Smile, or You're Doing it Wrong

A Journey from Rock Bottom to Redemption

By: Andy Glaze

Narrated by: Andy Glaze

Ultrarunner Andy Glaze has spent years moving through landscapes that test the limits of the human body—hundred-mile races, multi-day marathons, mountains and deserts that demanded everything. But the toughest endurance challenge Andy faced wasn’t found in any of those miles, it was in rebuilding a life shattered by addiction, institutional abuse, and a childhood full of chaos. This is the unfiltered story of how a kid fell hard but got back up even harder.

From a wilderness rehab program where kids hiked for days without food, to a “therapeutic” boarding school run by predators, Glaze survived places that were meant to break people. But this isn’t just a story about the wreckage. It’s about what comes after.

Firefighting. Fatherhood. Finding peace on trails where every step hurts like hell but heals something deeper. Because the difference between a life ruled by fear and a life guided by possibility comes down to one simple act: taking the first step.

This memoir is about endurance in its rawest form: the endurance to keep moving forward even when it feels impossible, to rebuild a life one step at a time, and to discover that sometimes the only way through the darkness is to keep going—and smile, or you’re doing it wrong.

©2025 Andrew Glaze (P)2025 Andrew Glaze

Outstanding story and life advice

It’s not the miles or kilometers, it’s who you are today and what you will become tomorrow. Life has its ups and downs, but as Andy has shown us all, it doesn’t always get worse. You just have to start and keep showing up. Who you were yesterday is not who you ever have to be again. I laughed. I cried and in the end, I was truly inspired.

Been looking so forward to this- and it did not disappoint!

Absolutely loved hearing more of Andy’s story! A normal dude doing extraordinary things! If you gain nothing from this book- you are doing it wrong. Thanks Andy!

Thank you Andy

This was such an incredible experienc. Andy is so inspirationa-He was vulnerable honest and true thank you Andy for sharing your journey. You’re an inspiration to us all.

There’s power in a smile

Before you get started grab your tissues. I find it hard to rate someone’s life story but Andy did amazing with this. I cried all the tears. The sad tears as he went through the lows and the happy tears as he celebrated wins. This book is about far more than running. It’s about resiliency and navigating the things that life throws your way.
A very condensed list of my favorite quotes:
Pain is inevitable - suffering is optional
Never make a decision on an uphill
There’s uniquely humbling about being a beginner again after master something else.
You’re here to learn, not to watch.
You aren’t too old, you’re just getting started
And of course:
There’s power in a smile

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Andy! Your story telling was captivating.

Melodramatic but an easy listen

An easy listen for the most part, but also exhausting at times.

I was expecting a very positive and optimistic book on running. But, holy cow, was Andy different than his social media persona. He’s very melodramatic about his struggles and feelings. Everyone has struggles, but honestly his sounded pretty chill. He battled drug addiction, but also had rich parents that sent him to a boarding school at a castle or something to get rehab. I know it’s his book, but goodness gracious is the main character syndrome is outta control. Some interesting stories, but wayyyyy too dramatic. It’s jogging man! Working out is awesome; not some battle for purpose or whatever he describes. At the end of the book, he reads the “Man in the Arena” poem or whatever it is by Teddy Roosevelt. Hey… If you think that poem describes your fitness…. you’re being a dork! Like a few other jogging influencer guys, he devotes a chapter to social media trolls. Way too old to get your panties in a knot about the internet.

I’m not trying to be too negative, but the melodrama was not what I expected. Especially given the title of the book. I would have preferred that he write about firefighting or his workouts more. Not about how he cried while running LMAO. No stories about crying allowed unless it’s funny.