Sunday, December 18, 2011

The keystrokes follow the footsteps... the story of the runner-writer...

Actually difficult.   To run an esoteric runner blog - musings, huh!

One has to rely on borrowed experiences, the reason d'etre, the accessories, the sky and the moon to write.   Actually, the quality of writing dips and deteriorates, as one has to find a topic and dig dirt around it.   The topic itself can be as abstract as it can get.   The writing can be from ramble to research.  

The best writings, I have seen, are from friends who have run their first races or who have rich experience, running across cities, countries and even continents.  


Blogs can be about experiences, expertise,
injuries, training, technique, diets...
 Most runners want to just run.   Few of them love to write - narrating such rich experiences, which takes the reader on a vicarious experience along with the runner - to share the difficult, pain, agony and ecstasy of the journey towards the finish line.

The lines about the preparation, the host city and community, fellow runners, the crowds, the course, weather, the ceremonies... all add pepper and salt to the narrative.  Add pics and videos to that, it is the recording of one's achievement of a lifetime.


Amit Sheth's dare to run
is rich in content and eloquent in narration
 My first 10K in Bangalore World 10k- 2008, and my first half marathon in Chennai -2010 were awesome experiences to write and share.

Further, couple of great runner blogs - Trails of passion by Navin Sadarangani and It's all on top by Naresh Kumar, both ex-Chennai runners, but moved to the west.  They are taking down each milestone, brick and brick and it is so inspiring to follow their story.

To enjoy the real 360` experience in running, read my dear friend Amit Sheth's dare to run... one race to run, a lifetime experience to tell.

I have also been reading the first marathon / half marathon experiences in the Chennai Runner group website, such rich content, nicely delivered - reflects the conviction of the maiden writer.  Each one  is so unique.   One such narrative really dipped into the running quotes and matched experiences against it.  An awesome piece.

The journey writers - who grow from the 10k to an ultra marathon.  The travelogues - from the traveller-runners who criss-cross continents to run marathon in every corner of the world.

Some people are just number people - who discuss cadence, elevation, speed, pace, time, personal bests, distance, innumberable derivatives of calories, BMI's ...

Boston calling:  The best narratives are first hand experiences
Then the pros.   The people who can talk about the do's and don'ts with authority, and the experts who can dwelve on the training plans and the techniques.   The toe vs heel landing, the barefoot vs shoe running, the trail vs road running, running in the cold vs the humid weather, interval training, hill training.

Another set of writers do write about diets, carb-loading, race preps,  breathing techniques, stretching techniques,  how to improve speed, core exercises and post-race recoveries.

Another specific area of interest is about injury prevention and recovery.   Situations that can cause an injury and how to recuperate.

The midnight run: One run, and a lifetime story to tell
For me, running is about lot of things.  A catharsis, a remedy, an identity, an achievement.   All the above variations and specialities make one richer in knowledge and experience.  

But nothing like experiencing oneself.  Without the actual event, the typical narrative becomes fiction.   The conviction to write is that bit lesser.   The effort is more.  

So much for this blog.   Just run, and you can write better about running.   The keystrokes follow the footsteps...

- The One

Pics courtesy The One, Internet...


1 comment:

  1. Good post buddy. Thanks for the mention, kind of you. I've been a follower of your blog all along, reading them from the posting on FB. Keep at it dude, there's nothing like expressing your thoughts that you grasp through running. Running truly makes life simple right! Cheers!

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