Why Do I Write?

At a recent cocktail party, a friend’s boyfriend commented that he had seen my blog post that week.  (It always weirds me out a little when I find out that there are people who actually read my blog –isn’t that some sort of invasion of privacy?)  He also asked me an interesting question – What am I trying to do with my blog?  What’s the endgame?

Even though I may be a blogger (although I think I’m writing articles and not blog posts?), I’m not very tech-savvy or blog-literate.  People have asked if I am trying to put ads up on my blog, but I wouldn’t even know where to start to do something like that.  (I can’t even tell you how to “follow” me!)  And I’m not sure I really want advertisers or sponsors – Mostly because I don’t want my honestly compromised or have some company tell me to start hyping their product and stop calling Ryan Hall an asshole.

So, why exactly do I write?  At times (especially at fake “deadlines”), I have wondered the same thing.  So, I thought I’d try to get some inspiration and reasoning for all this time wasting by polling two of the best writers I know.

My question was simple – “Why do you write?”  But as you can imagine any kind of writer can’t sum up a decent answer to that question in less than a paragraph.

My friend Mary, who has a ridiculously beautiful food blog that makes me feel like my blog was created as a kindergarten craft project in comparison, generously served up the following response.

And why do I write??  Holy cow, that's a hard question.  I guess I like to write because I like to create things.  That's actually why I like to cook too.  You just take a bunch of ingredients (or words, as the case may be) and do your best to assemble them into something meaningful (or tasty).  Even when the recipe is a complete fail, or the paragraph you've written is so God-awful you’d rather light your laptop on fire than post it to your blog, the whole creation process is fulfilling.  Rewarding, even.  For me, writing is MUCH harder than cooking.  I trust my sense of taste much more than my writing skills, but that's what makes me like writing even more.  I love the challenge.

The identity of the other writer I interviewed may be reason enough why I have continuously posted an article, week-after-week, for over a year now.  Far more popular than I will ever be, my mother actually gets paid to write a weekly column for my hometown’s newspaper.  A former English teacher and a lifelong reader, her response didn’t surprise me.

I think people who write do so because they can't help themselves.  They have a message they feel compelled to convey to others.  To write well is hard work but these poor suckers sit in front of the keyboard struggling week after week to capture and express their thoughts.

Most writers are not in it for the money or the recognition, both of which are scarce, but for the sometimes tortuous process of reaching somebody, anybody, who might happen to pause and become a reader.

So why do I write?

Well, the boring answer is that I feel like it is good exercise for my mind.  Blogging is like my pretend job that allows me to stretch my creative brain muscles in ways that they are not often challenged during my ordinary workday. 

The easy answer is that I love (obsessed may be more accurate) running, and I enjoy sharing my passion with others.

But the real reason why I posted my first article 15 months ago is perhaps too complicated for me to even understand.  I got in to running on almost a fluke – I never had any intentions of running a  marathon (or even a half) before I decided to take the 2012 Thunder Road Marathon up on their BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deal by purchasing the full marathon registration instead of the half. (They were basically the same price.  Full Marathon = twice the distance, twice the Gatorade, and an energy bar as a bonus.  Anyone running just the half would be crazy.)  And I shocked myself with the progress my body was able to make in just a few months.  I like to say that training creates miracles, but I also believe that every person is capable of so much more than she believes.  Perhaps some people have no idea what their hidden talents could be (have you ever tried playing the violin??), but often times self-doubt, fear of failure, and general negativity keeps up from shooting for the stars. 

So, I guess if I am writing because I have a message (cause I still don’t know why the hell I’m doing this), it would be to Go For It, whatever it is.  Because, I believe human beings are capable of amazing things if we only try (and train).

This Week’s Mileage:  17

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Samuel Adams Rebel IPA

Surface Matters

Runners are obsessed with a lot of things – running (obviously), eating large quantities of carbs (usually accompanied by large quantities of beer), and GPS watches for examples.  But another obsession that, if not properly reigned in, can lead down a very dark, rocky road, is researching running injuries.  Too often after too many Google searches, a runner comes to the conclusion that she is either dying or worse – will never run again.  But a recent “finding” that I stumbled across while researching stress fracture recovery is as startling to me as it is scary.  Multiple articles are claiming (“despite popular belief”) that running surfaces don’t really matter.

Take this New York Times article for example – The quoted doctor explains that our bodies adapt to the running surface we choose so that the force of impact is the same regardless of whether we are on roads or trails. 

I certainly agree that our bodies are able to adapt to running on different surfaces – That’s why you don’t drastically make changes like running all your miles on a treadmill to logging all your workouts on asphalt – You have to adapt first.  And it’s also why we train on surfaces similar to those that will be used for racing.  But can our bodies really adapt to the point that the force of impact is the exact same regardless of the running surface?  And if so, exactly how long does it take our bodies to adapt? 

If runners can fully adapt to training surfaces and adaptation is immediate, then perhaps a running surface doesn’t matter.  But even this New York Times article admits that it takes people differing amounts of time to make these adaptations and suggests runners should make changes in running surfaces gradually.  Thus, it seems to me, if it is an agreed-upon fact that it takes time for a person to adapt to various running surfaces, then it can be assumed that there is a period of time before adaptation in which the person experiences different levels of stress on dissimilar surfaces.  It only follows that in that period of time before a person’s body can completely adapt, running surface does matter.

