A lifetime of partying left me out of shape and with bad coping skills. Then I decided to start running.

On the list of stupid things I’ve done, running a 5K for my 40th birthday is either first or last.
That’s because I mostly sat still for the last two decades as I drank and smoked my way out of healthy coping skills, which might have come in handy during the string of family deaths, medical emergencies and dark thoughts that followed the birth of my son five years ago.
I just assumed I’d grow out of my bad habits and into better ones by virtue of aging, or that I’d snap i