Category: Trauma Recovery

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Face It.

To be a front runner in our personal lives requires us to lead with an open heart, display a willingness to be consistent, and have the courage to face our monsters hiding in the closet.

As I reflect back on the slideshow of my life, often times it seems surreal. The moments when I retrace and pace the steps of how I got to this place, in this very moment, seem translucent.

My years of active addiction and being overweight ingrained feelings of shame, driving the markers of failure deeper. I denied my inner cry for help.

For years I tried to hide the whiskey on my breath. I wept in silence, I gulped processed food in silence… and I hated myself out loud.

I don’t know what you’re facing today… but I do know this. Perhaps today is the day you must descend down in order to rise up to a better tomorrow.

Sit or lie with whatever it is, until you have comfortably declared that it will no longer control you. And remember: just as the autumn leaves must fall to face their destiny… even on the ground, their beauty is magnificent.

Today does not have to be radical nor does it have to be complicated. We are all worthy of moving at our own pace. Today is about understanding that as we grow inward and in faith, it gets harder to fake what we won’t be.

Make an advanced choice to put your truth in front of your impression.

We start slow. We start by admittance. Ask yourself… what do I need to face today? Maybe it’s been hidden for years, or maybe the prints are still fresh.

Move through today with grace and strength. Life is waiting for you.

RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #faceitfriday #runningsavedmylife

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

Thank you for supporting my writing and running endeavors at RunBeforeyouFly.com. I’m Suzanne Swanson and I’d love for us to keep in touch!

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Run Before You Fly.

She stood raw in front of the mirror, shaking from the sicknesses inside her. She was tired. Her head pounded as the liquid poison was trying to escape her cells. Her eyes red… barely open from puffiness of crying herself to sleep, begging for anything or anyone to save her from herself.

“You can’t reason with us,” her demons spoke up quickly. “You’re lost, you’re fat, you’re a drunk, and you will never be loved.”

She looked at her sneakers that had settled where she last kicked them in the corner of her room… laces twisted, so bright and beautiful. She turned around, paused… and then turned her head back to the corner.

No, she thought… I’m delusional.

She looked again and the inner voice of those shoes said… and she heard:

“We love you, we believe in you. Give us a chance.”

She untangled the laces, slipped them on her feet like Cinderella… feeling a tad nauseous, and with the room spinning… she opened her door.

With newfound hope in her heart… she turned back to the mirror and whispered:

“You’re wrong, demons… keep your eyes on my feet, keep your hands to yourself… ’cause we’re about to set out and change this world.”

Take yourself to the next level today. Go higher and soar. Take in only that which brings you love, peace, strength, and light. I believe in you.

-Suzanne Swanson

#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY #transformationtuesday #dunkindonutskicks #rocketfuelincup

Follow along as Suzanne Swanson takes us through her transformation from addiction to athlete. Find support and healing in your own life! We’re sending Suzanne’s blog updates via email along with a daily dose of motivation. Don’t miss the next post… delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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Keep Running

What can you do today that sets you apart from typical crap we face… especially on a Monday!?

Keep Running is such a great mantra for me. It can be delineated in so many areas of life.

There are never-ending reasons life gives us to bow our heads quietly and feel defeat.

We get easily annoyed by traffic, people, overthinking, the stress of our work.

Stuck in our home life, our addictions, our shortcomings and struggles… we simply forget to keep going.

Perseverance, practice, and promise give us hope and a reason to always believe that what we do matters… integrity matters… the dreams and aspirations that live inside you matter…

Take today… this day, Monday, as a chance not to stop and start over, not to sit with deep regret, not to judge yourself for what you did or didn’t do… but simply to keep going…

Keep Running.

You will be amazed at how much love this universe has for you.

You will be overjoyed when you watch the seasons of your being blossom into vivid greatness.

Whatever tries to halt your progress today… turn your head, root your feet and just “keep running.” ☀️

I am so overjoyed to announce that along with my blog page, I now have a safe space to share, inspire, love, and grow!

Run Before You Fly Private Facebook Group with Suzanne Swanson is open to all who wish to continue to share their experiences, love of running, and battles of life, with each other. Together we are better 💛.

#mindsetiseverything #keeprunning #hopedealer

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Run With Our Pack. NEW FB Group and Page

I would like to welcome everyone who recently signed up for our mailings or joined our Facebook group, Run Before You Fly. These past few days have been a whirlwind of sorts. One minute I was still daydreaming about a blog, a name, a Facebook group of my own. Then, boom, just like that we hit go… and here we are. 🤎

The Run Before You Fly blog will be the place I keep my writings, musings, ponderings of life, love, struggle and happiness. Some have asked to receive a daily dose of runner’s inspiration from my pen to your heart… for that, I recommend signing up for my email list.

