Addiction | TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More!

Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Dick Beardsley: Running Icon

Posted February 14th, 2008 at 3:49 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Success Stories, Special Features, Interviews

Eleven years since an addiction to narcotic pain killers could have ended his life, Dick Beardsley is now a motivational speaker, coach and – once again – a competitive runner.

Beardsley, 51, grew up in Minnesota, but recently moved to Austin, Texas, where he and his wife, Jill, started the Dick Beardsley Foundation. The Foundation raises money for people with chemical dependencies and educates children and young adults about their health. Beardsley travels to schools to speak about his experiences with a drug addiction.

“I was really close to going to sleep one night and not waking up,” he said. Beardsley was regularly taking 80-90 pills every day by the time he was caught forging his prescription. “You do things you would never think about doing. All that mattered to me at the time was to get the drugs.”
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Quote of the Day: 11/19/07

Posted November 19th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“Do you love [running]?

“I’m more of an addict. It’s a compulsion
with me, a weapon I can use.”

- Chariots of Fire

Comment on this post | Permalink

Warning: If you start running, you may become “addicted”

Posted January 15th, 2007 at 7:03 PM by Amanda Black

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Health & Fitness, Exercise

People often look at serious runners with awe and admiration, wondering why they would choose to do such a thing and how a person could get up at five in the morning and go for a run in the freezing cold before the start of a stressful day.

For most runners the answer is simple: they need it, they love it and they just don’t feel “right” if they don’t go for their run. In a lot of ways, running is actually psychologically and physically addictive. The body produces natural endorphins during exercise; the so called “runner’s high” and many people just can’t get enough! Author Pam Hilts explains that these endorphins:
Read the rest of this entry »

7 comments, add yours | Permalink