Running and Writing
  and the Marathon

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Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.  –Virgil

* * *

Writing a novel is often compared to running a marathon, and my experience dealing with the unexpected in the London Marathon in April 2010 was a good rehearsal for my later efforts in writing.

I’ve never been a good marathon runner. I’m better suited for the half-marathon. But in 2009, having completed three marathons (San Antonio, Vancouver, and Toronto), I decided I’d go for just one more. And I wanted to run one of the big marathons for that once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I told my husband I’d like to celebrate our anniversary in 2010 with a trip to the UK where I would run the London Marathon in honor of our marriage. Then we could spend a week or so vacationing. Frank was supportive, and for some unknown reason, I was convinced everything would go my way.

Hmm.

The major marathons are so popular that they can’t admit everyone who wants to enter. If you’re a very good runner and can meet the qualifying time for your age group, you’ll be entered. But if you’re like most runners (me, for instance) and can’t meet the qualifying time, they’ll put your name into a lottery and it’s just a matter of chance.

So when they opened the online registration in April 2009, I jumped in and registered along with 150,000 other runners. Although only about a quarter of those would get places, I was ridiculously confident. Around October, I received an email from the London Marathon notifying me that I wasn’t chosen. Rats.

But they held out another possibility. I could run for a charity. “That’s even better,” I thought. I could do a good deed as well as run the marathon. So I applied to several of the charities that I thought I’d like to support, and a few weeks later, one of them called. With about four months to go, I had cleared the first hurdle. I was in the race.

I was sure that from then on everything would be smooth sailing. (You can smile now.)

My running buddies at work were all excited that I was going to run the London, and that made me even more determined to do well. When they asked what kind of time I was planning on, I spouted off a near-impossible-for-me number. But if everything went perfectly, maybe I could make it.

Everything did not go perfectly.

  • Our treadmill, on which I was doing almost half of my training, broke. We needed a new one anyway, so we bought a bigger, better model. A few days of training lost.
  • I injured my knee in a tempo run. A couple of weeks of training lost.

I had stumbled over those first hurdles, but my excitement continued to ramp up as the days ticked closer to the race. Since I suffer from jetlag on international trips, we planned to fly to London six days prior to the marathon to allow my body to adjust to the time change before the race. But then…disaster.

  • A few days before our scheduled departure, I woke up to the news that a volcano in Iceland had erupted, volcanic ash was drifting over western Europe, and airports were closing. Heathrow was one of them. Our flight was cancelled.

You can overcome a lot of obstacles. But a volcano? Time to throw in the towel.

But then the winds shifted, and airports reopened. We managed to get on a flight that put us in London in the early morning hours of Friday before Sunday’s race day. Okay, so my jetlag would be a problem, but the excitement of the race would probably overcome that. (Are you laughing yet?)

I dragged myself out of bed on race day after just a few hours of sleep to discover there were more obstacles: the weather was warm (not good) and it was drizzling rain (super not good). Frank and I agreed on where we’d meet after the race, and he walked me to the starting area to join the other thirty-seven thousand people who had paid perfectly good money to punish their bodies for 26.2 miles.

But at least I had made it to the starting line. Now all I had to do was finish.

The London Marathon is unique. It’s a big party, and many of the marathoners wear costumes. One guy was dressed in a full suit of armor and someone else was carrying a huge replica of the Angel of the North sculpture on his back.

As time ticked down to the start, you could feel the buzz in the air. After an entire year of waiting, hoping, training, and planning, the starter’s pistol fired, and we were off.

I wish I could say everything went well.

  • For the first time ever, my GPS watch malfunctioned. Bad omen.
  • Another first: I got a side stitch. At least now I can describe in a book what it feels like to be stabbed just below the ribs.
  • As the miles went on, fatigue set in, and I realized I was getting a blister on one of my heels.
  • By the time I got to the eighteen-mile mark, I was starving. I guess the time change had messed up my body clock. Honestly, if I had seen a child holding a sandwich by the side of the course, I probably would have snatched it out of the kid’s hand and run away before anyone could catch me. But there were no sandwiches, my back and foot hurt, and I was run-walking so slow that I knew I was going to turn in a terrible time.

* * *

That’s when I had THE THOUGHT. I could quit. I could just step off the course, find a volunteer to give me a cart-ride to the finish, and it would be over. I wouldn’t suffer the embarrassment of a poor showing. I’d just tell everybody I was injured and couldn’t finish. I could bandage my foot and take an Advil and eat a steak dinner and forget this stupid marathon. The whole thing was wrong from the start. Why hadn’t I seen that? Why did I have to be so stubborn when there were just too many problems to overcome?

