Miller’s trek to weight loss, running inspiring for all ages
Crist Miller kicks off the Amish Country Half Marathon this past fall with myriad other runners. Forty pounds ago Miller would never have guessed he would be running distance races including his first marathon in Akron.
For Crist Miller, hurdles are only obstacles on the path to success.
A few years ago, Miller never dreamed about running at all, let alone running competitively.
However, one step led to another, and overcoming one obstacle opened the door for him to give running a try.
Since then he has grown passionate about running, and it all began with the shedding of pounds.
For a middle-aged man who had zero experience running, Miller’s journey serves as an inspiring story that anyone, no matter the age or physical condition, can accomplish great things if he or she is willing to commit and remain determined.
“Running is a joy for me, but the one thing I want to do more than anything is to inspire others to commit to working at getting healthier,” Miller said.
Several years ago Miller’s wife Rosanna Miller was utilizing a weight-loss plan and had experienced success. She wanted to continue, but due to the cost of the plan, she couldn’t afford to proceed and was forced to seek an alternate solution.
In 2015 the couple happened upon Total Life Changes, an all-natural supplement weight-loss plan that was identical to what Rosanna was doing but at a fraction of the cost.
Seeing his wife lose weight inspired Miller, who said at the time he didn’t feel like he needed to lose much weight.
Then reality sunk in, and he quickly realized he was incorrect.
“Once I got started, I knew I had no idea where I was truly at with my weight,” Miller said. “I ended up losing 40 pounds. I never realized how overweight I was.”
Like everyone who loses a good deal of weight, the weight-loss challenge is only the beginning of the process. The task of keeping the weight off is the true challenge, and Miller immediately began to consider different ways he would best keep the weight off.
“Money was tight, so I started looking into different things and felt the cheapest way I could invest in keeping the weight off was buying a pair of running shoes and start running,” Miller said.
His first endeavor into the running world didn’t last long. He made it one-quarter mile and was whipped, but it was a starting point, and Miller was determined not to let his weight-loss effort go to waste.
Every couple of days, he went out and went a little further. Eventually, his 2-mile journeys were peppered with stretches of running coupled with walking. By the end of two weeks, he was running the full 2 miles.
“It took a little time to get to the point where I really enjoyed running because I was so out of shape, but once I settled in, it became a passion,” Miller said. “Without that weight loss, it probably wouldn’t have ever happened.”
He said one large factor in his running journey, one that can trap people hopeful to get into running, was it was OK to simply slow things down and take his time to build up his stamina.
Then came Miller’s big break.
His son’s friend was the head cross country coach at Norwayne High School. He gave Miller the number, and a 15-minute conversation taught Miller many of the tricks of the trade when it comes to running, including conserving energy and proper form.
Techniques included correct arm swing, upper-body form and the importance of creating a pendulum swing with your arms that works as a counterbalance with the legs.
Suddenly, all of these parts of running came together, and Miller was running in a style he never knew existed.
“I think the biggest thing he taught me was that when you run, you want to let your arms control your speed,” Miller said.
Six weeks after he ran 2 miles for the first time, he began running 10 miles. The technique enhancement and confidence were paying off, and at 46 years old, Miller was starting to get excited about the possibilities.
He began entering 5k races, where he found immediate success, winning his division.
Miller was hooked.
This past summer Miller tackled the Akron Marathon, his first effort to run a marathon.
His goal was to come in under four hours. His time was 3:59.15.
“I was thrilled,” Miller said.
While this year’s schedule of races includes another run in the Akron Marathon, the Indianapolis Marathon, the local Amish Country Half-Marathon and others, his goal is to qualify for the acme of running events, the Boston Marathon.
The time needed to do so is to run a marathon in his age division at 3:20.
Miller said diet and exercise go hand in hand when losing weight, and when people lose weight, they will be amazed at how energetic they will feel. He said that energy opened the door for him to invest in running as a way to maintain the weight loss.
Not only that, running in the early morning has created a perfect time to provide mental and spiritual solitude for Miller, helping him set the stage for each day.