Running, Writing, Living

Why does one run a marathon? A question many non-marathoners ask marathoners, and a question many marathoners ask themselves, mid-marathon. Well, after running my fourth one yesterday, I thought I’d share some insight. A woman had a sign yesterday that read, “If the marathon was supposed to be easy, it’d be called your mom”. While this is extremely vulgar and definitely not funny, at all, it does raise a good point. Recently in a therapy sesh, I was expressing my frustration and shame with not having found more success as a filmmaker yet, and my therapist retorted something along the lines of, “No one said it was gonna be easy right?”. I’ve always thought running a marathon was a similar undertaking to writing a feature. They both require immense patience and determination. They’re both the long game. My therapist proceeded to remind me that I’m choosing to be a writer. I’m reminded that I made this choice because I love writing. I run marathons because I love running. Sure, they’re both extremely exhausting, but they’re also extremely fulfilling. Choosing to go for a run, or to sit down to write, is the hardest part, but once you build that muscle, the hump no longer exists. Hard things become less hard, and eventually even enjoyable, the more you do them, and I think there’s something powerful there. Life can be extremely exhausting, but it can also be extremely fulfilling. It’s the real long game. And the only way forward is to choose to do the things that bring us joy, no matter how hard that may be. I was hesitant to get a dog because of how much work it is, but I did, because I love dogs, and doing so only ended up helping me transition to a healthier lifestyle. Right now, as I write this, laying on my bed with dog, recovering from the marathon, I’m the most tired I’ve ever been in my life, but I’m also the happiest.