AT H L E T E W I T H I M PAC T
For the Love of Running
Filsan Abdiaman creates safe spaces for moving your body BY DANYAEL HALPRIN ALIA YOUSSEF Danyael Halprin is a writer-editor in Calgary, AB who pens lifestyle features for a number of magazines. DANYAEL
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ancouver’s Filsan Abdiaman came to running eight years ago as a means of denial and distraction from her eating disorder, which she was using to deal with difficult emotions. She was literally running away from her problems. “Exercise and running are helpful tools to cope with mental health issues,” says Abdiaman, 34, “but what happens if you get injured and you can’t run anymore or the gym is closed, like it was during the pandemic, and you can’t exercise?
80 I Inspiration Issue I IMPACT MAGAZINE
“It’s important to find more than the movement piece to deal with your mental health.” Suffice to say that bingeing and purging while increasing her kilometres for ultra trail races ultimately took its toll on Abdiaman’s body. She lost her period for two years, she was experiencing erratic mood swings, and it was affecting her endurance performance. She only confided in her older sister, too ashamed to tell the rest of her family about her bulimia.
