A Healthy chat with Aaron Barnett

You know every now and then we’re up for a good healthy chat with our fellow runners here at Mid Strike Magazine, especially those whose running journeys turn into a complete 180 of what they used to be. For some runners this can be a life changing experience based on the improvements made which essentially helps us to level up as runners. One thing we like to do here at Mid Strike is to tap into that journey, to see how our fellow runners found success through the work that they’ve put in. Aaron Barnett is the true example of what a healthy lifestyle change can do, his change through the years has been amazing and it's only right that we give Aaron his shine. Although he’s still working to be better where he started to where he is now is pretty amazing.

MSM: We’ve caught an eye on your progression through the years, we all need to start somewhere, and we all have that crossroad in our life where we have a choice when it comes to our health. Either we continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle, or we make the change to become better. For you what was that crossroad like and what caused you to change to be better?

Aaron: I remember the exact moment for me. I was on a weekend trip to Chicago, and I asked my friend to take a photo of me. I posed and took several photos, and it was clear to me that I couldn’t hide the fact that I was much heavier than I was comfortable with. I made a point that I would never feel like that again, so when I got home, I was fully focused on what it would take to change my life. I started with completely transforming my diet, and I found running a month later. 

MSM: Lets tap into the fitness choice. We can choose and/or have so many avenues when it comes to fitness. Running isn't easy and it really takes a person to have a kind of crazy desire to run. Why did you choose running? Was it running that found you or did you find running?

Aaron: I think it was a mutual connection with running. I’ve always loved sports. I’ve been obsessed with basketball and the NBA as early as I can remember. I played baseball from eight years old through high school as well. I always enjoy competing and satisfaction that sports provide. Running was just a natural evolution of my sporting life. As you get older, finding a good pick-up basketball game gets tougher and tougher, so I turned to running to fill the void that basketball left. 

MSM: Let's talk about where it started. I’ve seen you have a few marathons under your belt. Before the marathons there are races that tend to push us in the direction of wanting to run a marathon. What was that race for you, the moment when you knew this was indeed something that you wanted to embark on as a runner?

Aaron: As funny as it may sound, I had no desire to race when I first started running. I didn’t even really know that recreational racing was a thing. I would share some of my early running accomplishments with some of my coworkers, and one day I was made aware of a run that goes from Detroit into Canada, over the Ambassador Bridge. From that, I did some research and discovered the Detroit Free Press Marathon and Half Marathon. At that point of my journey, I don’t think I covered more than 5 miles in a single run, but the race was still 10 months away, so I tucked the idea in the back of my mind as something I might want to do. I started with a training plan in the Nike Run Club app, and it was on from there. 

MSM: Switching up the pace a bit here and I'm going to put you on the spot. One sneaker head always recognizes another. Give us your top 3 kicks, sneakers and runners?

Aaron: I hate all time lists, so I’ll just go with my top 3 in my rotation right now. 

Sneakers: Adidas Samba, New Balance 2002R, Crocs Pollex Clog by Salehe Bembury

Running Shoes: New Balance More v4, ASICS SuperBlast, Tracksmith’s Eliot Runner

MSM: Back to your running journey, as we touched it's pretty amazing but there are some key things that we all need, the big one being accountability. Our past is a constant reminder of what we don't want to go back to but there’s also our run fam that keeps us accountable, WeRun313 I’m sure keeps you honest and on your toes. Give our readers a peek into some of the things you do to not only hold yourself accountable but the team as well.