I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of Off The Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam, and some advice in the most recent chapter made me reflect on my running.
Vanderkam speaks about memories, and how the years can blur together because our mind consolidates similar experiences so that instead of remembering every commute to work, we remember them as a single composite.
It’s unique experiences that create new, distinct memories that can help us feel like we have done more with the hours of our lives.
I love traditions and had not realized until I heard this advice that my love of running repeat routes or races might actually be diminishing the memories I have of running.
The half marathons I have only run once stand out in more detail in my mind. The annual 5ks and the half marathon race I ran four times are more lumped together when I recall them.
Sometimes this repetition is nice. There are certain running routes that I associate with certain periods in my life. The sidewalk route that I tended to run with the double jogging stroller. The easy, relatively flat route I chose to train for my first half marathon and never deviated from, running a little further each time before turning back. The scenic riverside route that curves through the woods. While the individual runs layer together into one memory that I conjure of each place, the repetition makes each route easier to recall.
We’ve visited New York City, and what stands out in my mind are the different shows we’ve seen and the different places we’ve seen. When we repeat experiences at restaurants, the meals stand out less upon later recollection, even if the buffalo mushrooms at PS Kitchen are worth having on repeat.
While I will always love visiting favorite hotels or restaurants when I travel, this advice about creating unique memories encourages me to plan for more adventures.
We will run races again. We will travel again. We will eat inside restaurants again. When we do, I think I may plan to create some truly new memories instead of just layering upon my old favorites.