Run On Archives - CIEP blog

Run On, the CIEP’s virtual running group, was founded on Facebook two years ago this week. We now have more than 70 members, who post pictures of the scenic backdrops to their runs – our members really do live in some stunning places, from Scotland to Switzerland, Hong Kong to Ecuador, Cornwall to Melbourne – and share running tips and stories, injury woes, and recommendations for listening as they pound the miles. The group contains fell runners, parkrunners, marathon runners, ultra runners, occasional runners, resting runners and retired runners, all of whom offer support and encouragement to each other. If you’re a member of the CIEP and a runner, why don’t you join us?

When an article by Ron Hogan on what writers could learn from runners came up on Jane Friedman’s website in June, Run On members were asked what editors and proofreaders could learn from runners. Their responses fell into six categories:

Build slowly
Take steps to clear your head
Get enough rest
Push through procrastination
Seek a wider network
Now and then, remind yourself why you do it

1. Build slowly

Many a runner has been caught out by training too much too early and ending up with an injury. One member counsels:

Building distance is not unlike growing your business/doing CPD: start off with modest goals and build slow and steady. A good training base for building experience is better than ‘shortcuts’/skipping the fundamentals.

2. Take steps to clear your head

If you’re seeking a breakthrough or inspiration in an area of your work, it makes sense to step away from your desk and do something else. The answer may well come to you in a different environment, particularly if you’re out in the fresh air:

I find running clears my mind and lets me work out problems. These could be related to editing, running my business or planning ahead. I usually run with music, but occasionally listen to the Editing Podcast too, which helps me solve some of these problems, or at least gets me thinking about them on my next run.

When I’m running, when I lose focus on my breath (I try to meditate on it while running), I allow my mind to drift to work issues and mull over what I’m currently editing/writing. I find I can sort through my thoughts on all kinds of issues in that space. It really clears my head for the day ahead.

3. Get enough rest

Few runners run every day. They know it can lead to injury and exhaustion. One Run On member observes:

Rest days are important for runners, and the same is true for editors, especially when your desk is at home seven days a week and the temptation is to keep working. Rest reduces the risk of exhaustion and burnout, and helps us come back to our work refreshed and enthusiastic. We may even work out/spot things we missed before the break. And just like runners may need to take a break because of injury, so editors need to listen to when their editing brain needs a break.

4. Push through procrastination

You’ve planned a run but a nice sit-down seems much more inviting. Just as runners sometimes have to force themselves out of the door, editors and proofreaders sometimes have to spur themselves on to that next chapter or paragraph. But, running or editing, the effort is always worth it.

There are days when I really don’t want to run at all, but I make myself do it because I know how good I’ll feel at the end of the run … a metaphor for pushing through moments of editing procrastination and being rewarded with a job well done, a load off our minds and a happy client in the end?

5. Seek a wider network

Even though runners often train on their own, they find that joining a real or virtual running group inspires them to carry on and offers support when they need it. The CIEP, and other professional groups, work in a similar way for editors and proofreaders.

Even though these are things we often do alone, online support and advice (and occasional real-life meetings) can make us feel part of something much bigger.

6. Now and then, remind yourself why you do it

If you’re a runner, the two comments below will make you itch to get your trainers on and head out. As editors and proofreaders we, too, need to be inspired by each other. Seek out sources of inspiration – such as training, conferences and other networking opportunities, podcasts, blogs, articles and books – so that you can return to work with new fire.

I typically listen to podcasts or music when I run, but when I really want to be in the moment, I unplug and mindfully notice everything around me: sounds, the movement of my body, the alignment of my posture, the smells in the air, the temperature … This attention to detail sharpens and kind of *empowers* my mind, and it reminds me that running is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one – l think editors owe the same level of awareness and mental fortitude to the work our clients give us.

