Episode #27: Natalie Johnston on recovery, the benefits of walking, and how running saved her life

Natalie Johnston fell in love with running at a young age and her competitive nature as an athlete began at the age of 3. 

Natalie competed in a wide array of sports as a kid including horseback riding, competitive swimming, and dance. 

Natalie ran competitively for both Division I and Division II colleges in cross country and track. During her college running career, she battled numerous injuries due to pushing herself too hard in training. 

Those frustrations and personal life events lead Natalie down a destructive path of abusing drugs and alcohol. She believes running saved her life in many ways. 

“I can say if it weren’t for running, and sports, most likely I’d probably be dead,” Natalie admits in our interview. 

Through many ups and downs in her life, running was the one place for her to let go, meditate, release, and grow as a person.  

In this episode, Natalie shares her troubled past, how she found running and used it as a form of mediation, pushing the body but listening to its warning signs, the best way to warm-up before a run, and the dangers of running too much in 2021. 

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