The Running/Writing Parallel

I have often thought that there are a number of similarities between distance running and academic writing. These similarities might apply to other kinds of writing too, but I have less experience with them. So instead I will focus on how training for a marathon is similar to writing a dissertation or a monograph (at least in my opinion).

Both require a solid foundation. In terms of running, I wouldn’t go out and try to run 15 miles without being able to able to run 2. I spent a number of months just building up my base of mileage and learning how to start becoming a runner before I ever signed up for a race that was longer than a 5K. I also wouldn’t try to start writing a book until I had thoroughly researched the topic. I would need to read all of the secondary material related to the topic, mine footnotes, take trips to archives, read documents there, take notes, begin to sketch down ideas for how an argument would be developed and supported over a series of chapters, read some more, and write up outlines. 

 Running a half-marathon or a full-marathon is easier for most of us when we have a training schedule, especially for our first outings. Later we might feel comfortable with just winging it and still toeing the line to run a distance event, but initially we need the wisdom of those who have gone before to tell us when to run 6 miles and when to run 20 during our training cycle.  Finding a plan that works for each one of us individually can be challenging, but after some trial and error and asking around and some more trial and error we usually find a plan that’s a good fit. I, for one, also need a plan that is workable with my schedules and allows me to succeed as a runner. An aggressive plan that required five or six days of running a week would not have worked for me when I was training for my first marathon – such a plan probably wouldn’t work for me now, because during the school year I need some extra bodily rest and the time for my writing plan. I know that I write best in the morning, so it’s important for me to try to carve out a couple of hours to write during the early morning hours a couple of days a week. Sometimes to meet a deadline I will have to write in the afternoon or evening, but if I plan to structure my schedule to allow me 2 mornings of writing a week I am bound to be more successful. During the school year this is much more challenging obviously than it is in the summer. The blocks of time are only part of the writing plan, though. Having at least a basic outline and setting concrete goals, such as writing 3 pages (kind of like planning to run 6 miles instead of running for one hour) or finishing the introductory section to Chapter 2 tend to work better for me.

Breaking training and racing distances and writing projects up into more manageable chunks was something that really helped me during past marathon training cycles and when I was writing my dissertation. Concentrating on getting from one mile marker to the next or getting into the mindset that at mile 20 there is only a 10K left and I’ve run 6 miles lots of times has helped me to stay optimistic and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Knowing that writing happens one sentence and one page at a time is also helpful. When starting to write a multi-chaptered project that’s hundreds of pages long, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. I found that by concentrating on one chapter at a time and one section of a chapter at a time, it was easier to stay focused and to feel like I was making progress. When you’ve written 5 pages of a 30 page chapter, it feels much more substantial to think of it that way than if you conceptualize it as 5 pages of a 300 page book.

Life will interrupt the best-laid plans.  I have missed training runs because of illness and work responsibilities here and there.  I have missed scheduled writing sessions because I wasn’t done with class prep for a session that day or the next or because I overslept.  These things happen.  Missed miles and missed chances to write are just that: missed.  Unless you are Hermoine Granger in your third year of studies at Hogwarts, you aren’t gonna turn back time. But there will be plenty more miles to run and more opportunities to write. 

There are days when writing flows easily and I can be fully immersed in it, cranking out multiple pages of prose, for hours. There are days when the miles just seem to fly by. Sadly, not every run is a good one and not every time I sit down to write do I produce pages effortlessly. There are times when running is miserable because I’m not in the zone – maybe I have a headache or it’s really humid out or my legs are tired. There are times when writing is painful. I try not to bag training or writing sessions, though every now and then I will cut one short. Just getting in the habit of hitting the pavement getting out a paragraph or two on the keyboard when I had set out to is good for building emotional and mental endurance and momentum. 

I think it’s crucial to stay optimistic and to realize that while there are times that I will just want to quit that crossing the finish line is worth it. Using mental strategies to counter negativity or a system of rewards for goals accomplished have often helped me both in terms of training for races and writing chapters. When I completed my first marathon, I felt like there was nothing that I couldn’t do (of course, I needed a week to be able to do that thing if it required stairs!). I try to recall that feeling when I’m struggling in the last couple of miles of a training run. Running has made me tougher for writing and vice versa. Once I finished drafting the first chapter of my dissertation, I knew that I would finish it, just as I knew I could finish a marathon after I did my first 17 mile training run. There would be lots of work ahead as well as challenging moments, but I got there.  Just like I will eventually with my new writing projects and running goals.

Are you a writer? Do you think there are similarities between running and writing (or completing other types of big projects)?