer and running coach. Good for him! 

So, when my exhausted, Non-Serious, Non-Runner, short-legged body reached the finish line of the 100m at the track this afternoon, I looked down expecting/hoping to see a pace somewhere around 8:00 minute mile. After all, I had RUN. Like, two deeps breaths for the entire duration, "OMG WHAT AM I DOING? WHO DOES THIS FOR FUN???" Running. Full sprint. The first time, 6:26, I was shocked. The second time...well, let's just say Derek got a couple of awfully excited text photos after that. 

This. Totally. Happened.

I guess the point of my ramble (aside from disbelief) is that if I can run like that, even for 100m, anything is possible. 

Maybe even 200m at the same pace. 😱

(Be sure to check out Derek's blog over at mypaceracing.com for Real Advice from a Serious Runner.  You won't regret it.)