don's report archive

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Racing For Recovery And A Great Deal More -- Meet Wellness Promoter Todd Crandell
Wednesday December 20, 2006

Todd Crandell is the founder of a health and exercise-focused organization in Ohio called "Racing for Recovery." Racing for Recovery promotes a wellness agenda, in my opinion. It offers a range of programs, activities and services. These include a newsletter and other publications, lectures, and varied services. Also, Racing for Recovery sponsors half Ironman distance triathlons and 5K Run/Walk events across the nation.

However, the main attraction so far, and the focus of a new book that I highly recommend, is Todd's life story. The watershed events described in this book, entitled Racing for Recovery: From Addict to Ironman, should interest anyone who ever wondered why some choose one path or another and, most important, how it is that some take a turn for the better, just when it would seem all is lost.

Racing ... describes the highlights of Todd's life, to date -- he's still only in his late 30's so there are chapters yet to be written. The descriptions in the book of Todd's journey so far are such that you might find yourself reading the tale from cover to cover in a single sitting. It's pretty strong, but compelling stuff.

For that matter, the author, as I discovered in an interview recently, is still a pretty "wild and crazy guy," as Steve Martin might say in a flattering way.

Reading Todd's book was, for me, at times interesting, occasionally entertaining and often horrifying. It's a roller coaster read, as you start out on a gentle tour of his roots (not so good) and formative experiences, then take a few fast turns with early successes and suddenly, you are heading down a mountain without a seatbelt standing up -- facing backwards! Then come more 180 turns (setbacks) and fading consciousness as things descend into ...well, take your pick -- darkness, the Slough of Despond, the gutter, the valley of tears or, maybe just "hell." Yes, that seems to say it all. Not a pretty ride, not a pretty picture -- Todd is not a guy worried about his image. He wants you to feel what it was like, so he vividly describes a descent into worseness and how it was to stay there -- for 13 years.

Yet, all of that sets the stage for the best part, the recovery part. The book describes how that happened and what Todd has done since -- and plans to do in the future.

So, how did he do it? What's the key? After all those years, how can Todd explain how it happened that on April 15, 1993, he drained his last glass of beer, and declared, "I don't want this anymore. I am done." ?

Well, that's what everyone wants to know about any epiphany that occurs -- IF it is sustained, as Todd has sustained his. Todd claims that, "With sobriety, anything is possible" but that begs the question, since the question really amounts to this: "How does an addict get to sobriety -- and stay there?"

In an interview, Todd discussed ways that he measures the success of his outreach mission (he's happy if "somehow, someway someone's life is benefited by his work"), his tattooed arms (tells my story and invites questions, though he always makes clear that he does not promote the art for others) and the quest for balance in sport specifically and life in general (a continuing challenge).

In the book, Todd offers these tips for success in overcoming addictions:

Recovery only works if you want it to. It has to be because you want it for YOU, not to please someone else or get something from another.
Take full responsibility for your addiction and its consequences. Don't blame "mindless strands of DNA and other factors which might have been of some consequence in playing a role. That's a loser's game. Accept your own sovereignty and share it with none other. You're the one.
Redirect your addiction in a positive way. For Todd, it is one Ironman triathlon after another but it could be any positive, preferably exercise-related passion that has meaning for you.
Build a strong support system. Family and friends did not make you an addict, but they can help you recover from addiction.
Help yourself and others will help you. People respect self-directed change and will notice if you are trying to help yourself.
Take care of your body, and your heart will follow. Start with brisk walking.
Believe you can do it. Sobriety is a choice, followed by a lifetime of hard work to protect it.

I also asked Todd about a video he placed on his site, showing him entering a tatoo parlor and having yet another design stenciled and colored on his arm. Inasmuch as the book and promotional material for it depict Todd riding his bike clearly showing how his arms and legs are adorned with tatoos, I asked if he might not be inadvertently or otherwise sending a message, one that might be interpreted, though not necessarily intentionally, to suggest that tatoos are cool, or desirable. I confessed I found them off- putting. I wanted to know what he thought about the possibility, given his new position as a role model, the tatoos might send an unintended message. His response was not at all defensive, as he patiently explained that, while he recognizes many adults feel as I do, his tatoos "are a form of marketing." Furthermore, the scenes depicted (his children, Ironman logo, etc.) tell his story. "Like all forms of marketing, I utilize them to the fullest," he added.

Apparently, Todd later got rather irritated about this part of our discussion, because he added a tatoo commentary, referencing our interview, to his daily blog. Referring to the interview, he complains that "we" society) "totally discriminate and pass judgment on someone who has some "ink" on their (sic) arms."

Well, we all have our hot button issues, I suppose. No need for wellness promoters to agree about tatoos or anything else. We look on the bright side when we focus on the values we share and the causes, outcomes and goals we promote, however we chose to do it.

For more information about Todd and his mission, organization and programs, including advice for parents concerned about addictions in their children, go to the website of Racing for Recovery.

Be well. Look on the bright side of life, like Todd Crandell.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

Send e-mail to Don Ardell