I ran a marathon in my neighborhood on Saturday, May 9th.
My 35th birthday is coming soon, and I had already run four marathons, so “5 Before 35” seemed like a worthy goal. Somehow, although my training runs had been terrible, pace-wise, I ran my fastest 26.2 miles ever (3:53:12!!!), helped throughout by Imagine Dragons and The Critshow. (Thanks, friends.)
I celebrated with a burger, fries, and ice cream from my newly-opened favorite local joint, Del’s Roadside. I happen to know that the gentleman who makes their ice cream is incredibly good-looking, kind, talented, thoughtful, and intelligent.
(I also happen to be married to him.)
For the rest of that day, and throughout the following week, I was struck by the similarity of feeling between finishing a marathon and finishing the first draft of a book. I finished the first draft of my fifth novel last July (it’s been a year of “five”s), and upon both occasions, I floated on a calm sea of elated relief for days. Cleaning, cooking, editing, walking the dog – I’d be struck with the happy memory of completing this monumental task (and the fact that I didn’t have to do it again).
’Tis the gift that keeps on giving, friends.
I was also struck by the similar character traits necessary for both writing and long-distance running. To wit:
I’ve already pondered the like nature of these two activities, but this time, perseverance stood out even more. One knows that perseverance is necessary in athletic endeavors, but I haven’t seen it emphasized as regularly in writing. “Inspiration” seems to get the star treatment in discussions of craft, and it is very important; but inspiration isn’t going to get you from mile 23 to mile 24 when you know you still have two (point two!) miles to go after that.
You just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other – one word after another.
No one can do it for you.
You can’t just stop and say “it’s finished” when you don’t feel like going on.
The finish line isn’t going to to come to meet you.
Stride by stride. Sentence by sentence.
And here’s the thing: I finally realized that these two activities don’t just require a similar trait; they help inform that trait in each other.
Long-distance running has built up my “perseverance” muscles.
So, when I’m sitting in the chair, staring at an empty page while words arrange and rearrange themselves in my head, I’m better able to stick it out. I know it’s hard – but I also know it isn’t endless. Stride by stride, sentence by sentence, I WILL reach the finish line. What’s more, I know just how delicious that feeling is.
Ice cream is a great motivator.
Now, I know this analogy isn’t perfect. When you finish running a marathon, that’s it. You’re done.
You don’t have to go back and run certain parts of that marathon over and over again to get it right.
You don’t have to get other people to watch you run the marathon and tell you how you could do better.
You don’t have to send a video of you running the marathon to a bunch of people, asking them to pay you to run the marathon (or, rather, asking them to represent you and take the video to a bunch of OTHER people who might pay you to run the marathon).
But the perseverance bit holds true.
Stick with it, writer friends. Don’t despair if the inspiration vanishes and writing feels like a slog through mud. The finish line may not be visible, but it’s there. You’ll make it.
Stride by stride.
Sentence by sentence.
The ice cream bit also holds true. When you finish a monumental task – be it marathon, book, or anything in between – take a lesson from Tom Haverford & Donna Meagle:
“Treat Yo’self.”
Now I’m off to send another query regarding that novel I finished last July. The “trying to get an agent and get published” goal is another marathon, but I’m well-trained.
Query by query.
Stride by stride.
A wonderful analogy. Life in general is the same, day by day by day. And don’t forget the ice cream every once in a while!
What a marvelous connection! You are an encouragement with every word!! Thank you.
Well said!