Running and Writing: A Powerful Combo
This morning I made a comment on one of my favorite running blogs, iRuniBreathe. She wrote a great post on satisfaction that addresses what motivates us to run and write. Check it out for a great read.
Why do I run?
I run because it feels like freedom. It’s the one thing I can do where I can let my mind run free and my body just has to follow. Or I can focus on my pace, or my breathing, or the trail, and let my mind rest in that simplicity. Running feels like I’m letting my body do what it’s supposed to do.
Writing is much harder work. How much do I want to open myself up to scrutiny? How far down do I let the walls go? How much of my true heart do I show to the world? Running is much easier. It’s all me out there, open and without walls, doing what comes naturally.
It took me many years before I became a runner, but that’s not absolutely true. I spent every moment I could outside when I was a kid, and was always riding my bike, playing chase, or pretending to be in the Olympics. I ran all the time, and it came naturally.
But it took me more than twenty years to know I was a runner.
Writing started out as a way to tell stories, then became my salvation through a troubled childhood. Writing was always easier than talking out loud. My journal was the friend I couldn’t talk to, the one who would understand whatever I needed to say. Through the years, writing has led me to myself.
Running is the same. On a good run, there’s no agenda, no judgment. I don’t have to worry about how much or how little I show to the world. I’m just a runner. I run.
I try to give my best effort when I step onto the pavement or the trail, and every day’s best effort is different. Some days I’m kind to myself, some days I’m deeply frustrated. None of it matters.
There’s always another day, another mile, another run.
RUN NATURE 
I agree….running and writing make a fantastic combo! 🙂
And they are very similar in the satisfaction they bring.