That little exercise in self-pity and frustration got me through the next mile or two. Then I had the SECOND THOUGHT. I would cross the finish line even if I had to crawl. Even if I was the last person across. Even if they had taken down the banners and all the volunteers had gone home and I didn’t get a medal or a T-shirt. Even if my feet were bleeding so profusely that I was leaving a trail of blood behind me on the course. (Self-martyrdom can be useful in certain situations.)

And I knew no matter how long it took, Frank would be waiting for me, and I knew exactly what he’d say when he saw me. After all, this was the race to honor our marriage, not to show off my great (ha!) running talent.

Those reflections got me through another mile or two, and then I was within just a few miles of the finish, so it didn’t make sense to quit.

I crossed the finish line. I didn’t crawl, and I wasn’t the last person in the race. There were still a couple of thousand people behind me, including angel sculpture man and the guy in the suit of armor. A volunteer hung a medal around my neck and someone else handed me a T-shirt that said “LonDONE 25.04.10.” Then I walked into the meeting area and saw Frank waving. As I limped toward him with my hair frizzy from the rain and my clothes damp with sweat, he jogged over and put his arm around me. “Great race, honey.”

* * *

So yeah. Writing a novel, especially a first one, is a lot like running a marathon. You start out with all this enthusiasm and confidence, but then things get hard, much harder than you thought. There are unexpected challenges, and it’s discouraging when agents and publishers don’t immediately see your genius and rush to sign you to a life-long contract.

That’s when many people give up. They hit the wall and decide it’s not worth all the pain and disappointment. According to selfpublishingus.com, only about 3% of people who start writing a book actually finish it. And of those, even fewer have their book published. But for those of us who stay in the race, there’s a satisfaction of accomplishment few have known.

I learned some lessons from the London Marathon that I believe apply to my writing.

  • Life (and running and writing) is more about what you put into it than what you get out.
  • It’s more about fighting the good fight than winning.
  • It’s more about the journey than the destination.
  • You value what you earn more than what someone gives you.

And in the long run (pun intended), whether it’s running or writing or living, endurance is more important than talent.

* * *

 

This has been a very long TKZ blog post, and if you made it to the end, you deserve a medal. Maybe you should consider running a marathon.

 

 

* * *

So TKZers: Have you ever run a marathon?
Have you faced obstacles when writing your books?
How do you deal with the setbacks?

* * *

 

Kathryn Frasier is training for her first marathon, but murderers keep getting in her way.

Run with Kathryn in The Watch Mysteries. The ebook boxset is on sale at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books.

31 thoughts on “Running and Writing
  and the Marathon”

  1. VERY impressive! Congratulations! Great race!

    If you don’t quit, eventually you get there. Wherever ‘there’ is.

    It took me 15 years to write and publish the first novel in my mainstream trilogy – 7 for the next. I’m getting faster.

    If I’m still here, and any part of the brain still works, the final volume will be appearing in a few more years.

    I couldn’t WALK a marathon. Wow!

    • Good morning, Alicia, and kudos to you for completing those novels! You’re cutting your time in half with each new one.

      I love the title of your trilogy. Best wishes for completing the final volume.

  2. Congrats on finishing the marathon and novels. It’s a challenge for book. I’m writing my first novel, crime fiction, and I’m thinking about running a marathon. Two major challenges at age 63.

    • Good morning, Jillian.

      Best wishes on the novel and the marathon! Major challenges are the best kind.

      I wrote my first novel in my sixties and it opened a new world for me that I am eternally grateful for. I hope it does the same for you.

  3. One of my daughters is an endurance athlete and coach. She has run several marathons, half marathons, and countless other distance-a-thons. She used to do triathlons, too, including the IronMan. She’s slowed down some since her MS diagnosis, but right now, she’s training for a local Bike MS event. I can understand what you’ve written about. (As a coach, she would have made sure you had plenty of nourishment on your run, so you wouldn’t have been hungry.)
    Me – I’m amazed, and the closest I’ve been to any of these events was as a spectator.
    Last night, as I was reading the latest WIP chapter, I realized I had a significant plot thread that would require some research and rewriting to tie up. Minor setback, to be sure, but it might mean I don’t make my goal of crossing the finish line today.

    • Good morning, Terry.

      Your daughter sounds amazing. I’m in awe of anyone who has completed an Iron Man.

