Oct 5, 2020
Rick Lind Returned To Running After 20 Years And It Was Life-changing
My guest today is someone that a lot of us can probably relate to on at least a few fronts.
First-hand experience has forced him to learn a few lessons about both diet and injury.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Rick Lind today as we will surely have no lack of topics to cover.
Prioritizing Fitness
Rick Lind has been active from a young age but has focused on a variety of sports over the years.
In high school, he ran on the cross country team for a year.
Though he loved running, he began to shift his focus to lifting weights.
Around the age of 21, Rick quit running altogether and focused on weightlifting.
It would be about 20 years before Rick picked up running again.
When Rick was around 40 years old, he began running with his racquetball partner as a way to increase his fitness.
Around the same time, Rick attended his high school reunion and heard some classmates talk about running marathons.
Rick had always had an image of what a marathoner looked like and these classmates looked more like him than what he had pictured.
Learning Curve
Rick’s first run back was in late 2011 and it didn’t go quite as he had expected.
He was 20 years younger the last time he considered himself a runner.
That first run, Rick found himself going out at the pace he had in the past and the result was he made it 1 mile before stopping.
Rick learned the hard way that he was a different runner than when he was younger.
His progression was long and slow and for years he didn’t run farther than 4 to 5 miles.
That all changed when in 2015, Rick signed up for his first half marathon.
In preparation to run a half, Rick joined a local running club for both support and accountability.
Rick was both inspired by the other runners in the club along with constantly comparing himself to them.
Tendency To Overdo It
Rick will be the first to admit that he has a tendency to overdo it when it comes to a multitude of things.
His tendency to push his body has resulted in various injuries over the years.
In February of 2018, Rick underwent a hip surgery due to a genetic abnormality along with overuse from running.
In typical Rick fashion, he ran a marathon along with his first ultra a few months prior to the surgery.
His diet was another area in which he struggled with for years.
Rick was used to having gastrointestinal issues when he ran.
He had assumed that there was nothing he could do about it until he began investigating the cause.
Rick discovered at the age of 50 that he was lactose intolerant and he has since made changes to his diet which have helped immensely.
Capable Of So Much More
Rick ran his first marathon at Twin Cities in 2015.
Initially, Rick never intended on running more than one marathon.
His first 26.2 left him with a feeling that he underperformed and had room to improve.
While on a run with friends following his marathon, Rick first found out about a Boston qualifier.
His friends were convinced that Rick had the ability to run a BQ and were dedicated to helping him reach his goal.
In 2016, all the training paid off and Rick PR’d by 20 minutes while simultaneously qualifying for Boston.
Rick ran his first Boston marathon in 2017 and though the warm weather slowed him down, he loved the experience.
He has goals to eventually qualify again and make it back to Boston.
Better Together
Rick attributes a large part of his success in running to the St. Cloud River Runners.
Since joining the running club he has benefited from the knowledge and experience of others.
The camaraderie and accountability cannot be understated either.
The club consists of runners of all ages, paces, and experience.
The St. Cloud River Runners has been a positive outlet for Rick and become a huge part of his life.
Community outreach is a regular occurrence for the club as well.
For Rick, running has provided a freedom that nothing else ever has for him.
This post is accompanied by an episode of my podcast, Diz Runs Radio.
Click this link to listen to my conversation with Rick Lind.
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Originally published at http://www.dizruns.com on October 5, 2020.