In my first two weeks of returning to running following my stress fracture diagnosis and required rest, I have been experimenting a bit with the running surfaces for my pitiful three-mile jogs (calling some of these outings “runs” would probably be a bigger stretch than a yogi’s bird of paradise).   Not only have I logged miles in four cities in two states in a span of 14 days, my running shoes have pounded pavement, wooden boardwalks, trails, and beach sand.  And there is no question in my training log, runs feel easier on my body when they are not on pavement.

You may be saying right now that I am just imagining that the pavement is harder on my body than the soft, sandy beaches.  If so, well then, you may have more of an argument than you might first realize. 

You see, another, less-debated (however often discussed on runners’ messaging boards) phenomenon is phantom pain post-stress fracture.   I HATE the term because it makes me sound as if I am just imagining things – like I am not mentally stable and so scared of re-injury that I am making things up.  Thus, I prefer to think of the discomfort at the point of my lower-leg stress fracture (technically there was a 2^nd stress fracture a little higher up on the same leg but didn’t hurt nearly as much) as residual pain.  I believe the source of the discomfort (that doesn’t seem to get worse) is from the significant amount of new bone that has grown at the point of my old stress fracture.  If I run my fingers over the area, I can actually feel the calcium that has built up on the spot.  According to my doctor, it can take a year before the new bone becomes smooth and “normal” again.  However, in the meantime, the calcium deposits put pressure on surrounding nerve tissues, which can create various sensations such as tingling or numbness.

Google, Bing it, or scoop up a Dogpile of articles on running surfaces, and you will find there are about as many opinions on this topic as there are on minimalist shoes.  But honestly, while I find the research interesting, I’m not sure if I really care if some doctor has determined that there is no benefit to running on softer surfaces.  Because, phantom or not, I feel more comfortable – especially at the point of my old stress fracture – when I am not out pounding the pavement but instead rolling down the beach alongside the ocean waves.

This Week’s Mileage:  12

This Week’s Beer Choice:  21st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA

I love a good beer when I come home to overgrown cucumbers after a long trip!

And I’m Back in the Game!

You would have thought it was a night before a big race – I was asleep at 10:00 but wide-awake again at midnight unable to get any additional shut-eye.  I tried eating something to coax myself back into a slumber, a tactic that helped me fall back asleep the night before last fall’s Marine Corps Marathon when I was pacing the halls at 3:00 am stressed out about my funny-acting right ankle.  But for hours last Monday night, it seemed that no matter what I tried I was too worried, excited?, and nervous about what was coming the following morning.  The performance that was creating my anxiety wasn’t on a racecourse, however; it was at the orthopedic surgeon’s office.

I spent the morning after my restless night trying to come up with a tactic – Should I try to bully the doctor into letting me run again?  Or should I throw myself at his mercy, beg him to level with me, and tell him that I’m on the verge of really freaking out?  One thing I could decide on was that I would not cry, no matter what the results.  Last appointment was too close of a call.  I think the doctor knew I was close to waterworks when he delivered the sentence of three additional weeks without running.  Runners with stress fractures are so dramatic.

At the orthopedic surgeon’s office, I was first interviewed by the physician’s assistant.  I REALLY wanted to run again, but I also didn’t want to deceive the doctors and have them send me back on the roads under a false diagnosis.  Thus, I was coming clean with the facts that I still had some tenderness at the point of my lower right leg stress fracture, discomfort in my recently overused left ankle area, and some soreness in my right hip, when I caught the P.A. ring-check me.  I almost busted out laughing, but I tried to quickly recover and carry on with my injury update, pretending like I didn’t notice him glance at my left hand as I was gesticulating through my story.  Still, I admit, there was a pause…

Turns out there was no need to do laundry at 2:00 am the night before to ease my mind, because several minutes after the P.A. left the room (perhaps out of embarrassment?), the orthopedic surgeon came in and gave me the clear to (slowly) begin running again. 

It probably took about three minutes – a time frame during which I may or may not have thrown several fist pumps in the bathroom – before I was lacing up my old running shoes and strapping on my Garmin, which still displayed a current pace of 6:34 and a distance of 11.3 miles – the point at which I dropped out of the Boston Marathon and evidently also hit the stop button on my watch.  But Tuesday’s run of only 2 miles at roughly a nine-something pace (ok, it was a jog) was far more successful.

In a recent article on Runner’s World, Olympic marathoner Kara Goucher, who has been recovering from a sacral stress fracture, stated that her coach’s plan required her to be running on solid ground again by July 1^st in order to make a fall marathon (a deadline she had no problem meeting).  I find it funny that my doctor’s appointment and first day back running on the roads was July 1^st – It was a fresh start to the 2^nd half of 2014.

So, am I thinking a fall marathon like Goucher?  Does a distance runner like to eat?  Of course, I am already contemplating what will be my next marathon, and I would love to complete one before the end of the year (along with several other shorter distance races!), but for the moment, I am just grateful to be able to head out of the door on an easy, slow run.

This Week’s Mileage:  8.5  (3 Super Easy Runs – 2 miles, 3 miles, and 3.5 miles)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Stone Go To IPA (A fairly new beer, released March 2014.  Tastes awesome.  Light enough for the beach and only 4.5% alcohol/volume so you can enjoy for a while)

Enjoying a Stone Go To IPA with my Best Friend