I recently joined a running group that meets every Saturday. As people gather beforehand, they discuss runnerly topics like watch features, shoes, or if they’ve hit their mileage goal this week.
I have no weekly mileage goal. My goal was to show up today (done) and finish the 5-mile loop, however long that may take. We pose for a group photo, then I beeline to the back before everyone takes off.
I’ve been calling myself the caboose crew. I will finish last. There is no shame in this. I’m running with an entirely different body than a few years ago. My body has grown a human, endured major abdominal surgery, and gotten older, among other things.
A few blocks in I chat with another runner who’s returning from an injury. I tell him I’m still working up my endurance.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you run it, a mile is still a mile,” he says.
I find his words poignant. It strikes me how much long-distance running and the writing slog have in common. As if I’m the first person who’s ever made this connection. Writing a book is often compared to running a marathon. Metpahors about hitting the wall and reaching the finish line abound. Both are for the most part solitary activites.
It’s not a perfect comparison. Of the two, completing a marathon is far more achievable than writing a book. It doesn’t take as long. Marathon training programs run 16-20 weeks, and most courses will give you six hours to finish. Some people can write a book in just under five months. I am not one of them.
In the past, I’d get discouraged that I couldn’t finish my manuscript faster. I have a strong work ethic. I am motivated and goal-oriented. Why was it taking me so long?
Well, lots of reasons. Pandemic, moving, interviewing for and switching jobs, pregnancy, infant caretaking, and several other major life disruptions. Many times I could not write at all. But I would always come back to that Google Doc as soon as I felt ready. Four years later, I have a complete manuscript.
I think of the other runner’s words and swap them for writing in my head.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you write it, a book is still a book.”
More from Betsy
📢 New writing! I have a short piece in last month’s Readers Write section of The Sun. It’s about growing up without a TV in Chicago when the Bulls were at their peak.
✍️ Want to read more of my writing? Check out my essay on Medium and my op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times.
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