OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE: Stevenson says family is his muse

Apr. 6—Michael Stevenson takes on challenges head-on.

"We can look at them and dread them and worry about them, or we can just start," he said. "Good things happen when we start those kinds of things. Don't put them off, don't find ways to get sidetracked or become unmotivated. Sometimes I don't have a perfect plan, but I just start."

He said he draws some of his inspiration from his family.

"My mom was public school teacher for mentally handicapped, very good at that," he said. "My father was a pilot and small business owner. My father-in-law is one of the best people I've ever met, a good story-teller, World War II veteran, still kicking. My wife has inspired me to do way better than I can do for myself."

Stevenson said he participated in sports throughout high school and college. He played in church basketball leagues and pick-up basketball after college until he injured his knee and back in the mid-2000s. Undaunted, he started walking, then running, then building himself up to be a distance runner.

"In the beginning, you feel short of breath, anxious or distracted," he said. "Ten minutes into the run, your breathing settles in, your mind settles in and you just have this feeling of OK. A lot of times I listen to something inspiring. Other times you notice things you wouldn't notice driving. What you thought was going to be a 25-minute run ends up being an hour and 15 minutes."

He said he likes to start each day engaging in a challenging exercise. He said it puts a better perspective on the day.

Stevenson's latest challenge has been going to a yoga class every other Monday during lunch.

"I'm not a yoga person, but now I've been doing it for about a year," he said.

It has paid off.

"I'm more flexible, my hips, my hamstrings," he said. "I can perform most of the positions at a moderate level, whether it's strength or stretching. It makes you feel pretty good. There's something for you physically and mentally as well."

Setbacks forced Stevenson to changeMichael Stevenson worked to overcome setbacks when injuries interrupted his involvement in sports.

"Then I had some knee injuries and I got to where I was inactive physically," he said. "I became overweight. In the mid-2000s, I had to have a back surgery. I literally felt like I was crippled, this was not a life I wanted."

He said he made it a mission to change.

"I started walking," he said. "I finally thought 'I'll run to the end of the road, run around the block, before you know it, I was doing 5-Ks."

He said it took about a year before he could do 5-kilometer races and push himself in distance running. After another year, he pushed himself to do longer races.

Stevenson now can be seen running through his neighborhood and along Harris Road each evening.

Classmate pushes Stevenson to extend himselfStevenson recalled his doubts when his old classmate, Jack Weaver, suggested they do a 40-mile run on their 40th anniversary of their high school graduation last year.

"He said it in January and he said 'let's plan to this in May,'" Stevenson said. "I had run 15 miles or something, I hadn't done 40 miles. So we took the time and started really preparing so that when we got there I wouldn't be embarrassed by him. He had run 20 marathons. That pushed me to a different stage."

Stevenson said he and Weaver started at the Muskogee High and "ran all around town."

The memories came back.

"Seeing all those things we saw back in the days," Stevenson said. "Some of those memories extended back to the 1970s. Remembering all the things and sharing all of those. We ran to the old Sallie ballpark, We went out to Hatbox. Down to the park, many days as a youth where we went to Honor Heights Park and fished."

He said the run also helped him realize he was an endurance athlete.

"I have the endurance mentality," he said.

Getting day started on right footStevenson likes to start the day with something hard, to put a better perspective on the rest of the day.

"Whatever challenges I face today, I've already done the hardest, so nothing's going to stop me," he said.

Lately he's been doing hundreds of burpees, a full-body exercise involving a squat, a pushup and a jump into the air.

"It's strength, but it's also endurance. It can be very taxing," he said. "I started in December, looking at blogs and podcasts, about people doing things and saw people doing 100 burpees a day. I did 15 and I was sucking wind so bad, breathing so hard."

So, he started doing 100 burpees each day in January, 200 each day in February and 300 each day in March.

"We're in April, so what does that mean," he said. "I don't know how long I can keep it up, but I know I did over 10,000 burpees in March."

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE AN OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE?

"I was raised here. My dad is second or third generation here. My mom went to Northeastern got a teaching degree, she was from Wilburton, so Muskogee was the place where they got married."

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT MUSKOGEE?

"You have convenience of a bigger place and the nice things of a small place, without the hassles of a bigger place. Love Honor Heights Park, lakes all around, all the activities kids are able to do."

WHAT WOULD MAKE MUSKOGEE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE?

"Seems like after we recovered from COVID, we got a lot of new construction going on. You can see growth. I recognize schools need, part of our being held back is our school system. There are professionals who work in this town, but won't work here. It would be nice if out of town or out of state people feel more comfortable living here. We can do better in sharing our uniqueness. People driving through town should see more positives here."

WHAT PERSON IN MUSKOGEE DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?

" Dr. Weaver has done all these motivational things. As a youth, was the coach of the Muskogee Browns, Pepsi Baseball, Mose Harlin. He was a great inspiration to everyone he coached in this town. I was one of the lucky ones to play on his teams. He would drive us around in his Pepsi truck, pick us up, take us to practice, drive us home. He just uplifted us all."

WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN MUSKOGEE?

"Seeing all of our kids in their activities, growing up football, basketball, baseball softball, cheer, dance golf bowling, choir, we had some of them doing all those things. and it was really satisfying watching them grow, watching them overcome obstacles. Sitting in the stands at Indian Bowl, watching my son play where I played. Watching my daughter compete in state championship golf tournament. Watching our youngest swim at state four years in a row."

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

"Running, family activities. I try to run every day. I try do a physical activity every day. Every day I want to y to do something very difficult in the morning, before I do anything else."

HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP MUSKOGEE IN 25 WORDS OR LESS?

"Affordable place, beautiful hidden gem in Green Country."