It seems that running can be a very solitary and lonely activity.
Sometimes that's a good thing.
Sometimes it gets a little, well...lonely.
Sometimes writing about running gets lonely too.
As I was finishing nursing school and beginning my nursing career I blogged about my progress. And apparently a male's voice was just what the nurse bloggers world needed. Maybe it was because I didn't dignify the murse stereotypes. Maybe some of my experiences were actually as significant as they felt. Maybe my writing style appealed to that particular audience. Regardless of the reason, all I did was comment on a few other nursing blogs and the silly thing exploded. When I finally took the blog offline under pressure from hospital administration, it was getting about 10k views a month--all without advertising. I was getting requests from industry magazines for articles, and asked if I'd review items. Now that isn't huge as far as website traffic goes, but it was a cozy little corner of the internet.
I'm finding the running blogger community a little more difficult to break into. I don't necessarily want this blog to blow up--it took a lot of time and energy to keep up with. And really, it's not the reason I started writing this blog. It was mostly to document my journey, for myself. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hope to make a few friends, become part of a community, maybe write something that a few people enjoyed reading.
Lest I sound ungrateful, there are a few people reading, and commenting. And I appreciate it so much. Thank you! The encouragement and support has been invaluable as I try to push forward in this unfamiliar territory.
You see, the most structured I'd ever gotten with running was following a basic Couch to 5k program that didn't even work that well for me. So all of this is very new to me, and I'm a little afraid I'm going to do something stupid and hurt myself or get in my own way. I was hoping to assimilate into the running blogging community and learn the (or "a") right way to do things.
But so far I've asked one seemingly knowledgeable and popular run blogger, who specializes in supplements and similar products, for advice regarding a protein supplement. I was ignored.
Twice.
My current nutrition dilemma regarding my calories, I've tried asking a pair of popular podcasters, a sports dietician, and a sports medicine medical doctor who all blog or have groups on Facebook.
No response.
I wasn't asking for a full blown nutritional consult. I was just looking for someone with more experience and success than me to reassure me that I wasn't going to blow my weight loss by eating enough calories to run. Is it an inappropriate question? Am I crossing some unknown boundary?
It's not the end of the world. And I'm definitely not quitting running over it, or giving up on losing weight. Because ultimately those are things I'm doing for myself, and those I love. And I'll likely not stop blogging either.
I guess it makes me kind of sad. Sad to be fumbling around like a dunce trying to figure this out on my own when there seemed to be a thriving blog community out there. I guess I would never dream of ignoring somebody that asked me for help--even if I couldn't help them.
But maybe that's the nurse in me.
What motivates you to blog? Who do you look to to help you figure new things out?
Hate to hear that you're feeling down! I definitely know what it's like to feel like you are sending your words out into thin air with no one to read them. I think there may just be too many running blogs and too few male nurses (like you said). But, one the solo running/fitness dilemma, I CAN say you should forget the celeb bloggers and join a running group! I have learned 75% of what I know about running and fitness from running group members, and even though it was very difficult and uncomfortable for me to join, it gets easier and begins to pay off so quickly! You can do it! (remember, it's free so you aren't won't lose anything by giving it a go)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great advice. I'm in that awkward stage where I don't feel strong enough to run anywhere besides the treadmill yet. I'm probably over-thinking it; probably just need to get out there and do it.
DeleteThanks for reading my words floating out here on the thin air! :) And commenting!!
There's a gazillion billion trillion garillion running blogs out there, and I've found that we runners have limited time so the choices of blogs read have to be whittled down to those we have a common bond with or ones we can walk away with "something" from. I've tried and tried to get certain "elite" runners to notice me, but there's no need for them to.
ReplyDeleteI could have taken my blog at one time in my running career and turned it into something bigger, more "profitable", but in the end, I wanted my blog to be honest and from my heart - a good read and not a sell myself entity. As for advice, well, you should have seen my blog two years ago when I had the injury from hell....I can't even tell you how many doors I knocked on and nothing for eternity. But keep knocking because eventually it will pay off.
You should listen to "Endurance Planet" - they have a weekly "ask the coaches" and/or "ask the sports nutritionist" and sometimes on FB you can write in and ask questions. Lucho, the guy who does "ask the coaches" was my first coach back in October when I first started training for Leadville (I fired him in February...but not because he doesn't know his sh*t)....great stuff on there and there is a slew of backlogged podcasts on iTunes! I think you'd learn a lot. And I'm a running coach too, if you ever wanted to ask something (not that I have all the answers...which is why I have my own coach :)).
Thanks for the comment Jill. I appreciate your input--direct and honest as always.
DeleteThe post was written from a place of frustration, and I knew that when I published it. But then if I can't vent my frustration here, then where? Looking back over it, I feel a tad embarrassed as it kind of comes across as a bit of a tantrum. Regardless, at the time the feelings were real. And honestly, I don't need a big fancy blog as a time suck. I did want to feel a part of something bigger than myself though.
Thank you for the tip on Endurance Planet. I love to soak up knowledge (I've been called "pathologically educated" before), and information sources that come recommended are usually best.
I had no idea you were a coach as well. That little nugget of info may very well come in handy when I'm done with this pesky weight loss, have reclaimed my life, and am ready to concentrate on running alone.
Hey there! I know that same lonely feeling. I am training for a marathon and the running buddy who I have been running with for the last year is no longer able to run. I have found that sometimes I love running solo, but when I am out on the trail for a long run, running by myself can be boring and lonely. However, I am now enjoying my long run on Saturday morning when the trail is busy. It is nice to see other runners out there running their long training run too.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to seeking information and inspiration I read tons of books. I love Born to Run. And, I also highly recommend reading the book Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. Scott Jurek is a famous ultra marathon runner, foodie. Besides the amazing recipes he has through out his book, he tells the ups and downs of his life, plus the amazing friendships he makes through running.
I hope this helps! Good luck with your blogging, running, weight loss journey. You will do great!
Thank you so much for your comment. I pretty much do all my running alone, and when someone does get on the treadmill next to I'm usually annoyed! How's that for mixed signals, ha!
DeleteI do have a couple running books on my reading list, but haven't started in on any of them yet. Guess I need to get cracking!
Thank you for stopping by, I enjoy reading your blog too.
10K per month is impressive. I get 1000 and I've been blogging for 3 years. But I don't self promote much. And I'm not interested in ad revenue. I read other running blogs though and have some observations. Many blogs are simply indexes to other blogs in order to generate ads. These types of blogs are in fact quite traditional and do very well. They don't appeal to me because they are not creating original content. But they do great in search engines. I notice you have a few blog links that I also have. I have these because I have established a blog relationship via comments with the authors. You'll do well with those.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Ed. I am beginning to realize exactly how atypical my nursing blog experience must have been.
DeleteI picked up most of the links there in the sidebar from other people's pages. I let them stand awhile, and if I enjoy reading them, they stay. If they don't live up to expectation, then I remove them after awhile and look for others.
Hope you have a good day!