Instead of Reading Stories
As I Wanted to Do…
I spent most of the night figuring out if my running times allow me to try a marathon in a week. Same marathon I have been aiming at now for four years, losing weight to try to get to, and so on.
But my weight isn’t down enough yet, although close. And my pace is lacking, and this marathon I want to try to do a week from Sunday has a 5 hour cut-off. And my training is far, far from normal marathon training.
So logically doing the full is a really bad idea.
But the course is flat, running on the Strip for over half of it. And the course passes my condo four different times, so easy support from Kris and friends.
I had decided last week to be sane and once again drop back to the half-marathon (13 miles). I injured myself last year with a fall and finished the half very slowly, but finished it. This year, the closer I get to the run, the more time I am spending stewing on it. The reason is, of course, I am seldom sane.
So sorry folks with stories waiting to be read. I spent a night doing math, looking at the map, trying to figure out a plan to actually run/walk the marathon and make it under five hours.
Got a hunch I will be wasting more time stewing on it this next week. Part of the fun, I suppose.
3 Comments
Carolyn Ivy Stein
The half-marathon/marathon planning sounds cool. My husband does a Galloway-style five-hour marathon, but this seems like it would be hard to do if you are dealing with follow on from injury. Good luck with either the half-marathon training or the full, whichever you pick.
As to the story reading, speaking for myself, I’m ok waiting so don’t prioritize me high on your list. The requirement to get you a story a week has done wonders for my discipline and I think my craft is improving. Knowing that you are slow to read them allows me to experiment with things that are hard or new to me without obsessing about your reaction.
The experimentation means that the resulting stories teach me something but are often not as good as I’d like them to be. For example, last month I wrote five SF stories in a row, frustrated that I couldn’t make SF work as I wanted it to until I wrote the last one, which was a true breakthrough story for me.
Harvey Stanbrough
How motivating your comment is, Carolyn! If you’re writing a story a week, your craft can’t help but improve, especially since your “experimenting” (Practicing) with new techniques.
Even though you’re traveling a well-worn path, you’re leaving your own mark. I discovered Dean, WITD and Heinlein’s Rules almost six years ago and haven’t looked back. As a result, I’ve written a ton of stuff I wouldn’t have written otherwise and had more fun than any human is entitled to. (grin) Congrats, and keep up the good work.
Carolyn Ivy Stein
Thank you! I am having a great deal of fun and I appreciate Dean’s continued emphasis on writing into the dark and making it fun. I also enjoy your blog and read it in the evening, just as I read Dean’s blog in the morning. Between you and Dean, my day is bracketed by admonishments to have fun and write. What could be better?