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February 2022 athlete of the month is the fun-loving running enthusiast, Mike Floyd!

Mike is a long-time runner and has many half marathons under his belt. PeaceHealth Appletree last year was his 91st Half Marathon– the registration team gave him bib # 291 to commemorate the occasion!

To add more impressive and inspirational background to his running journey, Mike shares the following story.

“I started running every day when my mom passed away, and now I’m on a streak. It’s been over 700 days in a row!

I’ve found many benefits to running. The people, the scenery, improved health and fitness. I enjoy making new friends at the races I participate in. But even more than that, I get inspired when I run. It’s like my caffeine, my mediation and prayer time. I get tons of ideas when I run.

The best idea that I’ve had when running is from thinking about my mom and realizing that the voice of my conscience is my mom’s voice. One time when I was out running, I heard her say, “Choose joy.” There are a lot of opportunities to focus on negative things. Whenever I am tempted to, I listen to my mom’s voice, and I choose joy. Thanks, mom!”

When asked what advice he would give to runners training for a big run, Mike says, two things:

  • Buy a new pair of shoes
  • Sign a friend up to do it with you

He also encourages everyone out there:

“Keep running, it will take you places. It’s not like you’re running from something, you’re running TO something.”

Thank you for the inspiration, Mike!