Guest Blogger: Writing about Running
Authors,
I put a call out on the web, asking people who work in various fields or who have certain hobbies to step forth and tell me what bothers them when reading a book that talks about what they do or what they know quite a bit about. Here is one of the responses to my call out. –Mandy M. Roth
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Make Your Writing Stronger Series is professionals in varying fields giving their personal opinions on their area of expertise. These do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog owner.
Writing about Running
I've read a lot of romances where a character goes for a "jog" to clear his or her mind.
That word makes me want to stab my eyes out.
In my non-fiction writing life, I write about running for Runner's World and the New York Times, and I run. A lot. I even won a race once. I have the trophy to prove it.
As much as I understand the need to have characters partake in some physical activity like running to give them taut thighs and six pack abs, I wish some of the descriptions would be more accurate.
So here's some tips for writing about running:
1. Never ever ever call it jogging. Don't have your characters go out for a jog. Don't call them joggers. Just stop it. These are olds words from when distance running went from something those weird skinny people did to a common recreational activity. So leave jogging, jogs and joggers back in the '80s with Aquanet and leg warmers.
2. Don't have your character suddenly run a marathon. Most people spend three to four months training for that 26.2 mile race. So if your hero or heroine is going to run a marathon, you must refer to training somewhere else in the narrative. Hal Higdon [LINK http://www.halhigdon.com/] has been kind enough to put free training schedules on his website. They're great references to see what your character would be up to.
3. On the same note, it's more realistic if a character starts running by racing in a 5k or 10k at max. The Biggest Loser is doing their contestants a disservice by making them run a marathon without having much running experience. Your hero or heroine will be more believable to readers if he or she starts with a shorter race. A lot of people start running with the Couch to 5k program if you'd like another race reference [LINK http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2...]
4. Learn the lingo. Pick up an issue or two of Runner's World, or poke around runnersworld.com to get a sense of the jargon runners use. Just like any other specialty, we have our own language, terms and jokes (man of them about black toenails and trying not to poop your pants during a marathon).
5. Runners cannot eat whatever they want and still stay fit. The 15 pounds I gained while training for my last marathon is a testament to that. On the same note, they can't live on a low cal or low carb diet and train hard. Runner's World's nutrition channel on their website is a great source of information for what your running hero/heroine should be eating.
Obviously a lot of these things aren't going to matter if your character occasional goes for a run (NOT a jog). But if your character is one of the millions who find solace in lacing up and hitting the road, use these tips to make their experience the most realistic possible.
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J. Audrey Miller is the pen name of another JAM who has been writing about running and runners since she ran her first 5k six years ago. Read more about her transition into writing romance at https://jaudreymiller.apostrophenow.com/.