Our Facebook group will serve as a safe space to share our personal victories and losses, influence and inspire each other. We can post about and celebrate our talents, what lights us up, areas where we need help, and all the beautiful chaos life gives us.

Our group will not be a place to criticize, be better than, insult or put anyone down. I won’t tolerate that. Open discussion is fine, and while we may not agree on every topic or everyone’s ideas or thoughts… there is always a respectful way to have a conversation.

Sometimes I still stumble out of bed… hit the coffee pot, put my workout clothes on and tie my sneakers. I grumble, I stay stuck sometimes in my old ways of thinking. Self doubt… shame… and guilt try to infiltrate their way into my brain. Dark places can inspire us to be better, stronger, and wiser.

Commitment… perseverance… gratitude… these are all things that, during my active years of eating too much, drinking too much and overthinking, I thought were not possible for me. I’m here to tell you… yes, this and more is possible. You can achieve good things, and restore yourself to health.

Whatever you struggle with… food? Substance? Gambling? Trauma? PTSD? Depression? …know that you can recover. Your story helps the next person, so never be afraid to tell it.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know why I am on this journey yet. But I do know this.

I am hopeful. I am strong… and I am grateful.

Feel safe here. Share, and together let’s inspire each other to change the world 🌍.

Join Our Pack! “Run Before You Fly”.

Join the Run Before You Fly Facebook Group– for running motivation, staying accountable, being healthy, setting goals, offering support to one another, and breathing life into our dreams!

To receive daily inspiration via email, sign up here. Please add us to your Safe Senders list so that my message to you won’t get lost in spam by accident!

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Victory.

Victories come in all ways that are unique to our goals and our personal achievements. It doesn’t always have to be about the time on the watch, the number on a scale, or what page 37 of the magazine says it is…

This morning I watched the most incredible sunrise I almost have ever witnessed. The sky was lavender, mixed with reds, and oranges, and a stillness that is hard to put into words… to be alive, out of bed, for my eyes to see that is a victory.

I struggle with running in heat and humidity. This morning I ran up the same hills that often defeat me, with ease and a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time. That’s a victory.

Maybe getting out of bed today for you is a victory. Maybe smoking one less cigarette, drinking one less drink, eating one less cookie, those are all victories.

Speaking the truth in love is a victory. Being a little kinder… not tolerating other people’s crap… all victories. Saying yes to yourself and no to societal stigmas. VICTORY.

It doesn’t matter how small or immeasurable you think your progress is. Feel the joy of it all. Your victories are your guide. Use them… thank them, and be glad in them. They are all part of your story.

Go find a victory today. Amen. 🖤

#whataview #runningmotivation #imaluckygirl

Follow along as Suzanne Swanson takes us through her transformation from addiction to athlete. Find support and healing in your own life! We’re sending Suzanne’s blog updates via email along with a daily dose of motivation. Don’t miss the next post… delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to hear from Suzanne via email here.

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What If?

WHAT IF WEDNESDAY‼️

So today is Wednesday. Some of us will wake up with same mindset that has stolen our joy for years. We will complain. We will start our day with the weight of all the stress we will face today. We will let fear cripple us.

We will scroll through social media… compare ourselves to others, wish we were somewhere different, or think of ways that we could mirror someone else’s life.

I am guilty of it, too. I have had too many Wednesdays where I start my day feeling low, tired, and with a feeling of complete failure.

What if today… we drop all our excuses? What if today is the day you decide to wake up happy on purpose?

What if today is the day you stop letting fear keep you from trying new things and becoming great?

What if today we step out of our comfort zones and take a step toward greatness?

What if today we say yes to treating our bodies how they should be treated?

We make life hard sometimes. We allow others and ourselves to rob the self-worth we all deserve. Start today… and just begin.

What if today is the day we change our life?

Together we can. Amen. ❤️

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Shaken or Grounded?

Are you shaken, or grounded?

Arising to face the day can meet us each with a choice. Do we allow things to shake us upside down and apart? Or can we root deeply into the earth and ground ourselves?

I know for me… ridiculous thoughts, unhealthy patterns, and toxic people will continue to try to seep through my protective barriers in hopes of initiating unsteadiness and crumbling my solid footing.

Stumbling a bit is okay. Actually, it’s quite necessary in the grounding process. We are not meant to do it right all the time. We are not meant to be perfect.

We are meant to receive daily grace, find acceptance in the beautifully broken, seek only those who better us. This is how we land at the place where we will root our foot and ground ourselves in what we believe in and fight for.

If you move about awkwardly today… it’s okay.
If you are unsure and stumble a bit… it’s okay.
If you aren’t sure why you’re here or where you’re going… it’s okay.
But when you feel like the moment is right… ground down… plant your feet… release all that is not serving you.

