As bloggers, we are lucky enough to have a place to share the good and the bad. We put ourselves out there and are vulnerable. But we gain so much by doing so. It is through this sharing that we develop relationships with perfect strangers and bond in a way that many do not understand.
Of all of our readers, we ourselves are probably our most loyal reader. Periodically, we may read through our old posts as if we’re flipping through a childhood photo album. It can be so enlightening.
When I read through my old entries, I have a bit more distance from the events 0f 2007. I can see my progress with more clarity. I still weep for the loss of my old life and the dreams-not-fulfilled but slowly I am gaining the courage to create new dreams.
When YOU read through your blog, what do you see?
When I read the old posts, its almost like someone else wrote them. Sometimes I can’t imagine that I ever felt that way. Odd.
I love this topic!
When I started my blog it had no particular style or direction. When I go back the writing seems very haphazard, but I can recheck my progress about my running and where my head was at the time. I can also pinpoint how some injuries manifested over time, which is really helping now, in that I don’t need to push it every single time I run. It’s OK to back off sometimes.
Jon & Irene: This is exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks!
Who else? Come on folks. I know you are out there. Please share.
I see that I have really tried to learn to be nicer to myself. I am always so hard on myself but now, just after kicking my own ass I try to say something nice about my effort or something. It’s progress. I also see that I have very different goals for my races. I used to prey not to come in last and now I expect to be in the middle of the pack and always on the prowl for the podium.
I’ve never written much about my personal life so there’s nothing there.
This is really got me thinking, so much has happened since I’ve started my blog.
I go back and read my old race reports once in a while. I’m not ready to dig deeper yet… :-)
When I read through my old posts I, like Jon, often wonder who this stranger is that wrote them. My perspective on running, and perhaps life, has changed considerably in the last 4 ½ years. I often use my old blog entries when I plan my strategy for a race, particularly when I ran the same race before.
Sometimes I find myself reading through the backlogs of other bloggers, trying to recall that tidbit of knowledge on a subject of interest or perhaps even to gain insight on how the blogger survived a trial in life that is starring me in the face. Last year when my younger brother’s wife died I found myself reading through your blog, and occasionally finding tidbits that I thought might help him (and me) to deal with this situation.
sometimes I worry that I put too much of a rosy tint on things but when I reread my post they make me laugh and they remind me of things my kids do and things I was thinking of. I have a terrible memory and am unable to recall events with clarity. my blog is almost my memory aid. And I”m not going to forget sadness or car crashes but I don’t need to write about them because they are minor incidents….I want to remember how much joy my life brings me even when my hip hurts or I feel fat…and my blog does that for me.
also cute kids :)
I sometimes get sad reading my early posts, mostly because I was a different runner back then. I miss my old life sometimes but I also see where I went wrong and can learn from those experiences too. So, it’s all good in the end.