Running · 4:44am Jun 15th, 2014
I know this has absolutely nothing to do with writing, but maybe I can find a way to tie it into writing. I'm running in a half marathon tomorrow, as I tend to do once per year. It's a pretty fun thing to do, even if I only went on two runs since the snow melted... In any case, even though it looks like it might be pouring rain on me, I'm sure I'll have a good time.
I find that running is a great exercise that helped me face my writing and follow through with it, honestly. To have something that I can just pour all my physical energy into, to enter a trance that helps me appreciate what it means to be alive in the moment, with every sight, every breath, every burning muscle, and every step, as I pull myself closer to that goal. I really think that running mimics writing in more than a few ways. Not to mention that after running my mind always feels entirely relaxed.
Now, I've talked with some of my buddies, whom I run with, about running, and they don't share that same sense of wonder in the mundane action that I do. They just laugh in a good-natured sort of way and call me a masochist. They say the reasons that they run are more akin to an obligation to stay fit (which in turn helps them enjoy their life much more fully), and the social aspect of running with another friend. And this is of course is a totally fine and wonderful way to approach running. I also truly do appreciate their company while running. Suffering together makes it all worth the while, right?
It remains to be said though, that even when running alone, I appreciate every step I take, much in the same way that I appreciate every sentence I manage to write in my stories. I enjoy the struggle to find the right words, overcoming the burning ache of pushing my body; I enjoy exploring what words appear upon the blank page, taking in the different scenes I pass by when running down the city's roads; I love finishing off a story and looking back on it with pride, collapsing after the run and drinking a small carton of chocolate milk with the memory held together between me and my friends.
There truly is much to love about both running and writing, for those who are able to find it. Not everyone will, and that's perfectly fine, as there are many different things to love in this world aside from either of these narrow subjects. For me, though, running has been very pivotal in my life, while I am nowhere near professional at it, I love it after a fashion.
Now, to get some sleep and wake up at some ungodly hour. Here's hoping I haven't degenerated that much from last year's time (if it has, then my personal pride would be demanding that I spend more time training for next year).
Thanks for reading,
~SilentBelle
This almost makes me ashamed of being lazy ... but I'm too lazy to really feel anything about it. Anyway, best of luck with the run.
Oh, definitely. Getting the blood pumping is actually great for creativity since a lot of that oxygen ends up in your brain, too.
...now, if only I could actually do it
Regardless, good luck with the marathon!
I tend to find myself in the same boat as you do it seems. Whenever I actually get out for a run, my mind wanders. Because it's such a physical strain without much focus required it's really easy to get to that point and it's a really nice state to be in. Sometime when I've been stuck with work, running have been the thing that solved the problem for me no matter how weird that sounds.
Keep at it, it's good for everyone.
The comparison is interesting. You enjoy running the same way you enjoy writing, for the pleasure it gives you on the moment.
Two aspects seem particularly interesting to me.
First aspect:
Is looking back on a story the same as looking back on a running/marathon/race? Some would argue that the story is a concrete object that last through time when running is something that only lives in memory. Other would argue that the pleasure given by the stories mostly remains in the memories of the writing, the moment it was finished and sometimes shared. Because writing a story and reading the same story actually aren't the same thing and do not provide the same pleasure. Even if reading a story can trigger the memory of the writing.
Second aspect:
This one is more conceptual, but the idea that doing something helps you focus on it, on the moment somewhat implies you forget, even for just a moment, about everything else, mainly your future and your environment. There is a thematic of fleeing that could be interpreted out of that idea.
Which seems coherent for running for the pleasure of running. Because you put aside the rest of the world to enjoy something in particular (the idea that entertainment is a way to run away from reality, depending on how we define the concept of "reality"). The concept might also work for purely entertainment stories, but would be paradoxical for stories with a moral, lesson or that make ana analogy to the real world.
Wouldn't it be better to have degenerated and have a goal to pursue, than to still be in top form and lack that potential goal?
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Probably not. Hope you had fun running
Have a good time, though it's likely to be a wet one.
I go running myself every night and I've thought about it's similarities to writing before -- although it sounds like you approach both running and writing from a different perspective to what I do. I hate running!! I take almost no joy in it whatsoever. I don't appreciate every step, I despise the struggle, and far from falling into a trance, I have to really, really concentrate to keep myself going and not stop. It's a huge slog for me.
And I find that ironically enough, my least favourite part of writing is the actual writing itself, which I also find exhausting and draining. I know people say that you should only do writing if you enjoy it, but I just... don't. I don't so much write as I do forcibly extract stories from my head and onto the page.
But I run and write for the same reason: at the end of it, I really enjoy the feeling of having been for a run, just as much as I enjoy having written something. When you can look back on your work afterwards and start editing it (and when you can finally walk home and watch utter rubbish on TV like a huge slob and somehow feel like you’ve earned it), suddenly, it all becomes worthwhile
Best of luck with your half marathon! I’m sure you’ll do fine
As always, my take on stuff is from a reader's perspective instead of a writer's—when I go running, I listen to fanfic updates with a speech-to-text app.
I worked up to being able to run a half myself recently, which I'm pretty proud of as I only really started running over the last Christmas break.
2208197 The idea of escapism either through running or writing/reading is entirely valid. And for the most part, I am of the opinion that running away from problems to gain a bit of time and distance from them is a great thing to do. I know many shows like to espouse that problems can only be solved by finally hunkering down and facing those problems. While it is often true that facing our problems directly is a great thing to do, I think that we all need a bit of escapism to distance ourselves from our own problems from time to time. Sometimes we focus on them a little too much, causing us to build up the problems to more than they really are. If nothing else, being able to move away from our problems for a little bit is likely to give us a chance at a second perspective on many of the goings on in our lives and perhaps reveal to us and answer that we could not see before.
Turns out I actually managed to finish faster than last year. This year I got 1h:51m:17s. While it's not my best, it ain't my worst run either. It was a lot of fun.
2208606
A very good point which gives the nuance I was searching on the subject
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Then the most important point was achieved
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