There’s a comparison for me that’s something to do with the value of sustained/focused attention. When I’m running, I become hyper-aware – in a good sense – of my physical state: what’s hurting, what is or isn’t moving smoothly, what effect it has if I change gait or pace or running surface or any other detail. The result is a much greater feeling of control over and harmony with a body that often otherwise feels like it’s working against me due to my chronic condition. I’m doing a very in-depth developmental edit at the moment and there’s a parallel there, with how immersed you become and how that eventually gives you an instinctual feel for the right structure, tone, word choices etc.

Thank you to all the runners who so generously contributed their thoughts to this blog, and the wider membership of Run On who have made the group such a fun, supportive and inspiring place to be over the past two years.

About Run On

Run On, CIEP’s virtual running group, was founded on 13 June 2019. In autumn of that year, we had our inaugural run at the CIEP conference in Aston, Birmingham (pictured). We support CIEP runners through our Facebook Group page.

About the CIEP

The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) is a non-profit body promoting excellence in English language editing. We set and demonstrate editorial standards, and we are a community, training hub and support network for editorial professionals – the people who work to make text accurate, clear and fit for purpose.

Find out more about:

Photo credits: runner by sporlab on Unsplash.

Posted by Abi Saffrey, CIEP blog coordinator.

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the CIEP.

By Cathy Tingle

Editing is an overwhelmingly sedentary profession, and sitting too much doesn’t do you any good, according to a range of authorities including the NHS. If you work alone it can be difficult to motivate yourself to step away from your screen rather than edit one more page. After all, who will know if you do or you don’t? (That same argument can also be used in deciding whether to have another biscuit.)

Thankfully, in May Tanya Gold came up with #StetWalk – a chance for editors to escape their desks, appreciate their outdoor surroundings, get some exercise, and take a picture and report back to the rest of the editing community on Twitter, thereby making it a brilliant accountability group.

But walking isn’t the only way to take a break from editing, or to counteract its effects. Since #StetWalk was launched, #StetCycle, #StetSwim, #StetDance and more have been enjoyed by editors. When #StetRun appeared, I approached the CIEP to discuss launching Run On, a virtual running group.

Reasons for Run On

Why would we bother launching our own group when there’s the whole #Stet thing? Well, to begin with, running can get pretty nerdy: runners like to talk kit, race times and nutrition plans that would bore the pants off everyone else. Few people post a picture of themselves running as their social media avatar because, well, it’s just not very flattering, is it? But you might share a photo in a more restricted group. And running has its highs, undoubtedly, but also its lows. Coping with a frustrating injury. Managing a long-term health issue. Falling over a kerb. These aren’t things you’d necessarily want to tell everyone on Twitter.

Since Run On launched its Facebook group in mid-June we’ve gained 26 members. Not all of them are running at the moment or post updates regularly. We have one member who ran a marathon on her birthday as a treat, and we have another member (me) who thinks 4km is a pretty long way to run all in one go, thank you very much. We chat about all sorts: dolphin-spotting on coastal routes, looking like a beetroot post-exercise, what we listen to while running. Most of all, we aim to be supportive, no matter where members are with their running. Because, as you’ll see below, every runner’s journey is different.

Marieke Krijnen

Running helps me get away from my desk. I love it most for its flexibility (you can run almost everywhere, at any time) and its solitude (running can be done by yourself). Come to think of it, I’m a runner and a freelance editor for the same reasons: I like being alone, and I like having flexibility in terms of schedule and location. Running also provides me with a chance to catch up on my favourite podcasts, like Grammar Girl and The Editing Podcast. It gives me an opportunity to get out of the house, get healthy and enjoy some quality alone time. At the same time, I am very motivated by the support that my edibuddies provide through groups like Run On and the #StetWalk and #StetRun hashtags. It’s wonderful to hear everyone’s stories, get advice and see photos of what everyone encounters while out on their runs!

