What if the purpose of running for me is to get ideas, rather than to get healthy? I love (sometimes hate) to run. I have run several (several hundred) races, and have run at least two to three days each week for the last twenty years. Running was my go to for feeling fit, until I discovered Crossfit over two years ago. Now, running is more my mental go to. My very best ideas and clearest thinking come while running outside. I started this blog after a run just a few weeks ago.
Sometimes, like running, I actually thought I hated writing. I have always loved reading, but organizing thoughts into coherent sentences has never been my favorite. Although, I have always felt healthier when keeping a gratitude journal, jotting down thoughts after listening to an inspiring podcast, or while reading a great nonfiction. I love to narrow things down to biggest takeaways, or aha moments.
I went to a training for teachers a couple of years ago called Thinking Strategies, where I truly learned how similar reading and writing are. It’s truly a conversation between author and reader. This takes the pressure and judgement out of writing for me. If I think of writing as just talking, even if to no one, it really makes it easier. It also feels a bit like housekeeping for my soul. I can clear out the dirt in my mind and make room for the beautiful things.
I just finished reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and I’m still feeling the endorphins from her wonderful writing style and life changing ideas. She talks about writing and ideas as inner decorations called “intracranial decorations.” I love the thought of beautifying the inside of my mind. I want to take a walk around my soul and love what I see. In the same way, some of us choose running as a way to beautify our outer appearances. I hope my writing will enhance my insides. I definitely focus a little too much on my “outsides.”
It turns out running and writing are very natural partners for me. I think a lot while I run, and also seem to be very open to ideas. Running has become such a necessary part of my life, and I believe writing is next. It is something I constantly think about. I’m still not sure what to write about that could be interesting to others, but I guess its OK to do it just for me, for now. I have a goal to write 500 words every day, and so far am writing about 500 per week. I remember when I first started running. A mile or two every other day was all I could handle. I know I can continue to build upon what I have started. Ideas are everywhere. I look for inspiration in books, music, podcasts, on snowy mountain mornings, and while running.