Andrew Glaze has been running more than 100 miles a week, every week, for more than four straight years.
He often wakes up before everyone else and runs loops around his fire station, carrying a radio in case his crew gets a call. Some mornings, he gets 20 miles in. Then, he runs a second set of miles at night, which he affectionately calls dinner miles.
Glaze, the president of La Verne, CA Local 3624, is an ultra-marathon runner who concentrates on races longer than 26.2 miles. He runs these races – often 100 and 250 miles long – because he loves the challenge. But the miles also have a bigger purpose.
“After about 50-75 miles, I am deep in the pain cave. My ankles, legs, and pretty much everything else hurts. That’s when my mind shuts off and the PTSD symptoms subside,” Glaze said. “I am just in survival mode: eating, drinking, and moving forward. I’m not thinking about that bad call or any other triggers.”
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It also can develop after continuous exposure to stressful situations or cumulative stress.
Symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, avoidance of reminders, and negative changes in emotions and behaviors.
La Verne, CA Local 3624 President Andrew Glaze runs 100 miles a week, every week, to combat PTSD – and he’s inviting you to join him.
“Exercise, in general, can be a critical piece of the behavioral health recovery process,” said Dr. Abby Morris, a psychiatrist at the IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery. “When you exercise, you increase blood circulation to your brain and influence your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which controls your body’s reaction to stress. Not only that, but it also improves your mood by releasing dopamine and serotonin.”
In short, research has proven that exercise reduces stress, lessens anxiety and depression, and boosts confidence.
Glaze believes his symptoms result from repeated exposure to trauma.
“Sometimes I feel depressed, have low energy, and it feels like I have a lot of noise in my head. Nightmares and difficulty sleeping can also go along with that,” he said. “Other times, I wake up feeling like I’m there in that triggering incident.”
The connection between PTSD and traumatizing rescue work is clear.
A study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology reveals that approximately 20 percent of fire fighters and emergency medical workers meet criteria for PTSD at some point during their careers. This compares with a 6.8 percent lifetime risk for the general population.
For Glaze, now 46, running has been medicine through movement.
He started running at 24 when he was still an IT professional to help cope with anxiety and depression.
“I was not healthy at all back then. I smoked cigarettes, drank too much alcohol, and was out of shape,” he said. “It was hard at first, but that didn’t last long. Pretty soon, I was hooked.”
He liked how he felt, so he quit everything bringing negativity to his life, including cigarettes.
Of course, Glaze didn’t start running ultra-marathons right away. He started with smaller races and worked up to a 24-hour Tough Mudder, an obstacle and endurance race designed to test agility and stamina.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m gonna be running really far in 24 hours, so I better train for that,’” he said. “And so, the way I trained for it was running a couple of 50Ks, which is 31 miles, and that’s sort of like the rabbit hole of getting into ultras.”
Races: A Life Metaphor
Glaze said races help him to deal with big things like PTSD, as well as smaller stresses in life.
“When you hit a tough spot in a race, like tough terrain, or you didn’t eat or hydrate enough, you find a way to push through it. You remember that you can run, you can race, and you’re healthy,” Glaze said. “Take the negatives and turn them into a positive. So, in life, if you’re going through something difficult, you know because of these races that you can do hard things and that you will get through it.”
The California fire fighter said he has run many difficult races, but the most challenging was on Mount Fuji in Japan. There was a monsoon and mudslide during the race.
Take the negatives and turn them into a positive. So, in life, if you’re going through something difficult, you know because of these races that you can do hard things and that you will get through it.
president of La Verne, CA Local 3624 Andrew Glaze
“There were moments I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive,” he said. “But after seven hours, I was able to extricate myself. It was so traumatic that I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to run again, but here I am.”
Maybe his personal mantra helps: Smile or you’re doing it wrong.
The phrase originated when Glaze was running a difficult trail near his home. It is hard for runners not to get caught up in its difficulty, but one day, Glaze found himself slowing down to look around.
The scenery was beautiful. “I just thought, ‘If you’re not smiling when you’re doing this, then you’re doing it wrong,’ It just stuck,” he said.
Paying it Forward
Glaze said he changed careers in his 30s to become a fire fighter because he wanted to help people. He started in San Bernadino and transferred to the La Verne Fire Department in Los Angeles County.
“Brother Glaze has impressed me for years as I have watched him move through the ranks of the fire department and Local 3624,” General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma said. “He has inspired me and countless others to become active in behavioral health, following his lead by taking on setbacks, whether it be physically from long runs or mentally by getting into an ice bath. Brother Glaze has given a path for some of our members who carry high levels of stress as a coping mechanism. He has become a model for fire fighter wellness and fitness.”
The desire to help also pushed Glaze to start his Instagram account, which has 160,000 followers, and to participate in podcasts. For runners, he knows that not everyone is going to run ultras, but he hopes his content will inspire his followers to do more each day.
He has inspired me and countless others to become active in behavioral health, following his lead by taking on setbacks, whether it be physically from long runs or mentally by getting into an ice bath. Brother Glaze has given a path for some of our members who carry high levels of stress as a coping mechanism. He has become a model for fire fighter wellness and fitness.
IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma
“He’s always reminding us to get out of those blue chairs, and he’s right,” Yonkers, NY Local 628 member Kevin Duffy said. “My first three years on the job, I didn’t take care of myself, and I felt awful. I try to run a little more every week. I ran 88 miles in March, which was more than double the amount I ran the month before, thanks to his inspiration.”
Glaze is more careful when he speaks about mental health. He makes it clear that he’s not an expert and that he’s just relaying his own experiences.
“I speak openly about my struggles with PTSD because I want anyone who is following my Instagram or listening to a podcast to know that they are not alone,” Glaze said. “I’m not an expert. I’m not a therapist. But it is very important for fire fighters and others not to suffer in silence. Tell the people they know, their families, their coworkers, and their friends. Seek those coping mechanisms and resources that work, whether it’s running like me or therapy.”
Sharing his story is something that many have found relatable and almost therapeutic.
“His story is relatable to many of us. I lost my first wife to addiction, and I too turned to running to cope with the mental health crisis that followed,” South-Metro Fire District Local 2086 member David Freyta said. “I don’t run as far as he does, but he inspires me to get out there and do something every day. I know I’ll feel better when I’m done.”
