Mike’s running story

Mike Thornton is a lean, 23-year-old runner from Brantford, Ont. The young Canadian runner I met through being an ambassador for the 2014 Toronto marathon has one younger brother and mentions that his family is originally from England. Born and raised in Brantford, Mike works as a commercial pilot for a regional cargo company.

Mike wasn’t always a runner. He says he started running at the end of 2010.

“I had just gotten out of a relationship and was working on finishing college. Times were pretty stressful. They day after the relationship ended, I went and renewed my gym membership. I wasn’t horribly overweight or anything but I felt very average. I knew I wanted to look and feel better about myself so I thought, heck, I hear running is good for you.”

More a swimmer, Mike had never really run. One treadmill session led to another and soon three times a week became five. Since then, he has continued to push himself, enter races and improve his times.

I asked Mike a few more questions about his running.

What was your first race and what was it like?

My first race was the Brantford Classic 10K in 2012. It’s a local charity race in support of Brantford Rotary. I had been running for just over a year with no specific training and thought that I’d sign up to see what racing was all about. The run was fun. I really got a good kick going at the end and loved the feeling. It’s safe to say I got hooked. I even placed 10th overall and third in my age group! This was a big surprise and got the gears going in my mind to later that year run my first half-marathon.

What is it about running that you like?
I think what I really enjoy about running is that it’s “me time.” By running, I’m doing something that’s good for my body and even better for my mind. It helps me de-stress and unwind. Going out for an hour or two by myself is really freeing. Running makes me feel that I’m strong and can do anything with the right mindset.

I also the social aspect of the sport. Runners are now some of my best friends and understand what it means to be healthy and that there’s more to the sport than being a crazy pro athlete.

What are your running goals for 2015?

I’m always looking to step up my game. Dropping times down is always nice and that’s something I’m going to focus on this year. I think what I really want to keep working on is the fine tuning of my fitness: eating right, cross-training, getting enough sleep and being consistent and patient are all things that I want to keep working on. Those are the building blocks. Everything should fall into place nicely after that.

I sense the young enthusiasm and energy from Mike and love it. We are all beginners at some point.

Run on, Mike.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

Do you have a running story to tell?
runningwriter@hotmail.com
You can also catch me on Twitter @NoelPaine or on my personal blog.