Date: January 26, 2009
To: Bradley Dilger
From: Bradley Dilger
Subject: I am a runner

Bradley,

For my autobiographical assignment I want to write about my life as a
runner. I've been a serious runner since I started graduate school. I
ran a marathon in 2006 and I've run several half marathons and 5K
races since then. These days I run twice a week, at least, and I track
my running online. It is my core exercise, a way to make and keep
friends (I'm part of a local runners' group), and a way to challenge
my body, critical since most of the work I do as a professor is
indoors, in a chair.

I am considering a few events to center or at least start this
work. On the plus side from long ago, the day in high school when I
realized I was a pretty fast runner. I wrote about this on my weblog:
http://wrecking.org/cbd/2008/06/18/faster/. I could also talk about my
running partners, Sonya (from graduate school) and Doug (current),
both hilarious in their own ways. But that might be better for my
biographical assignment... on the negative side, hitting 208 lbs when
I was in graduate school. Oh man did I look and feel awful. I've
recovered from that, thankfully, and running is a large part of the
reason why. Another possible negative is the Achilles injury I had
last year, which I'm just now recovering from fully. That turns
positive though, because it changed the way I think about training and
(sentimental alert) made me appreciate how much I like and value
running.

Several texts have influenced me. I recently read Haruki Murakami's
WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING. Super book, a story of
his running and writing life. As a runner and writer I am totally into
it. I have a stack of RUNNERS WORLD magazines at home. They are filled
with articles about exemplary runners: an 80-year old who runs three
hour marathons, people in the military who run in Iraq and
Afghanistan, legendary figures like Kathrine Switzer, Steve
Prefontaine, Jim Fixx. All inspiring, but more interesting to me than
that, like Murakami's book, which isn't the story of a superstar, just
one person and the way running means something to them. Like Murakami,
I aim to share with my readers what I feel when I'm on the road.

Thanks,
Bradley