writing like I run + upcoming deadlines A long time ago, an ex was telling me about a friend who was flying cross-country to run a marathon. My next question was something like: “Wow, so he must be competitive?” (if he’s paying for a flight and hotel to do this torturous thing) or "Is there a chance he’ll win?” (because, why else?!) The answer was no. He just liked running. I was not a runner at the time, and I was utterly confused. Not long after, I decided to try this running thing.