Brendan Leonard Is The Man!

Today I have some writing deadlines. I decided that a little writing here would be good—some might consider it procrastination, but I believe it's a warmup. This blog is about running and writing...

I'm really enjoying reading I H💜TE Running and YOU CAN TOO by Brendan Leonard. This book is laugh-out-loud funny. The the charts are excellent and really illustrate simple yet profound truths that are applicable to just about any endeavor one is pursuing. Today I read Chapter. 7: Inspiration is not a strategy. Wow, just wow, yes this man has nailed what it takes to be a writer and runner: show up and do the work. Leonard notes that inspiration is just a spark and one must add fuel. Essentially I must show up for myself the same way I show up for the people I love. I personalized this just to re-enforce the concept in my own mind. 

The best thing about this book is how small and deceptively simple it seems. Books like this require multiple readings as the material seeps into the psyche. I love these type of books and used to work with them in my teaching of writing.  

Leonard has a website: Semi-Rad: Humor, Essays, Adventures and here is an interview with Leonard on Spartan Up. Both are very insightful.

So I have been doing my weekly plan and it is working. On Mondays I get outside no matter what. Tuesday and Wednesday meditation; Thursday and Friday journaling and chanting; and Saturday and Sunday writing (and sometimes resting). The weather in Colorado this time of year is fickle, but Leonard's book addresses this issue beautifully and I have pushed myself to run/walk no matter the weather. I'm not going to put his chart in this post, because I want to support Leonard's website and instead invite folks to buy his book.

In my own pursuit of writing and running, figuring out a small manageable goal that I can complete in the context of my life is really adding to my feeling of success, which in turn breeds a desire to do more, which is why writing here creates a desire to write more. 

To my credit I have completed a very large essay at the beginning of April that will be publish in late May / early June. Also my blog The Living Room has launched: visual art reviews considering the phygital experience of online exhibitions. And part of today's deadlines will impact my new website, which is under construction, but will be unveiled in mid-May. 

Final thought: cottage industry like what Leonard is doing and what I am working to do truly expand all of us. And I also found this article today, which just continues to make the case that running is good for everyone. What A Brief Jog Can Do For Your Brain.