On Running and Writing

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There is a certain amount of running I like to do before I write. It is between seven and 10 miles at a middling intensity — long enough that I am willing to commit myself to my writing chair when I finish, but not too long that I feel fatigued. I run fast enough to feel sharp and alert, but not so fast that my resolve dissipates because I already coerced myself to do something hard.

Running supports my academic work, particularly my writing. I know I am not alone in this. Movement is such a big part of the writing process for so many of my friends that I think Office Depot should sell sneakers alongside paper.

But why is this the case? Why are writing and running compatible activities for many people? I think there are at least three reasons.

Care of Bodies Matter for Our Minds

There is a 1938 poem by American writer Delmore Schwartz entitled “The Heavy Bear Who Goes with Me.” Schwartz describes the “inescapable animal” who walks with him, hungry and sleepy, “clumsy and lumbering here and there (1).” This “inescapable animal” — or bear — is Schwartz’s own body, which ceaselessly intrudes upon his life.

I often think about this poem when I am tempted to neglect care of my body for the sake of my work. I can’t ignore what Schwartz calls “the withness of the body” or proceed with my writing plans like I am a floating mind. I am inextricably tethered to a bear! I must feed the bear. The bear must sleep. The bear needs to go for a run — preferably seven to 10 miles at a swift pace — so that the bear can sit in her writing chair and pursue a life of the mind.

The precise relationship between body and mind (if there are indeed both bodies and minds) is a question philosophers love to address. I am not going to address it in this column, which is a real act of restraint and kindness for my reader (2). My point is that we can’t ignore our bodies — the inescapable animals that lumber with us. It is easier to think clearly when we are well-fed, rested, and exercised. When the bear is taken care of, we can focus on something else.

Good Writing and Good Running Have Character in Common

One of the hardest parts about endurance running is staying in place, alone with myself, persevering on a task. One of the hardest parts of extended writing is staying in place, alone with myself, and persevering with a task. These are structurally similar practices, even if they appear very different.

Many of the virtues, or excellences of character, that support writing also support running. These include perseverance — “persisting long in something good until it is accomplished (3)” — and patience — the virtue of reacting to slower-than-desired progress toward a goal with a reasonable level of calmness (4). They include the diligence to carefully and attentively persist in good work and the humility to acknowledge one’s limitations and seek help accordingly.

Both activities also require resilience. Runners face setbacks of various sorts, such as injuries and losses, yet maintain effective agency and continue to choose and act in light of the possibility of renewal (5). We show up and run the next day regardless. Writing is the same. Our work is critiqued and sometimes poorly received. The writing process can be protracted and difficult; sometimes the proverbial finish line is unclear. This struggle feels a lot like running.

Many of the habits of mind that support running well also support writing. As such, these can be mutually reinforcing activities. It does not surprise me that many runners write, and many writers run.

Inquiry Begins in Wonder

I have a dumb phone now. It is technically a smartphone, but the only applications it has on it are maps and phone calls. Otherwise, the device is distracting to me and to others, even despite my best intentions and even when I am doing something I love — like my job or spending time with my family. The lights and sounds undermine my attention at every turn.

We live in an age of distraction. This is a social liability — the fact that our habits of attention are transfixed by glowing rectangles instead of the people in front of us. It is an obstacle for quality of life. The “2026 World Happiness Report” names heavy social media use as inversely related to life satisfaction (6). It is also an impediment to intellectual work. Inquiry begins in wonder. You have to pause to ask “why” before you can write anything worthwhile.

One reason why running is so beneficial for my writing is that it offers a daily reprieve from email and a steady stream of information. It places me outdoors away from my devices and provides the opportunity to wonder about things. In this way, running is not so much a break from writing; it is part of the writing process: Read. Run. Draft.

Final Thoughts

Running is an invaluable complement to research and writing. It supports my ability to think clearly and to stay in place, even when I would much rather do something else. For those with other careers, I wonder about how your job interacts with running. Does running make you better at your job, or does it make you worse?

Notes/References

1. Schwartz, D. 1959. The Heavy Bear Who Goes with Me. Selected Poems. New Directions Publishing Corp.
2. Following Aristotle, I am a hylomorphist. The soul is the form of the body, and it is inseparable from the body.
3. Aquinas. 1920. Summa Theologiae II.2.137.1
4. Miller, C.B., Furr, R.M. 2025. Patience: A New Account of a Neglected Virtue. Journal of the American Philosophical Association. 11(1):97-117.
5. Snow, N. 2019. Resilience and Hope as a Democratic Civic Virtue, in Virtues in the Public Square: Citizenship, Civic Friendship, and Duty, ed. James Arthur, pp. 124–139. London: Routledge Press.
6. Helliwell, J.F., Aknin, L.B., Huang, H., Rojas, M., Wang, S., Guerra, V., Danyluk, A. Chapter 2. International Evidence on Happiness and Social Media. World Happiness Report 2026. Web <https://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2026/international-evidence-on-happiness-and-social-media/> Accessed 8 August 2026.

On Running and Writing by Sabrina Little.