Luke Finley

I run despite – partly because of – a chronic pain/fatigue condition called fibromyalgia (FM) which I was diagnosed with a decade ago. I’m always conscious that many people live with worse than FM. That said, though, it’s hard not to feel yourself defined by such ever-present pain. For a long time I let it keep me on the sofa, until the realisation dawned that doing nothing also hurt. My son was little then: stepping outside for a ten-minute route round the local cemetery (where I’d be less visible than on the seafront in the other direction) was the easiest form of exercise to fit in. Now, I can run a half-marathon on my best days, and I wouldn’t face the pain – or my working life – without the greater fitness level and the regular dose of endorphins and sea air (yes, I brave the seafront now!) I get from running three or four times a week.

Cally Worden

A dodgy right knee has blighted my previous running attempts, so I’ve always favoured cycling and swimming as low-impact alternatives. But these are more time-hungry, and in a busy day of editing I’m often woefully inactive. So, I decided recently to give running another try; it offers the chance to stretch my body and free my mind in compact pockets of time that can be as intensive or relaxed as I want. And I’ve found that I love it. As a running newbie I’m a hot mess (literally!) by the end of each run, but I return to work invigorated. The old knee injury has flared up, frustrating my plans to build up speed and distance, but the generous support and inspiration from members of the CIEP Run On group has kept me on track while I await a physio appointment – I can’t wait to hit the road again.

Heather Musk

I read an article when I first started running that said, ‘Don’t run to get beach ready, make it part of your life and who you are.’ I laughed at first, never thinking of myself as a runner, so never thinking it could/would be part of who I am. But now, it’s so much a part of who I am I miss it when I have a break and, more surprisingly, my body misses it. As with my editing/writing career, I needed to stop wishing I was that person and start acting like that person.

Running is my ‘me time’ and it’s vital for keeping my head in the right place. It helps me refocus on work when it starts to send my mind fuzzy and provides the best distraction, an open road for as far as I want to go.

Andrew Hodges

I have a ‘stop-start’ relationship with running. Right now, I’m more ‘interval’ than interval training as I recently sprained my ankle running over cobbles by the river Danube. As an editor and translator, I often spend a few months each year in parts of Europe where I used to work/have clients and friends (Germany, Croatia). Running is the perfect sport for these trips away as it is free, doesn’t need planning in advance and is a great way to see a new city. All you need is the right shoes, clothes and – the difficult part – enough motivation to get out the door. I usually sign up for a 10K or half-marathon in a different city each year to keep me focused, but don’t always make it to race day. If I do, managing to keep running all the way is more than victory enough!

Ayesha Chari

I’ve been a runner in my head all my life. I ran competitively in school, then life took over and, quite unintentionally, I turned into a serial walker and swimmer. (Besides, it isn’t easy to run for leisure/pleasure in India; worse, if female.) So, after weeks of walking past the poster of a jogging group, the first scary social thing I did in the UK was to join it!

2016. I decided to give a little back. The Oxford Town and Gown 10K was my first charity run.

2019. Two and a half years since my last run. We moved cities, had a baby, I lost my runner mates, life happened (again!) – and that I’m keeping count reminds me I miss it. Running let me pay it forward to others but, selfishly, also to my future self. It has been my go-to mender and problem-solver, for body and mind, editing or not. Easing back to work after maternity leave is still a struggle; running, even more. I jumped onto the Run On bandwagon in the hope I will be bullied (read: motivated) into my trainers soon.

Run On is open to all CIEP members who are interested in running. Find us on Facebook . Or you can join our extended community on Twitter with the #RunOnEditors hashtag.

Cathy Tingle (DocEditor) is an Advanced Professional Member of the CIEP. In her glory days of running (around the turn of the millennium) she completed marathons in London and Berlin. These days she’s content with trotting to and fro along the sea wall in north Edinburgh.

Picture credit: Luke Finley: Siglion/Sunderland City 10K

Proofread by Victoria Hunt, Entry-Level Member.
Posted by Abi Saffrey, CIEP blog coordinator.