Running sober: “The feelings I used to numb with alcohol, I now control through running.”

A few months ago, I put out a call looking for runners with a story to tell. Christa Davidson, a fellow Canadian runner I met via social media replied. Her positive attitude just came through from her posts. When I heard about her story, I jumped at the opportunity to find out more about her and share the running journey of this 42-year old runner from Orillia, Ont.

Christa Davidson

When not out running in tights and running gear Davidson is a married mother of two kids– not to mention, the owner of two dogs and three cats (busy household!). When not managing a family, Davidson is a registered nurse at a sexual assault and domestic violence clinic as well as a soldiers’ memorial hospital.

Davidson started running as many of do – running around as a kid – and she was good at it. Her running however was interrupted in her early teens when she discovered boys and beer. Many of us also experiment with alcohol around the same time but according to Davidson, she liked drinking a bit too much. She said she “developed quite an alcohol habit.” She still ran on occasion, but alcohol was more present in her life. She says that only a few people knew what was happening with her habit.

“I was ashamed and kept it a secret. It was no secret that I liked to drink and was known as the life of the party,” she says. “The secret was that I didn’t just drink at social events. I drank in the morning, I drank alone and I drank to numb my emotions. I worked full time. I was a wife and mother. I essentially held all the pieces together outside the house, but inside, it was a different story.”

Things came to a head in 2011 and Davidson decided to tackle her problem with the help of her family. She had her last 18 drinks on January 15, 2011.

“The struggle was real, as they say and ugly and uncomfortable. I quit an in-patient rehab program after day three because it didn’t feel like a good fit. I came home to be supported by my family and a few close friends, as I willed myself sober,” says Davidson.

Davidson says that the first eight weeks of sobriety were filled with tears and obsessive thoughts about drinking. It was extremely difficult but eventually when she started to feel better, she started to run. That started with easy walk-runs and eventually, she was running longer and longer. She says she enjoyed the punishment and suffering that came with running.

In May 2011, she ran her first half-marathon. Davidson and I connected and I got the chance to ask her a few questions.

Noel Paine: How does running keep you on the no alcohol path?

Christa Davidson: Running gives me a place to purge negative feelings and emotions– the same feelings I used to numb with alcohol, I can now control through running. Each footfall, heavy breath and bead of sweat helps to change my perspective and when the run is done, things don’t seem as troubling anymore.

NP: What are your running goals for the rest of 2015 and into 2016?

CD: I ran the Toronto marathon in October and I was feeling broken down. Hips, knees, Achilles… it all felt bad leading up to the marathon. I ran it anyway but took pace goals and finish times off the table. I ran it just to run it and it was a great day. Currently, I am running slowly and easily, two to three days a week… just enough to keep my mind in check.

I’m taking a break from dedicated training for a bit to rest my weary bones. After a bit of down time, I will assess how I am feeling and see where I am at. No big goals other than relax, rest as needed and enjoy running for the love of it.

NP: Do you have any advice for someone looking to drink less and run more?

CD: Something I have always shied away from is giving advice because we are all different and as such, see the world differently. If I was pressed to offer some advice about starting running and stopping drinking, I would say to get connected to runners.

Source out others in your area who run and if you do that, I suspect you will find a runner who is also running from addiction. Social media is a great place to start feeling out the scene in your area. Get on twitter and start following your local running stores, races or groups. When you are ready, join the conversation. In my experience, the online running community in Ontario, across Canada and around the world is very inclusive. It’s a community that is full of former addicts in recovery.

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Through running, Davidson also discovered a love of writing. Her blog “Running on Empties” shares her running adventures with others.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

Do you have a running story to share? Contact me at runningwriter@hotmail.com, @NoelPaine or on my blog No Paine No Gain.