Category: Run for Your Life

Ryan’s marathon motivation: Inner strength and self-esteem

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Three years ago, Ryan ran her first NYC Marathon with the Run for Your Life team. In two days, she will be running her second. Returning to Odyssey House after a relapse earlier this year, Ryan is determined to make this time count. She sees this marathon as a symbol of her commitment to recovery and hopes her accomplishment will inspire others to challenge themselves.

Marathon runners recoveryRyan has worked hard to improve her health – quitting smoking, eating healthier – and has found strength in the support of her team. “We don’t leave people behind. We’re always checking on each other, even in the program, to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves, physically and mentally.” As a returning runner, Ryan has taken a leadership role on the team. “I have grown so much in the past year. I’m not just a teammate, I’m a positive role model. My teammates even nicknamed me Coach Stevens!”

The marathon team has been an integral part of Ryan’s recovery. “Running has given me the inner strength and self-esteem I need to be my best self. Training for the marathon has made me realize that I need to set goals for myself; reaching my running goals has inspired me to reach for greater opportunities in life,” she says.

As a result of her increased ambitions, Ryan enrolled in a CASAC-T (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee) program and plans to pursue a degree in social work and recreation therapy. “Run for Your Life has motivated me to stay connected and to be a positive mentor to others after treatment.”

To track Ryan’s progress throughout the marathon, download the official TCS NYC Marathon app and enter bib # 18957.

Team Odyssey House runs for recovery

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The feeling of accomplishment

 

Marathon runner
Kyle with COO John Tavolacci at the Poland Spring Kickoff race last week.

Nine months ago, if you’d asked Kyle, 30, if he’d be running the NYC Marathon, he would have laughed. Though he had been athletic his entire life, he was in a very different place then. That all changed when he came to Odyssey House.

Soon after entering treatment, Kyle joined WE R FIT!, our wellness program for clients, and became involved with our Run for Your Life team. Initially reluctant to get involved, he quickly found that he loves long distance running. “The feeling of accomplishment after a run – you can’t beat that,” he says. Kyle also discovered that it was benefiting more than just his physical health. “I have a history of anxiety and difficulty dealing with stress, and running helps me relax and cope in a healthier way.”

Training with the team has been a positive, motivating experience, keeping Kyle engaged in both running and treatment. In addition to marking his own successes, Kyle enjoys watching his teammates strive towards their goals. “It’s remarkable watching people progress as they commit to the program,” he says.

“Training with people who have marathon experience has been very helpful. I’m pretty excited to run, so I’m often tempted to run faster than I should at the start, but Andre and the mentors have helped me pace myself better.” On Sunday, Kyle will be running with a returning volunteer to guide him. He hopes to run an 8:30 mile, but in the end, it’s not how quickly he gets to the finish line that matters – only that he gets there.

“Why not give back?”

NYC marathon runner
Ainsley after his sixth NYC marathon in 2015.

When Ainsley, 29, entered Odyssey House in 2009, the only running he’d ever done was on the high school football field. By the time he’d completed treatment, he’d finished two marathons. This Sunday, Ainsley is about to run his seventh.

What keeps him coming back to train with the Run for Your Life team, five years after finishing treatment? “The excitement of watching people accomplish something this big is almost addictive!”

“I want to give people the same experience I had as a first-time marathoner,” he says. “It’s a great feeling to guide a new runner – showing them the ropes, supporting them on their journey. Andre and the team helped me so much, why not give back?”

Ainsley is running with Mike on Sunday and is looking forward to being by his side when he crosses his first marathon finish line. “I just want Mike to have fun – it’s not about speed or time, it’s about enjoying yourself and doing something you never thought you could or would ever do.”

Support Team Odyssey House!

On Sunday, November 6th, Kyle, Ainsley, and other 44 clients, staff, alumni, and volunteers will take on the NYC Marathon and they need your support. If you’re in NYC, stop by the Mile 19 Water Station (1st Ave between 115th-116th Streets) to hand out water to the marathon runners and cheer on our team! If you can’t make it but would like to support the team, please click here to make a donation.

Reaching recovery goals through running

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In celebration of our 50th anniversary, each month we will be sharing a story that highlights one of our programs or treatment populations. This month, we are profiling Ryan, who is training for the New York City Marathon as a member of our Run for Your Life Team.

 

woman recovery runner rehab
Ryan on a training run with team leader Andre Matthews (left) and her teammates.

After a two-decade struggle with a crack cocaine addiction, Ryan, 34, is ready to live the healthiest life she can. Since returning to Odyssey House last year, Ryan has been working to make better choices for herself and make this time in treatment her last.

During her first time at Odyssey House in 2013, Ryan admits that she wasn’t as committed as she needed to be to maintain her recovery. After leaving the program, she found herself returning to her old habits and she relapsed. Today, she has strengthened her resolve: “I know now that I have to change every aspect of my life, to focus on becoming a better me.”