      Good luck with the WIP. I’m looking forward to reading the book after you cross the finish line.

  4. Hi Kay,

    Yes, I’ve run a Marathon. In fact, the hubster and I celebrated the start of our 26th year of marriage with a 26-(point two)-mile run. We crossed the finish line holding hands.

    Last month I realized I started my WIP at the wrong place. So essentially I’m starting over this month. It’s like getting an injuring during training. You just regroup and start again!

    • Good morning, Priscilla.

      I love that you and your husband ran a marathon together to celebrate the start of year 26. And crossing the finish line holding hands is such a perfect symbol. (Really, marriage is a kind of marathon, isn’t it?)

      Good luck with that next novel.

  5. I’ve done a couple walkathons for charity but never a marathon. I only tried to take up running once but it wasn’t until middle age and my knees were like “nope, not doin’ this.” so I decided the joint risks weren’t worth it. Too bad because what little time I did spend running I found it relaxing to get in the zone on a run.

    And boy is your post appropriate for me today. My writing life is now in the “nearing the end of the marathon” phase–when you’ve only got a few more miles to go but feel you just can’t make it & have to keep pushing yourself.

    As we’ve discussed numerous times at TKZ, the actual writing itself can be a marathon. But now I’m dealing with the phase where I finally have to think beyond that to the billion and one details of actually self-publishing a book. Trying to search a thousand places for all the nitty gritty little details you need to know about setting up author accounts, legal issues, keeping personal/writing business separate, complications of co-authoring on business set up—it requires that second wind you need on a long marathon to keep persevering to the finish. But when I do, I’ll be glad I pushed through to the end.

    But I’ll take the marathon of the actual writing of the book over the business side any day!

    • Good morning, Brenda!

      I agree with you. Writing the book is much more fun than dealing with all the business parts of publishing and marketing it. JSB wrote a good book entitled How to Make a Living as a Writer that has a lot of good information.

      Can’t wait for you to cross the finish line and let us know your book is out there. Best wishes!

  6. Kay,
    I love this post! It made me laugh and get teary-eyed, and I was so proud of you for a respectable finish despite everything. Sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that are riddled with problems you have to overcome. Your husband is one of the good ones, and I’m glad you have his unqualified support. I have a husband like that who supports me no matter what outlandish ideas I have, including writing. He bought me a computer back when people just didn’t have them at home (yes, a loooong time ago) and when my first book was published, we were on our way! Only it didn’t happen due to a lot of road blocks. So, time to get back in the race.

    A fun story about the volcano in Iceland. My son-in-law was heading home after 13 months in Iraq, but was stalled due to the volcano. His eventual arrival was exactly right for my daughter to get pregnant and they had a son exactly nine months later. We joked that they should have named him something Icelandic.

    Anyway, thanks for this encouraging post.

    • Good morning, Becky!

      You’re absolutely right — the most memorable experiences are the ones we have to work hard for. And yes, my husband is a good man and I am blessed to have him.

      I love the story about your son-in-law. Maybe they should have named the baby Ashton.

      Have a great week.

  7. Great marathon story and linkage to finishing a book, Kay.
    I’ve only done one marathon, and that was the one at the end of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. It was also a walk-run by the end for me, but man did it feel good to cross that finish line.
    And yeah, tons of obstacles in authoring for me. After several aborted attempts, I just put my head down and did it. And will be releasing my sixth novel soon on the Solstice.
    My best approach to setbacks is to get away from them for a bit. Go for a swim or play some disc golf or handsaw some logs on my property. Physical activity tends to help me solve problems.

    • Good morning, Harald!

      The Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. I am in awe. Did you have to swim in the ocean? How hard was that?

      Best wishes on your sixth novel. Love that you’re releasing it on the Solstice.

  8. Kay, so much raw honesty, truth, and wisdom in your post! Thank you for writing what we writers need to hear when we get discouraged.

    • Good morning, Debbie!

      Obstacles can be very discouraging, but in the end, our reactions to them may be the things that define us.

      Have a great week!

  9. An apt comparison, Kay! I’ve never run a marathon, but my brother, my wife’s cousin and a few acquaintances have and I have an inkling of what goes into the process. Writing a novel seems very similar.

    Many years ago, I was in the category of people who dreamed about writing a novel but never did. I drafted my first novel in 2003, and my second and third in 2006, all seat-of-the-pants style, no revision. It was approaching a writing a novel systematically having studied writing craft and having processed feedback on my writing that unlocked what had been a mystery—writing a novel that worked.

