Why Did I Write a Book?

Hello and welcome to this blog!

Someone recently asked me why I decided to write a book. I was a little taken aback by the question. I mean, why wouldn’t I write a book?

I have had one heck of a journey. I’ve run marathons in all 50 states and on each of the seven continents. I’ve have some pretty exciting tales to tell, just in the travel aspect alone.

But back to my friend’s question. Why did I write a book? Like the running goals I accomplished, I didn’t start on a mission to record my around-the-world running journey. As I began to experience the highs and lows that unfolded during my trek across the U.S. and overseas, I realized I wanted to record what was happening as sort of a legacy for my children.

I thought a blog might be the easiest way to do this, but I’m not that tech savvy. I never got around to setting up a blog account, even though I tried at one point. Instead, I combined all of my adventures, as well as my accomplishments, into the form of an old-fashioned book. And I am glad that I did! It’s a legacy my children, grandchildren, and generations beyond can pass down. That may be wishful thinking on my part. I can hear it now….. “Ummm…Great Grandma was crazy! She ran 150 marathons around the world?!? How embarrassing!) Well, for better or worse, it is all documented now.

(And who knew the whole book-writing process would finally be the reason I actually followed through with the whole blog thing.)

Another reason I wanted to record my journey was to inspire others. The goals I set through running challenged me like nothing else. This is a story of persistence. When I started my journey, I had just one goal – to qualify for the Boston Marathon. It took me more than five years of full-out effort before I ticked off this monumental achievement. While I was working on making this dream a reality, I began to notice other doors of opportunity opening. I didn’t sit back. I proactively created and chased my larger-than-life running goals one at a time. As my dreams became reality, I began to change – for the better.

My main message of inspiration is not to go out and run as many marathons as possible. It’s to set some sort of goal. Your goal may not have anything at all to do with running. What I found, was that as I was setting and achieving personal goals, I was becoming more fulfilled and happier as a person. This sense of happiness spilled over into my family life. Though it was extremely difficult to balance my goals with my super sized family, the effort was worth it. I was enjoying life more and my family could tell. We all benefited from my running journey.

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This post was written by Michelle Walker