When Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore

Michael Brydges has run 17 marathons. But ask him who he is today and “runner” isn’t the first word out of his mouth.

Dad is.

“I used to say I’m a runner, but now I always start now with I’m a new dad,” Michael told me during our latest Fireside Chat.

And that became the perfect starting point for a conversation about something much bigger than running: what happens when the life we consider normal changes?

Running Was Never The Entire Story

Michael didn’t grow up as an athlete. He says he hated sports. Running entered his life during an extraordinarily difficult period involving a suicide attempt, losing family members, major cancer surgery and a health warning that forced him to begin taking care of himself. His original goal wasn’t a marathon. It was running twenty minutes continuously on a treadmill.

Eventually twenty minutes became races. Races became marathons. Running became travel, confidence, friendships, coaching and an opportunity to advocate for a more inclusive sport.

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More Than The Miles

That’s where our conversation went deeper.

We talked about work and identity. Mental health. Privilege. Politics. Inclusion. Parenthood. And our responsibility to make running a place where more people feel like they belong.

Michael’s coaching philosophy might summarize the entire conversation better than anything else: meet people where they are….not merely as runners, but as human beings.

That sounds a lot like the Everyday Athlete to me.

Run The Mile You’re In

After 17 marathons, Michael still approaches every marathon as if it’s his first. He doesn’t stare at 26.2 miles. He focuses on the mile he’s running.

That feels applicable well beyond a marathon. Because normal changes.

Careers change. Families change. Bodies change. Goals change. We change.

A year ago, Michael couldn’t have imagined being a sponsored marathoner, paid content creator and new dad while continuing to train. Today, that’s his normal.

Tomorrow? Who the hell knows. Maybe that’s the point.

Watch or listen to the full Fireside Chat and then tell us: what feels completely normal in your life today that would have seemed impossible one year ago?

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