    Now, the challenge with everything book is one of staying the course while I work out the inevitable “issues” of story and plot, character and motivation. There is always a point in writing each novel where I think about quitting that book. I’ve done it once, back in 2020 with an urban fantasy and regret doing so. In the years since, having written three more novels and two novellas, I know to push on and persevere, and fix whatever the issue is.

    Usually going up to the 30K foot view of the story and taking a fresh look at what the story is about, how it is playing out in the plot and how the characters would act solves any issues I’m encountering.

    • Good morning, Dale!

      “I know to push on and persevere” — That makes all the difference.

      Congratulations on staying the course and publishing multiple books.

      Have a great week.

  10. No marathon here, but I once ran a 10K through downtown Phoenix in under 45 minutes (goal met). I’m 83 now and still jogging 20 minutes every morning.

    I remember a marathon winner from the Scottsdale race that same year said he couldn’t understand how people could last through four hours of running (his time was well under 2 hours IRRC). My hat’s off to you for grinding through the pain. Builds character, doesn’t it?

    Some of us writers are sprinters (4+ books/year) and some of us are tortoises. The point you came to in your hour of trauma, is to keep going in spite of the obstacles. Find your Kay DiBianca reason to persevere, and celebrate when you make it.

    BTW, while I was living in San Luis Obispo, we runners looked for inspiration to Dr. Paul Spangler, who took up running in retirement at age 67 and passed at 95 while running a competition on a SLO street. Likewise, Robert B. Parker (Spenser crime series) was at his writing desk when he passed. What a way to go!

    • Good morning, Dan!

      A 45-minute 10K is impressive! And jogging 20 minutes every morning is a fabulous way to stay fit, both mentally and physically. I read a book years ago entitled “Younger Next Year” that recommended jogging as a way to stay young physically, emotionally, and mentally.

      “Some of us writers are sprinters (4+ books/year) and some of us are tortoises.” It’s important for each person to find their own pace. We just won’t be successful if we try to run somebody else’s race.

      Have a great writing and jogging week!

      • Thanks, Dan and Kay! I’m been thinking a lot about this point you both make. Especially as an indie author, it’s far too easy to compare ourselves with faster writers and think we must do likewise.

  11. Wow you nailed it comparing writing to a marathon…not that I’ve ever run a marathon. More than two miles a day and Arthur comes to live with me a while. lol

    But I’ve hit every one of your analogies to running a marathon in my writing. There’s just something about putting your head down and digging and when you cross the finish line, i.e. The End, it’s all so worth it!

    • Good morning, Patricia.

      Yes, a marathon is a pretty apt metaphor for writing a novel. Especially one where you have to dig deep to get to the finish line. And you’re right: it’s so worth it.

      Have a great week.

  12. Great post, Kay. And very timely for me. I have several stories started, but not finished, so I’m deciding which one to jump on.

    I’m not a runner, but we walk every morning with our hound, and I don’t think the day would be complete if we didn’t. There’s something about walking in orchard country that inspires me. And watching Hoka investigate every blade of grass, stick her nose in holes in the ground, and get excited over cats and squirrels brings me joy.

    One of my daughters and my son are the runners in the fam. We spent their growing up years at my son’s cross country and track meets. He won a full scholarship to two different colleges, and now volunteers at his high school alma mater in those programs. Two of his boys are accomplished runners also.

    My daughter used to run, but now she’s in love with hiking. This year she’s out on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) for the second time in two years. She loves it out there. Last year she couldn’t finish for a couple of reasons; this year she’s determined. It’s a joy to see the pics she sends out.

    All this to say, it’s fun to watch my kiddos stick with something they love, and they are a great inspiration to me to stick with what I love in this season of life.

    Have a great day!

    • Good morning, Deb!

      I had the same situation a couple of years ago when I had three different stories I wanted to write, but couldn’t figure out which one should go first. I asked friends and colleagues for suggestions, and got votes for all three. 🙂 I went around in circles for a while until Lacey’s Star finally won out.

      Walking is another wonderful way to get the blood moving and find joy in life. Sounds like you have a great environment to explore with Hoka adding to the fun.

      Congratulations to your kids for sticking with it. Give your daughter my best wishes to make it to the end of the trail.

  13. Sorry I’m late. Still playing catch-up from my mini vacation.

    This line especially hit home: You value what you earn more than what someone gives you.

    No truer words. Accomplishing a difficult task, like penning a novel or running a marathon, is one of the best feelings ever. Great post, Kay.

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