As a former alcoholic and drug abuser, running has played a large role in my health and sobriety for the past 18 years, from mitigating anxiety, panic, and depression to supplying a sense of clarity and capability. As a writer, the connection between fitness and recovery has been a big topic, the subject of a 2012 memoir and various articles and essays.
I’m also the parent of someone who has struggled with addiction and is now in early recovery. My own experience, and my writing about the topic, did little to prepare me for this side of the coin. It was only through education, support, and a determination to change my own behavior and reactions that I was able to start reclaiming my subsumed life, and hopefully, in the process, see my daughter reclaim hers.
That’s why I’m running this year’s Boston Marathon for Herren Project, which understands that addiction is a family disease and provides services, support and resources to both the user and the people closest to them. Recovery truly is a together thing. The more the world hears that message the better.
Donate toward Caleb’s Boston Marathon 2020 campaign
