Running and reading are two of my favorite activities but they can make a dangerous combo when combined. And I’m not even talking about falling off the back of a treadmill. I just sometimes have trouble making myself stop running when I have enough reading material to continue on. Like the time I accidentally ran 28 miles because I really got into the New York Times. Yes, flipping newspaper pages while running looks quite ridiculous. But if you have ever seen me rocking hokas and huge headphones and mis-matched socks you know I don’t really worry about that sort of thing.
Anyway….the point is I run and read a lot. And it got me thinking about the correlations between the two. Finishing a book provokes one of the weirdest emotions for me. It’s so so awesome and so terrible at the same time. I’m happy I made it but bummed I won’t have the experience anymore. Not unlike finishing a marathon. I soooooo want it to be over but I also kind of want it to last forever.
The more epic novels are probably more like the marathon distance. I’ve dropped out of short races and not finished several books. But I’ve finished every marathon and most 800+ page books I’ve started. Some are slower than others. My worst marathon was 22 minutes slower than my best and some books have taken me years to finish. (Infinite Jest you will be mine!) But there is something about the volume that makes me determined to keep going and see it through even when its a struggle. Shorter races and books don’t provide the same stimulus. You can participate day after day without any down time.
One could argue that epic novels can be read back to back and I know some runners do marathons every day. But personally I need some down time between both and prefer 1-3 marathons and big books per year interspersed with a bunch of fun runs and even the occasional chic lit. Currenty I’m reading a book on the history of candy and planning my race schedule for the rest of the year. But no fifty shades of grey for me and no ultras just yet. You gotta draw the line somewhere.
Great post Tera – I share your same feelings on reading and running! Have you ever heard of the website http://www.goodreads.com? Highly recommend it!
I’m not sure if you prefer fiction to nonfiction or vice-versa, or maybe you’re like me and grab whatever’s handy on a whim. I sometimes find myself fixating on a nonfiction subject for a few weeks and then spending the next month reading everything I can find by a single novelist I’ve just discovered.
If you’re into crime fiction I recommend Lee Child. For the best nonfiction essays out there, try Christopher Hitchens.
I have often likened writing to running for a host I’ve reasons I’m too lazy to elaborate on, but I like your comparisons of reading to running, in particular the part about being more likely to grind out longer and hence ostensibly more challenging literary “workouts” as well as actual footraces.
As a “professional” writer with greater aspirations than the hack stuff I’ve had published so far, I often feel guilty for reading so much, as I feel like I should be doing more producing than consuming. Yet at the same time if I weren’t such a voracious reader — a habit I developed very young — I would never have become a half-competent wordsmith in the first place. So again that vexing “balance” beast rises up and starts snorting in my face again.
Haha! I started Infinite Jest in 2003…each year I pick it back up…(also thanks for photo-oping with my friends and I at the cubby bear yesterday! I hope you don’t mind I’m going to use the picture in my post tonight!)
Only 22 minutes between your fastest and slowest marathon — wow! The difference for me is right around 3 hours. But my slowest was the Leadville Trail Marathon, which starts above 10,000 feet above sea level, and immediately climbs
I’m right there with you about the ending of books. I’m always a bit depressed when I finish one that’s really amazing. Currently I’m reading the Game of Thrones series, with my only goal to stay ahead of the TV series. They’re doing a wonderful job bringing these books to life, but I’d rather experience them in my mind before seeing them acted out for me.