If I am one thing, it is a runner. I hide from defining myself, but you are officially a runner when you run as much as I do.

How much do I run?

26,000 miles in the last eight years.

I am a different person than I was before I started running. It has altered my body and, even more importantly, my mind. Every time I run, I am amazed at what I can do if I do not think about how excruciating it feels to run.

It’s not the direction that most people take in their lives, but the discipline I have created by running at least six miles every day for almost 3,000 days has given me discipline in other areas. I needed to run before I could brush, floss, and do the rest of the one-punch-man workout.

I now understand that discipline in some areas of your life provides you with freedom in others.

My rediscovery of Magic: The Gathering is a significant reason for this. It can hold my attention like no other game. Hades would give me a similar experience, but Hades runs usually take less than 30 minutes. When I would die, I would have a reminder of how much time remained and for me to think about wanting to do anything else.

With Magic, I can draft multiple decks, and games take a wide range of time. I will run further than intended simply because I am focused on not making a stupid play.

Although I still procrastinate about my runs, I have been running at least 15K each day in 2024 and am feeling strong. Going for a 9-mile run is easier than mowing the lawn or doing the dishes. I haven’t found the opportunity to participate in another race, but I haven’t eliminated them from my future. I also expect another long-distance eating challenge in the future.