Chris Hart led Georgia Highlands College in this last HealthTrails challenge, stepping ahead to attain FIRST PLACE among over 100 GHC participants; he tied for #1 in the program among all participating individuals.
Chris has found something he really enjoys doing. He didn’t stumble into this rewarding activity, though – he did a lot of research to discover what fit him best. Motivated by a desire to regain the energy, physique, strength and stamina he had in college, he dove into a vigorous workout: Insanity. He decided to add in some running, too, because he liked running.
What worked was what Chris liked to do. Now, he runs 6 days a week, and has run 12 marathons. Chris says running keeps him, “sane, focused, and happy.” Part of the fun comes with the places he’s been and people he’s met: Chris has run the inside track at Churchill Downs and the Las Vegas strip; he’s run Fremont Street all lit up at night, and has run under the Space Shuttle; he’s met Meb Keflezighi, the American winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon; he’s a member of Marathon Maniacs and has qualified to be a 4-moon member of Half Fanatics. He looks forward to race days when he’s “surrounded by like-minded, supportive, run-loving people!”
Chris is committed. He’s committed to giving his best because he wouldn’t be satisfied with less. He likes challenges, mostly challenging himself by setting goals that at first seemed “crazy” to him. January 2011, his resolution, after an unhappy reflection on his less-than-healthy shape, was to lose weight and regain his shape. One year later, his resolution was to run the Disney World Marathon in January 2013. Losing weight and running made him feel so good, he just had to keep going.
“Being part of a team with HealthTrails definitely helped to keep me motivated when the training would get challenging,” Chris says. Days when he considered slacking, he says he’d remember that he was working with a team, and his goal was to help put GHC on top while accomplishing his own goals. At the start of the Fall 2016 HealthTrails challenge, Chris was running around 30 miles each week, but to attain his goals, he doubled his mileage and now is challenging himself to work up to 100 miles a week. With a heart for running, Chris meets challenges head on. And he is dedicated to helping others find a way to their own passion for well-being.
So, maybe you don’t love running. But, you want to feel good. You’d like to look good. Maybe you won’t ever again feel or look like you did in college, but you want to be able to be healthy and happy.
Find what works for you, something fun and rewarding. Then, find like-minded people who will keep you accountable, challenge you to step up, celebrate with you. I’ll bet some of those people are right here, working with you now.
