Human existence is often defined with how we cope, how we mend and build our lives. Todd Forkin of Starkweather has had his battles over the years, most notably dealing with being diagnosed as bipolar. But after a long stretch of personal failures -- marked in self destruction and ending with divorce from his wife -- the tech guitarist has found his solace in running, which took him to the line of the Philadelphia Half Marathon last November.

"That's the only race I've ever run, and it was significant for me because it finally allowed me to make peace with some of my Philadelphia demons," Forkin told Noisecreep, letting his man-behind-the-music side show with blaring honesty. "It was a huge accomplishment and one of the few things that I've ever seen through until the end."

He holds nothing back in saying that running might be what has saved his life, helping him gain peace and separate himself from past decisions. "I learned about halfway through my training that everything I do in my life doesn't have to be punishment for my past," he says. "I learned that there's something very meditative and healing about running through the woods, about pushing my mind and body to the breaking point and about learning that maybe I'm not the monster I thought I was. I'm training now for [a 50 kilometer] ultra marathon next March in Maryland. It should be pretty grueling for an old bastard like me."

Forkin is giving fans, and else anyone interested, a look into his life though his blog, Running With Diablo, detailing how the exercise has helped him stay sober and focused. Last month he celebrated his ninth year absent to demise. "Being born took no effort on my part. Reaching this anniversary did."

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