Writing & Running, Running & Writing

The days before I actually launch forward into writing a blog post, I can nearly always feel the words brewing as my brain starts to unconsciously form sentences of its own accord. Sometimes it could be just before I drop off to sleep, when an idea, thought or one short word or sentence pops into my head and nags at me throughout my sleep and the coming days ahead. Or it could be when I am out on a long run around the beautiful countryside of my hometown, or midway through a lung bursting interval when a eureka moment hits me.  As much as I try to banish them, these thoughts hardly ever go away and snowball forward, expanding into something bigger and more complex.

It is not until I stop, sit down and actually take the time to scrawl down the sometimes hundreds of perfectly formed sentences screaming to be released from my head that my brain can stop and forget that one word which started it all off.

To me, writing and running go hand in hand, complimenting each other throughout every day life. Through the act of running, you can unconsciously free the mind of the unwanted 'rubbish' and connect to your true self, helping to understand your thought processes and what you want and need to write. All of the unwanted monotony floats away on the breeze or escapes with each foot strike hitting the untrodden path ahead. This helps to strip you back down to the amazing raw human emotion of feeling and being free; running wild. There is no better feeling than unleashing the inner beast when you are out there, putting one foot in front of the other and experiencing the true sentiment that you could probably run forever. There are some days when running hurts and every step forward feels like two steps back. That's just part of your journey.

So why do I write? The same reason I run. For the adventure and to discover my true self. By putting pen to paper, it is easier to understand my own internal dialogue and running helps to simplify this down to a more naturally, clear state.

Running is my happy place

My head has always been full of words and full of stories. Discovering my love of running has only intensified this need to write. When I was younger, it was a familiar sight for my family and friends to find me sitting in the garden or squirreled away in a corner, reading and re-reading my favourite stories or hunched over my notepad scribbling down my own tales. I'm just glad that now I have found a way to share my thoughts and stories with the world through blogging.

Writing has always been easier and more natural than talking for me and now running has become easier and so much more fun and exhilarating than walking.

I run because it makes me happy. No matter how far my running takes me, I can be sure I will always be a runner and always crave the simple freedom that a run can bring.

I write because it also makes me happy and putting pen to paper is a process I will always perform.

After all, we've all got stories to tell and writing and running is just my way of expressing mine.

How do you express yours?

We've all got stories to tell