I write emails about taking care of yourself so you can do your best creative work.
Is this why people run marathons?
“I wish every challenge could be like a marathon” I told my mom on the drive back from New York City after last week's marathon.
Think about it: you get to face this huge challenge, and undergo all this pain, but you get to do it with all these people literally lining the streets cheering for you.
And then you get to post about it on Instagram or write a race report about it, and people leave dozens of comments and congratulate you and ask you to tell stories about how it went.
It’s such a visible, structured way to experience growth, and I wonder if that’s part of the appeal.
For example: when you’re going through a rough patch at work, or in a relationship, or struggling with a health challenge, you don’t get people lining the streets with funny signs and snacks, cheering you on and pushing you to the finish line.
And that’s another thing – often there’s not even a clear finish line to struggles we face in life or work.
I think that’s an attractive element of the marathon — you go through all this pain and struggle, but there’s a clear finish line, and then you have a clearly designated period of rest and recovery.
Maybe other challenges should be like marathons?
No clear takeaway here, just one of my thoughts on my way to figuring out why thousands of people apply and pay hundreds of dollars to run through the streets of New York City (and other cities) every year.
Take care of yourself (and also you've got this, you're doing great and I'm cheering you on),
Annie
I'm Annie, copywriter & business owner.
I write emails about taking care of yourself so you can do your best creative work.
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