The Healing HundredThe Healing Hundred
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson talks with ultra runner and sober athlete Chris Norris about recovering from back surgery and completing the Honshu Healing 100, a 100-mile run across Japan created to honour David Clark and support recovery. Their conversation links endurance sport, mindfulness and community with long-term sobriety.
1:02:42•21 Dec 2020
The Honshu Healing 100: Sobriety, Back Surgery and a 100-Mile Comeback
Episode Overview
- Physical challenges like running can offer structure, purpose and time-filling habits that support long-term sobriety.
- Major setbacks, such as serious injury and surgery, don’t have to end an athletic or recovery journey if approached with patience and clear limits.
- Treating pain and difficult emotions as something that "belongs here" can reduce panic and help you ride out cravings or discomfort.
- Community, including partners, friends and fellow athletes, plays a key role in holding people accountable and preventing burnout.
- Big goals do not need fanfare or medals; creating your own start and finish line can still bring powerful change and confidence.
“I always want these things to be about, look what he did, and if he can do it, I could do something too.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of grit, relapse-proof mindsets, and some seriously sore feet. This conversation brings together Coach Blu Robinson and returning guest Chris Norris, an ultra runner and person in long-term recovery from alcohol use disorder.
Chris talks through how a bulging disc, major back surgery, and the fear of never running again became the unlikely springboard for running 100 miles across Japan, the "Honshu Healing 100", in honour of their late friend and coach, David Clark, and to raise money for Addict II Athlete. You’ll hear how Chris first turned to running while stationed on a remote navy island where his options were "fish and drink"—so he bought running shoes instead.
Long-distance running became a way to "bolster up" his sobriety and fill the time that used to belong to alcohol. The heart of the chat centres on mindset. Chris explains how he approached recovery and ultra running the same way: small steps, clear limits, and pacing himself so he didn’t burn out.
When pain hit hard around mile 35, he reminded himself that "the pain belongs here" and used a mindfulness tool (RAIN: recognise, allow, investigate, nurture) to sit with the discomfort instead of trying to escape it. There’s also a candid look at the impact on family. Chris shares how his wife both supported him and sometimes refused to back risky training runs, acting as the "regulator" he couldn’t always be for himself.
For anyone in recovery, thinking about getting active, or just needing proof that change is possible one step at a time, this story offers a raw mix of humour, honesty, and practical ideas. What could your own version of a "Honshu Healing 100" look like?
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