It’s Saturday afternoon. The kids are asleep in the backseat, Jim is carb loading in the driver’s seat, and I’m writing from the passenger seat. In just over an hour, we’ll arrive at the Detroit Free Press Marathon Expo, where roughly 25,000 runners will be picking up their race packets in preparation for Sunday morning’s big race.
While Jim is running a marathon, I’ve also hit a major milestone this week and completed my 50 Books for 50 Years challenge! And while I haven’t been lacing up my shoes to log miles for an upcoming marathon, I have spent the past ten months working toward my reading goal. While reading and marathon running have their fair share of differences, these activities are actually quite similar.
Just as most marathoners begin their training with a goal of finishing their marathon, many readers begin the year by establishing a reading goal of specific genres or a specific number of books they want to read.
To reach either of these goals, both reading and running a marathon require regular practice. One of the most well-known training bits of advice for marathoners is “get your miles in.” Every week, runners in training strive to reach a certain number of miles to perform their best. In the same way, readers are encouraged to read an average of 20 minutes per day to maximize their reading potential.
The more one practices, the more stamina they build, and the faster they get. When Jim ran his first marathon three years ago, he finished with a time of 4 hours 15 minutes. Tomorrow, if everything goes as planned, Jim will cross the finish line with a PR of 3 hours 30 minutes, a time that is 45 minutes faster than his very first marathon, and 7 minutes faster than his most-recent marathon. In terms of reading, it’s no secret that regular practice results in a variety of benefits including greater comprehension, increased vocabulary and reading rates, reduced levels of stress, and so much more.
Lastly, while there are many benefits to glean from reading and running a marathon, the benefits often multiply when done in community, whether it be participating in a running group or joining a book club. According to the book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink, runners’ heartrates tend to sync up when running together. He explains that when people engage in certain physical activities together, like running or singing together in a choir, their heart rates often align due to their social connection and shared experience. This synchronization has been known to enhance performance and promote a sense of camaraderie. And while our heart rates might not necessarily sync up in book club, the community we’re building around a shared experience leaves me with the same sense of fulfillment and camaraderie that runners might feel.
A common saying in the running world is that “the marathon is the victory lap, and the training is the work.” In the reading world, a similar sentiment might be expressed as, “the book is the reward, and the reading is the journey.” This saying emphasizes that while completing a book is a significant achievement, the true growth and enjoyment come from the process of reading itself. Regardless of whether you’re reading or running this week (or both!), enjoy the process and the surplus of benefits that are sure to come along with it.
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