Running Coaches

Murakami & Coach Bennet

My Nike Running app, tells me that I’ve run 720 Miles over the past 10 years. I may have run a few more than that, but not many.

I started running in the last days of my previous ‘art career’. I had moved to the big city to become an Artist. I rented a 2500 sq feet studio with 4 other artist. Within 4 months there were two off us left splitting the rent designed for 5.

This eventually pushed me to get a job in a tech company, and pause my Artist dream. In those 2 years, the one thing I had to look forward to every day was my run. They were painful at first, so painful.

But I persisted and tracked my progress. My first running coach was the writer, Haruki Murakami. The book was“Things I think about when I think about running”. A slim volume that relates the creative life to the running life. I’m paraphrasing but there is a line in there that goes like this:

If I was not a runner, I would not be a writer.

My current coach is, Coach Bennet via a series of recordings in the Nike Running App. I learn a lot about writing and life through running and these coaches.

I needed the coaches but I also needed to do my own running for the lessons to make any sense. If I just did the running I would have quit. If I just had the coaching, it would have made no sense.

When it comes to running as a metaphore for our creative journey.

I’m not your coach.

I’m your running buddy.

I’ve a question for you, what is the equivalent of milage on the creative journey?

Ps: Leave a comment or hit reply, how was your run today?