With her new mindset, Ryan quit smoking, is eating healthier, and training to run the New York City Marathon for a second time. “The first time was to see if I could complete it, but this year it is about setting a personal best.” She credits much of this motivation to the Run for Your Life team, the Odyssey House-sponsored running group that promotes healthy living habits and keeps in contact with a network of recovery peers through twice-weekly training runs in Central Park.

“This is more than a team, it’s my second family,” Ryan says, something that is particularly important to her as her family resides in New England. The team keeps her dedicated to her sobriety and healthy lifestyle. “We help push each other towards success.” As a returning marathoner, she has taken on a leadership role within the team, mentoring the new runners and encouraging them to stick with it.

In addition, the therapeutic effects of running have helped Ryan with her anxiety and given her confidence to apply herself to bigger opportunities. She is in the process of becoming a Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor: “I want a career in helping people who have gone through similar situations to my own,” Ryan explains. “I know I can do anything I put my mind to, especially with the support of my team.”

Our Fall 2016 newsletter is now available!

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Odyssey House NewsThe Fall 2016 edition of Odyssey House News is now online. Read about our 50th-anniversary celebrations, our new website, graduation ceremony, and more! Check it out (pdf) and let us know what you think on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

And don’t forget to join us on Saturday, September 24th for our 11th Annual Run for Your Life event!

Run for Your Life registration is now open!

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Recovery run 2016Registration is now OPEN for our 11th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Run & Recovery Walk! Register by Friday, July 29th for a special early bird rate and celebrate recovery with Odyssey House on September 24th.

The theme for Recovery Month 2016 is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Our Families, Our Stories, Our Recovery,” which highlights the value of peer support by educating, mentoring, and helping others. It invites individuals in recovery and their support systems to be change agents in communities, and in civic and advocacy engagements.

Get more information.

Register Now!

I can’t make it but I would like to support recovery.

We hope to see you in September!

Our Winter 2016 newsletter is online

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Odyssey House Newsletter Winter 2016


The Winter 2016 edition of Odyssey House News is now available online. Read about our newest supportive housing building, client success stories, grant renewals, and more. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments or on our Facebook wall. Click here to read it (pdf). If you’d like to receive a copy in the mail, please email your contact information to info(at)odysseyhousenyc.org.

Celebrating Recovery Month: 10th Annual Run for Your Life

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More than 1,000 people came out to Icahn Stadium on September 19th to show their support for men and women in treatment for substance use and mental health disorders at the 10th Annual Run for Your Life 5K Run & Recovery Walk. WPIX reporter Jay Dow emceed the event, which also featured fitness competitions, zumba lessons, and children’s races and activities. 

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, though unable to attend, sent a message of support: “My administration has made it a priority to provide all our residents with access to quality health care, and in these efforts, it is essential that we address every facet of a person’s well-being, including their mental health. Under the leadership of First Lady Chirlane McCray and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, we are working to build a more inclusive mental health system that meets the needs of all New Yorkers. Odyssey House is an important ally in this mission, offering care and support to those suffering from mental illness, struggling with substance abuse disorders, or living with HIV/AIDS. Through its holistic counseling and rehabilitation programs, medical services, vocational training, housing assistance, and more, this organization helps individuals and families improve their lives and regain their dignity. Today’s event will enable Odyssey House to continue in its important work and celebrate the progress that its clients have achieved on the road to good health. I applaud this organization’s commitment to strengthening communities across our city.”

Participants included clients from other NYC-based treatment agencies, friends and family of people in recovery, as well as representatives from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and our corporate partners. If you were unable to make it, visit our Flickr page to see the photos.

Thank you to everyone for making Run for Your Life such a successful event! 

NEW! Run for Your Life auction

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Stop by the sponsor tent at Run for Your Life on September 19th for a chance to win some great prizes! We’ll be auctioning off gift certificates to New York’s hottest restaurants and more. Here’s a peek at some of the items you’ll be able to bid on:

  • $100 gift certificate to Kilo, a hip neighborhood wine and tapas bar in Hell’s Kitchen
  • $200 gift certificate to Trading Post, a classic American restaurant and bar, nestled into a gorgeous cobblestone corner of the Financial District
  • $75 gift certificate to Republic in Union Square, to get your noodle fix
  • Dinner for 2 at Acqua, a rustic Italian restaurant in the historic South Street Seaport (valued at $200)
  • $150 gift certificate to The Gander, a New American restaurant by one of NYC’s “more inventive young chefs,” Jesse Schenker
  • $150 gift certificate to MarkJoseph Steakhouse, a “classic unbuttoned steakhouse” in the South Street Seaport
  • Dinner for 2 at Scarpetta, a New York Times Critics’ Pick serving Italian food that is “at once refined and soulful” (valued at $250)

We’ll be adding more items as we get closer to the race, so check back regularly. The only way to win is to be there, so join us at Run for Your Life on September 19th to celebrate recovery. Register today!