Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. Their stories are about the journey of transforming from ordinary to extraordinary each and every day.

“If you find something you love, you have to hold on tight and ride out the waves! I love running and will until my body just won’t let me!” ~Richard Baker

Today, I’d like you to meet Richard Baker (@workaholic). Richard was born with epilepsy, asthma and a concave rib cage that didn’t give his lungs the room they needed to expand as he grew. As a toddler, he had reconstructive surgery on his rib cage, in which each rib was removed from the sternum and attached back at the proper angle to allow correct space for his diaphragm and lungs to work properly and at their highest potential.

You know where I’m going with this. Yes, Richard is a runner.

Throughout much of his childhood, Richard’s asthma and epilepsy was under control. His dad even allowed him to join the football team. After he finished college, his desire for exercise and energy continued. Richard started weightlifting, which brought him a great deal of self-confidence. But after his second bodybuilding show, his epilepsy started to roar again.

“I started having what are called breakthrough seizures,” Richard recalls. “Ninety percent of people might not realize I was having one, but my family, friends and coworkers certainly could. It got to a point where I was having 15 to 20 seizures per month. Not good!”

After his seizures returned, Richard was unable to drive or do any kind of serious exercise for the next 2 years.

“Because of all the stress and depression, I let myself balloon up to 270 pounds. The doctors discovered that my left temporal lobe in my brain had become damaged. At age 26, I had brain surgery – 4 millimeters were removed from my brain. I had to take speech training for 2 months afterwards to help reconfigure my brain and get my verbal communication back on track.”

The months after Richard’s surgery were the toughest of his life.

“I was 270 pounds, I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting completely out of breath and I no longer felt like an athlete. After a few rough months, my best friend Mike could tell I was mentally and emotionally struggling. I was allowed to walk for exercise, so Mike and I went for a walk/jog. We made it 100 yards before I had to lie on the ground, wheezing and exhausted. It was so embarrassing and made me even unhappier. My depression worsened.”

Richard was so unhappy with how he was feeling that he started considering suicide.

“I wrote down the notes I was going to leave each person in my family. But then one night I came across a Web site where other people were sharing their stories. I realized my battles were nothing compared to others. I needed to stop making excuses and having ‘woe is me’ moments. I needed to fight back! I started running the next morning!”

After his first run, Richard remembers feeling like a piece of armor he’d wrapped around himself had broken loose and his heart and mind began healing. He started watching what he ate and began running at least a mile 3 times per week. Richard lost 15 pounds in the first month and hadn’t had any seizures in nearly a year.

But shortly thereafter, he went for a mid-day run. It was sunny, 80+ degrees and humid. Somewhere around mile 5, he had a seizure on the sidewalk. He was alone and without an I.D. Luckily, someone walking on the same path dialed 911 and had an ambulance come to Richard’s rescue. He was unconscious from the stress of extra physical activity (he pushed himself past the 2 miles he was planning to run), heat stroke, severe dehydration and the seizure

“The first thing I thought of when I woke up was to check my watch to see what my time was. I mean, how stupid is that? My family was stressed out, pissed off, scared for me and very emotional! They wanted me to stop running, but I knew if I stopped I would fall back into my depression. After talking to my neurologist and understanding my body wasn’t ready for the heat or the extreme energy output, I was given new criteria to follow to run safely.”

Richard was only allowed to run indoors on a treadmill where he could control the environment around him and monitor his speed.

“My family was not very supportive. I was called lots of names: selfish, stupid, arrogant, wanting a death sentence.”

Several months later, Richard had another seizure while running at the gym at a faster pace than normal. Although he didn’t need to be hospitalized, his family could not understand why he continued to put himself and his health in danger.

“I just wanted to be normal and live life without fear and enjoy what I did instead of always having to give things up. I didn’t want to quit running, period!”

Richard discovered the Jeff Galloway training program and picked a 10K training plan for newbies. He went 28 months without a seizure and got to where he was running 60 to 70 miles per week.

“My personal best became 35 miles in 6 hours and 6 minutes! Focusing on distance instead of time was a gold find and I even started running outdoors by myself again, this time with a Road I.D. bracelet!”

Last year, Richard found himself at his best weight and conditioning and had found happiness in his life. After receiving a promotion at work that also came with extra stress, Richard went for a 5-mile run. He hadn’t eaten or drank properly during a busy day. He had another seizure. After being treated by his doctor, taking a few weeks off and dialing his training back, he had another seizure 5 months later.

“I only had seizures while I was running!”

So it was back to the doctor for more tests.

“My doctor and I talked about my family history. Every man in my family ended up with diabetes. We finally did some diabetic tests and found out I am hypoglycemic. My body burns blood sugar at an abnormal pace. I am learning how to eat and drink to fuel my body during the day and during runs to get back to where I was in 2011. My ultimate goal is to run a 50-mile ultra.”

If you or someone you know would be a great candidate for Friday FITspiration, email me at runladylike@gmail.com.

Want more FITspiration? Check out these recent FITspiring stories!
Cancer Survivor Never Loses Her Will to Run
Running Coach Lives His Mission
It’s Never too Late to Start Running

Richard says that through all his battles, his girlfriend has supported him 110%. Who is the most supportive person in your life when it comes to running?