Seven years ago I hated running. Then I crossed the Berlin Marathon finish line.

For most of my childhood, I ran because I had to. Military school. 05:30. Every morning. From age 10. Not optional. Not enjoyable. Just something that was done to you.

I decided then that I was not a runner. And I kept that story for the next two decades.

Then in 2018, something shifted. Not about running. About what I actually needed. To stay healthy. To feel alive in my body. And how this simple, always-available activity could meet that need.

I went deep, as I tend to do with anything that gets my attention. How to run. How to strength train. How to eat. How to not get injured. I started with 5K races. Then 10K. Then a half-marathon. In 2024, I had the privilege of finishing the Berlin Marathon, its 50th anniversary edition.

Seven years from hating running to crossing that finish line. Some of it through research. Most of it through trial and error.

You do not have to do it that way.

From building a training plan to understanding what different types of runs do to your body, I have spent seven years going deep on all of it.

What I found was not just a habit. It was the joy of moving. Of building something. Of reaching a goal I once thought was not mine to reach.

I want others to experience that too. That is why I am happy to share everything I learned.