Running through a mid-life crisis

The idea of a mid-life crisis has always seemed like such a cliche. And often an excuse, I reckon. I mean, if you want a Harley, buy a damn Harley. Go nuts.

But I kinda get it. Sometimes you need to throw yourself into something different, extreme even, to reset.

A couple of years ago, for me, a feeling that the world was weighing me down got me thinking.

Work stuff and self-confidence were at a low point. I recognised that I was always feeling negative, even at home where

things should have been happy. I wasn’t fun to be around.

I was even dreading running, typically my lifeline. The last time I’d felt like that I’d virtually stopped running altogether and started eating really badly – two things which had plunged me into a spiral of self-loathing.

So I knew I needed a circuit breaker and I dreamt up a plan. For me, it was easy to reach for the thing I knew so well, except this time I stretched for something I knew would challenge me. I entered three tough races – an off-road marathon and two trail ultramarathons. Over the space of three months, I’d race a gruelling 220km.

And I did it. When I look back, I can see that the challenge I’d set, and the desire to achieve something I didn’t know I could, was the kick in the backside I needed.

I look at finish-line photos of the second race, with my arms around my family, and I see a smile so wide I almost don’t recognise myself.

I’d proved to myself that I still had it in me to stick my mind to something and get it done, to be proud of what I’d done and, along the way, I’d got fit and veered away from the unhealthy path in front of me.

Running is the go-to circuit breaker for many people. It’s cheaper than a Harley, it’s easy to begin (though those first few steps, those first few runs, can be really hard, I know), and it’s good for you.

On the Dirt Church Radio podcast this week, my co-host Matt Rayment spoke to an extraordinary Australian runner, Patrick Bowring, known as the Ultra Chef. And, yes, that’s because he’s an ultra-marathon runner and a chef.

About seven years ago, he wasn’t a runner. And he admits his lifestyle was a long way from where it is today.

‘‘If you asked me seven years ago what I’d be doing, it would be completely different,’’ he says.

‘‘Like a lot of people in hospitality – and every industry really – I was burning the candle at both ends.’’

He was running four restaurants, but there was also drinking, drugs and partying.

‘‘I was sort of a functioning addict – and there was a lot of pressure – but I was so used to having a drink after work, or partying, I neglected a lot of stuff that I shouldn’t have.’’

Eventually, he reached a crisis point – ‘‘a lot of bad stuff happened at once, as it does’’ – and he knew he had to change his lifestyle. For some reason, that meant putting on his running shoes and getting out the door for a run.

Now, instead of partying after work, you’re more likely to find him running. A couple of weeks ago, after finishing catering for an event one evening, he ran through the night supporting a friend competing in a 100 mile race.

Bowring still works hard, he still enjoys himself, but now he’s