Moving forward by going backward

/ Tracy Abell

   

I haven’t been running as much as usual.
I’ve developed some weirdness about running.
I feel intimidated,
psyched out,
less-than-enthusiastic
when contemplating a run.

But today I decided to run my little neighborhood loop
in reverse.
And instead of feeling the pressure to get my Best Time Ever,
I just ran.
And enjoyed myself.

So here’s what I can take from this:
Remove the expectations
and experience the activity for what it is.
In this case, a difficult, mostly uphill slog that I’m proud to have completed.
That is all.

I’d like to keep this in mind with my writing, too.
When I’m feeling pressured and intimidated,
I hope to remember to write in whatever manner gets me writing again.

Even if it means writing in reverse.
           

10 thoughts on “Moving forward by going backward”

    • I think they’re wise, too, and hope that I remember them on a regular basis. They go hand-in-hand with your “get some words down and then you can do stuff to them” approach.

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    • It’s a post about running and writing, no worries!

      Going in reverse for me is a much more difficult run. I live in a hilly neighborhood so it’s all ups and downs. My usual route starts out uphill and ends with a half-mile uphill, which means the reverse starts with a half-mile downhill and then ends with downhill. However, the miles in between are a constant, gradual uphill. Killer. But I enjoyed it because I knew I wouldn’t be breaking any records. Plus, it was a beautiful, sunny day! 🙂

      That’s very cool you cut THREE MINUTES off your time! Wow.

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      • Mine starts out with an uphill and ends with a downhill, however I run it. In between is a long slight incline or decline with one steep hill. Now I run down the decline and up the hill. I kind of wonder if that’s cheating. But it’s the exact same route. Just backward.

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