Thinking...

First off, I *have* been running; just because there's been no posts doesn't mean there's been no runs. (My high school English teachers are all cringing at that last sentence.)

I've been faithfully logging the miles at dailymile.com—even the ones that I didn't use my Nike+ for, like the Milan trip.

The question has become: what is the purpose of this blog?
From a workout perspective, I have tracking, social interaction & challenges with Nike+. I also have some of the same functionality with dailymile.com, which is somewhat redundant, but also complimentary. Twitter is the absolute BOMB for moment-to-moment, real-time interaction—its ephemeral nature simultaneously one of its best qualities as well as its biggest downfalls. I usually save my more researched posts for the Hella Sound blog, which leaves Slow Mofo for more informal, stream-of-conscious banter/fodder.

If I were a really good writer and had interesting things to share (like her or him or her or him or her or her or her or him) there wouldn't be a question about the purpose of this blog. But frankly, I don't think I deliver the goods as consistently—or with the authority—that those folks do.

I'm not sure what y'all get out of reading this blog, or what I may offer that's different; I can only speak from my side. What I get our of this blog is a sense of connection with you guys. Every blog has a sort of community, and while this one is more like a few folks sitting around a campfire (and less like a 1,000-person conference), it's still something that I feel is incredibly valuable. I don't feel like I get that same thing at the various social sites (dailymile.com, Nike+, or even Facebook).

I love doing post-race wrap-ups. I get a big kick out of that. But I think I'm going to abstain from doing the day-to-day run logging here and keep them in the sites I mentioned above. Hopefully I'll discover a wonderful, exciting purpose for Slow Mofo and rededicate my efforts. But until I do, don't think I've abandoned this monkey; I'm just rethinking.

3 Brilliant Remarks:

  1. Alicia A said...

    I love your blog, John... keep the running reports here! Just seeing your struggles reminds me that I'm not alone in mine... helps me work through some of the stuff I battle!

  2. Ali, that's ridiculously sweet--thank you.

  3. I checked your log out at dailymile. You've been really cranking away at the 8-9 milers!

    For that matter, I also checked out the hella sound blog. Not sure why I haven't read that one before - but I really like it. Learning is phun.

    I used to post almost daily running updates of my various pains, victories, and struggles while on the run. I came to find out that there was only so much that could happen on a 3 mile recovery run. The good thing is that I still like reading each of your streams of consciousness and think that personal blogs such as these are just that - an outlet to connect with other similar streams of consciousness.

    No matter what your ultimate direction is, we'll be here!