First Published in Michigan Sports & Fitness

When I first began my career in the culinary world, I took a job at a local restaurant of prestige as a garde manger, or, in layman’s terms, a salad maker.The job description for this inauspicious entry-level position usually entails making appetizers to order, tossing salads and plating desserts. As with any restaurant job, this position required a lot of prep for what we call mise en place, to ensure that the station was ready to go at service time.Part of my prep responsibilities included picking bags and bags of spinach. Taking the stems off of every single leaf, making certain not to miss even one. “See this,” my chef would say as he held up a leaf, which eluded my inspection, “That is an unhappy customer.” “Yes, chef.” The only two words a cook needs to know.

Picking spinach, in case you’ve never done it before, is boring. Speed in the kitchen is essential; it’s the mark of a good culinarian. We chefs hurry everywhere we go. We race around the grocery store as if we are contestants on that grocery game show. We run from our cars to the door of every establishment we patronize. Time is always of the essence.Unfortunately, there aren’t many chefs who run for recreation, it’s sad, they’d be setting new PR’s all the time.As I picked bag after bag, I would try to pick the next bag faster than I picked the last. I figured out that it took me the same time to pick 3 full bags of spinach, as it would take me to run 3 miles.

People always ask me why I get up so early just to go work out. They look at me quizzically when I explain that I actually enjoy it. One time, I laced up my New Balances and headed out in our first heavy snow fall after a 12 hour day, with more work waiting for me when I got back. The dining room manager looked at me in disbelief, took a drag of his cigarette and said, “They’re right, you are crazy.”I smiled and noted that I was taking my non-smoking break and I’d be back later.They laugh at me when I track my mileage on a map of Michigan that I keep on my bulletin board for motivation. They want to know why I don’t run to some place warm instead of always heading to the U.P.Many insist that I’m running from something, they want to know what it is. They ask me what the most amazing thing has ever happened to me on one of my runs, or if I’ve ever seen anyone famous or met anyone important.

It’s true, when I started running, I was running away. I was running from job stress, school deadlines, failed romances. Broken hearted, I logged many miles. I ran away from an eating disorder, which almost ruined my career. I ran for comfort. And, I joked, it’s cheaper than therapy.Now, as I become more passionate about healthful living and feel the responsibility as a food professional to raise the bar of education in my industry. I point out that I run from heart disease, obesity and the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

The most amazing thing that has ever happened to me on a run isn’t the day that I logged an insane amount of miles on a treadmill, or the days I was chased by my neighbors nasty dog, or the time I ran out way too far in a rural part of town and wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back.No, the most amazing thing was the day I realized that I don’t have to apologize for my running or make excuses or offer explanations about why my running wardrobe is larger than my regular wardrobe, and gets much more wear.The answer to the last question isn’t what people expect to hear. I don’t know if they imagine me toeing the starting line of some obscure 5 K next to P. Diddy or George W. Bush.The most important person that I’ve ever met on one of my runs is me.

Running shows you and anyone else who’s watching who you are and what you value. Am I disciplined? Look at my log. Do I prioritize in my life? I don’t hit the snooze. Do I have integrity? Am I determined? Do I know what commitment means? These are all questions that are answered every time I head out the door.I’ve progressed in my career, and I don’t have to pick spinach anymore, unless I’m feeling generous and decide to help a friend. Over the years, I’ve become a much better runner, though I find myself struggling to exceed my spinach-picking PR.