Allow all that has shaken you to dissolve… and find the steadiness you deserve.

So… shaken or grounded❓ You choose… 👈🏻

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A Work in Progress

Hi! It’s Suzanne from Run Before You Fly. I wanted to thank all new subscribers for signing up for my list!

I hope to deliver inspiration, hope and a place to recharge in body, mind and spirit.

Please be patient with us as we fine-tune everything on the website. Over the next few days, I’ll be settling into my new home online. There will be short-term to-do lists to tackle, and long-term goals for serving my community in the best way that I can.

We’re working on setting things up so that I can stay in touch with you, and offer support and encouragement.

Are you on my email list?

I may ask you to re-susbscribe as we configure the technology to manage an email list properly.

I hope you don’t mind, everything here will be much like life… a work in progress, with small victories, occasional setbacks, and celebratory stop points along the way. 🙂

It’s my long-term vision to write and publish a book to share with you. Perhaps a collection of running stories, personal essays, precious glimpses into my world and life.

Some snippets, snapshots and messages of hope, faith and courage… with an emphasis on how perspective, positivity, purpose and perseverance make all the difference.

The Run Before You Fly Blog simmered on the back burner of my cluttered and sometimes chaotic mind for some time. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, took shape quite suddenly. I’m thrilled to have you on board for my writing journey!  

A Question for You:

I’d like to ask you, what are your hopes for following along with me? As a runner, a person who had to look my own demons dead in the eye before overcoming addiction and finally taking steps toward becoming my healthiest self, I know that I’m not alone. 

What was it that brought you here, and how can I offer you support?

Now is a great time for us to set intentions with the birth of this new blog — a new space to share, learn, and grow together. Feel free to write in via the contact page on this blog.

Ask Suzanne! Advice Column for Everyone.

I may offer an anonymous advice column. Please do write in at those times when you’re feeling like you need some guidance. As always, your privacy is respected and protected. 

I’ve posted a special welcome and launch announcement in case you missed it 🙂

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey!

Suzanne at Run Before You Fly

PS: If you know someone who can use encouragement around setting health and life goals, share this blog with them. 

Tell a friend about Run Before You Fly!

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It’s Finally Here 💛💛💛

It began as a tiny piece of ripped notebook paper and a pen. My vision of finding the perfect name, finding a home for all the jumbled words of my head and heart to live is finally here.

Welcome to My Blog: Run Before You Fly

This website is dedicated to all those who hurt, who dream, who wish to come alive, who are searching for their purpose. It’s a place to visit for comfort, to seek hope, and know that my words for you are not just to fill empty space on a blank page.

These words were, are, and will continue to be written through every door I have walked out of in my past, walked through during the height of my healing and transformation, and for those places I have yet to visit in arriving fully to myself and fulfilling even my wildest dreams.

To everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and who has waited patiently for this place where my words can settle… a thank you doesn’t seem to cover my deepest appreciation for you. And a special thank you to Dina Gio who was a tremendous gift in making this possible.

May my purpose be to continue to inspire others. May my transparency reveal what is possible, and may you know that no matter what life gives you, or takes from you… you are capable, and so much stronger than you think.

In life, we all must “Run Before We Fly.”

To reach the elevation of our truest being, we must set out and just start… just begin… one step at time.

May we all soar… today, tomorrow, and forever.


#moretocomein2022 #runbeforeyoufly #withapensheflies

Stay in Touch with Suzanne

Thank you for supporting my writing endeavor at RunBeforeyouFly.com. I’m Suzanne Swanson and I’d love for us to keep in touch!

Receive updates via email when you sign up here.

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Runner’s Mantra

When we stay in tune with our inner being, we recharge our power. Yoga and meditation are important for me as a runner to seek gratitude in my capabilities.

As a human being, these practices allow me to reset my focus. They set me back into the present moment and sketch a blueprint for my well-being and success.

I can easily get sucked back into conflicting thoughts. I can easily get drawn into a vortex of shit that promises success and elation but only delivers despair and destruction.

Today, seek what is good. Demand nothing but that which will fill you with happiness and promise.

Leave toxic crap where it belongs… and rise above the people and things you set you back. This leg of my journey always brings challenge… but this woman will always bring grit, and self-will.

Rise up today from wherever you are. Re-set. Re center. Re-focus, and then hold yourself.

Tell yourself you’re listening… you are trying… and that you are loved.

Join our safe space where we will share, inspire, love, and grow!

Run Before You Fly Private Facebook Group with Suzanne Swanson is open to all who wish to continue to share their experiences, love of running, and battles of life, with each other. Together we are better.