Running to Writing
Being able to relax isn't easy for me. I'm a type-A, go-go-go gal, so to find relief and an escape, I thought there was only one way I knew how: lacing up my bright yellow Nike running shoes and hitting the pavement. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a niece, a girlfriend, a granddaughter, a writer, a blogger, a baker, a cleaner, a sunbather, a list-maker, and lots more. But among all of those, my go-to place for peace and stress relief is running. I am a runner.
Whether it’s below freezing or so hot out that you sweat before you take your first step, something in the whole movement of lifting my legs and swinging my arms leaves the stressed, freaked out, angry, frustrated, or confused version of me behind. With each step, I get closer to coming back to reality and further from the person that loses control and tends to overreact. Running levels me out.
After watching the video on how John Herz found his calm and passion that turned into a full-time career, I wondered, could I run for a living? I mean running, whether just for fun or training for a race, brings immense joy (partially from all the endorphins). I love to run, yes, but to run always? I pondered it. How cool would it be to wake up in the morning and run? Then spend the rest of the day writing. Wait, writing?
In my lengthy list of how I define myself, it always comes back to my writing. Running may help keep me sane and relieve stress, but it’s writing that brings true relaxation and the biggest escape. When I write, I can free myself of all life’s tensions, struggles, but when I run there has to be an end, a destination, and literal hills to conquer.
Sometimes one passion or form of relaxation can lead you to rediscover an aspect of yourself that’s even more dominant. No matter how much tension builds up, running can release it, but if I truly want to escape, then I need to write, not run.
