From Addict to Athlete: Owen’s Story

This story starts like so many in regards to obesity; it starts with an unhealthy relationship with food. Owen was raised in a broken home with a mother that was dealing with mental health issues. While she was there physically, she was not there emotionally to provide the support and love that most mothers would. “My mother wasn’t very mother like. She left me to my own vices from a very, very young age.” This created abandonment issues that he tried to compensate for by seeking comfort in food. “I would eat things with tons of sugar on it, or bacon; anything that I could put in my mouth that tasted good, and I got very large, very quickly.”

At the age of 12, Owen found a connection with the military and joined the Army Cadet Force.  “It gave me a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, and a sense of freedom.” During his four years with the Cadet Force, Owen dropped a significant amount of weight and joined the Army at the age of 16. Unfortunately, due to an injury during a training exercise, he was discharged for medical reasons. “This lead me back to this whole cycle again of feeling abandoned and reaching out for anything that was sweet and sugary; just eating crap.”

After Owen was discharged from the Army he met a woman and started a relationship. She had two children of her own, and then he found out that he was the father of another child that resulted from an earlier relationship. “I basically went from having no responsibilities to having three children under the age of 5. The stress of that led to even more excessive eating. And it wasn’t just that I was eating, I was eating crap again.” The weight started to pile back on.

Ultimately the poor eating habits led to an opiate addiction. Owen had digestive issues and stomach pain and was prescribed pain killers to help cope. “I actually don’t remember the phase where I went from taking them as prescribed to then excessively taking them. There is like a 5 year period where my mind was like; numb.” A side effect of opiates is a craving for sweets and as he ate to appease the cravings, he ballooned in size to 22 stone or 308 pounds.

After an attempt at rehab and a subsequent relapse, Owen’s marriage fell apart but he continued his battle to get clean. “I did a community recovery scheme and did a detox through medication and it helped me massively as I have not touched an opiate since November 2012. But in that time you just eat and eat because your body tells you that you’re missing something so you grab the closest crutch.”

As Owen’s head became clearer, he started to reflect. “Something changed, I think it was my ex-wife leaving, and I looked at myself in the mirror. She had an affair and I couldn’t understand why and it occurred to me because I was having an affair with the drugs. It gave me a kick in the ass to move forward in life. I looked at myself and said “Who’s going to want me? A big fat slob who drinks like a fish and looks like a whale.” That was a kick start for me to change.”

Owen made changes to his diet, specifically greatly reducing refined sugar and he started to lose weight. He also was accepted to university, continuing the positive momentum. “I managed to get in and study Anthropology, it’s the study of people, but for me it was more about trying to understand myself. I also got a job with a charity “St. John’s Ambulance” and it required me to knock on doors and this is when I became fitter as I walked miles everyday. It sort of gave me a taste of it.”

Seeing the positive impact that the walking was having on his health, Owen joined a gym. “I couldn’t even run 5 km’s on the treadmill, but the weight started to come off and it got a lot easier. And I managed to deal with life a lot better, that was the big difference. I could see the change in my body and I started to look like myself.”

On a bet with a girlfriend he signed up for the Brighton Half Marathon in November of 2016 and ran it in February of 2017. “I did the Brighton half marathon and I just fell in love with running. I can’t explain it, it’s just freeing of the mind and I can feel a connection to the air and the land, it lets me be with myself knowing that I am getting fitter. Every time I complete a run, I am still flabbergasted that I can do what I am doing in life and to be where I am.”

Now, running has become a healthy addiction. “I was only going to do the Brighton Half Marathon and that was it, but running with people, seeing the crowd, and high fiving the kids, makes me feel like I’m doing something worth while. The addictiveness is the thrill of the run. I feel stronger and fitter; everything is changing for the better. I can’t go a week without a run; I need my “fix”. I need to run for my own sanity.”

Today Owen is clean, weighs 11 stone 4 pounds or 158 pounds, losing an astonishing 10 stone 10 pounds or 150 pounds. He maintains a good relationship with his son and continues to run every week. In fact he has already completed two more half marathons with more planned for 2017! “I’m enjoying life for what it is.” It’s truly amazing just how far he has come!

Follow Owen on Instagram: thebeardedrunner5754

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!