Day 51 - Run Like You Breathe

November 30, 2025

In this episode, Guy Reams shares a pivotal moment of inspiration that led him to take action despite his initial reluctance. He recounts a morning when he felt compelled to run, even without proper attire, highlighting the importance of overcoming mental barriers to achieve personal growth.

Episode Transcript

Guy Reams (00:01.71)
This is day 51, run like you breathe. Well, here I am again, day four, or day three, I think it's day three of sitting stuck in a Vegas hotel. As I've turned the corner on 50 days into my 365 commitment, I'm reflecting on many things that have been of tremendous help to me.

And one of them is the practice of running. Now, I was never a runner until late in my life. In fact, I tried out for the cross country team when I was in high school. And I was always dead last. I remember I went to one track meet. I went to one track meet and I had to run a 4,000.

I don't know. had to run around the track. I think it was a mile race, 1,500 meter or something. And I had, and I came in, I was so far behind everybody else that I eventually just walked off and didn't finish the race. And my coach was really mad at me. And since that day, I never returned to running. I never tried running again.

I didn't pick up running until my late 40s. And I remember the day I picked it up. I was feeling very miserable with myself. I was at a trade show, a conference, a sales conference in Phoenix. And I I heard a motivational talk that night. And I was just, was late at night. I was in my hotel room. It was like two or three in the morning.

and was feeling very miserable with myself. I was out of shape, I was overweight, out of shape, I did not feel healthy. I just didn't like the way I looked, I didn't like the way I felt. And I remember looking in the mirror and just thinking, man, I gotta do something.

Guy Reams (02:15.01)
And that's when I thought, you know what I need to do? I need to do the thing that absolutely sucks the most. Like what is the absolute worst thing that I could do? Because I figured if I could overcome that, then I could overcome anything. And right then and there is when it came into my mind, you need to.

And man, did I not want to hear that. I was like, why did you think that thought? But that morning at 5 a.m. I didn't have any running shoes. I had no running clothes. had a pair of shorts that I'd wear to bed and I had a pair of dress shoes. So I put on a T-shirt and my dress shoes and I went out of my hotel room and

five in the morning when nobody could see me and I ran. And I basically ran down to the end of this green, it was on a golf course, I ran to the end of the 18th green and that was all I could do. It was maybe 100 yards if I was lucky. And then I walked back feeling miserable but at least I did it. The next day, I got up again in the morning and I ran again.

And then I started doing it every day and I just ran very little. mean, I was, remember I started around my house and I would run to the mailbox or I'd run, you know, down to the sports parking back or I'd run, you know, a little bit further. And I kept doing that every day for about 50 days. And it was around the 50th day that I finally made it all the way around the neighborhood and completed a full mile.

And that was the start. That's when I actually started running. And that's what developed. Now, since that time, I've ran several races. A half marathon, a marathon, I've ran a 50-miler. So I've done a lot of ultra marathons. And I've done them because I enjoyed it. But then I got injured where my hip was really hurt bad. And I was unable to run as much.

Guy Reams (04:35.01)
Man, it was like ripping my soul out, right? was like ripping the soul out of me because I couldn't run anymore. And so now I'm finally getting back into running again after a hiatus. And it's tough, it's tough, right? Getting back into it. But I'm doing it every day a little bit at a time. And every day I start to feel a little bit more like I did when I was running at my top level before I got hurt.

So I think that I just would like to talk a little bit about running as natural as breathing. So after I had ran, you know, for several years, averaging at least an hour a day, maybe, and taking some breaks, I think rest periods are very important, but I got to the point where I would just wake up, go out the door, and I wouldn't even think about it anymore. I would run like I would breathe.

It was just a natural thing for me to do. And that felt impossible for me at one time. Like earlier in my life, that would have felt like it was a completely impossible. But I could get out there and I could just start running and I could think and I could let thoughts flow. And I would get into a bit of a meditative state. And that was so relaxing and so refreshing.

I just felt like it could almost go on forever in that case. so it served as several running served as a mechanism for me to release major stress, allowed me meditation and reflective time, helped me kept in check both mentally, physical and spiritually. I think it dramatically improved my immune system. My body was just stronger.

I found time when I was running to create new ideas to plan my day out while I was running. If there was a problem I was having, I could turn it over my mind and examine that problem from different angles. think running creates the perfect balance of movement and stillness where your body's in motion, but your mind is completely free to sort things out, process things, and just let things go.

Guy Reams (06:59.928)
where the physical exertion burns off nervous energy, but it provides natural endorphins for your brain to have more clarity and well-being.

So not everybody can run. Running is not for everybody. Some people are just physically incapable. But if you're one of those people who feel like you can't run, I think you should give it a shot. I can't think of any one exercise that is better than running. Even running at a very slow pace or

even running at a very short distance. That first quarter mile when I ran in dress shoes at that conference, I was gasping for air, praying for strength. I didn't think I was gonna be able to do it. But fast forward a year later, ran at that, I went to that same conference a year later and a friend of mine ran around the entire block which ended up being about...

You know about 10 miles and I finished that 10 miles with no problem whatsoever and I finished it at a very quick pace So you would be surprised what you can do The human body was meant to run it was really meant to run and so I think as you start to learn to go Back to your roots naturally and physically what you're supposed to do you'll find a connection with nature and a connection with your mind that is

I think only runners really understand. And I never understood it. And I'm so glad that even, it took me 40 years, but I'm glad that I finally found that. And now it's like a love that I'm crawling back to, trying to get back up to where I can get there. So I think running allows you to run from your problems. Not as a way to avoid your problems, but as a healthy way to process them.

Guy Reams (09:05.472)
It shifts you from this mindset of not feeling, from feeling trapped to feeling capable. It provides a renewed sense of control of your life. It gives you a lighter heart, gives you confidence to tackle challenges head on. So I think ultimately, running is not just exercise. It's a foundational life practice that enables you to start your journey on physical health, emotional processing, creative thinking, spiritual grounding, and ultimately,

What I, the phrase I like to use is running like you breathe.