Curated: The 2024 Jealousy List

Four writers and runners I envied this year.

We might first sense jealousy as wonder at what a human can be. Then, instinctively, we hold our own life up to the light of the other and measure. The feelings move from open heart to constricted mind and shift from reverence to resentment.

“I’ll never be that good,” we think.

Jealousy often points to what we admire or desire. The trick, when bitterness hits the palate, is to redirect back to astonishment. I’m getting better at this practice as the years go on—seeing possibility for myself in the vast, churning sea of creativity and accomplishment around me.

It’s a remarkable time to be alive, running, and writing. Here are four people from those worlds who inspired me this year, and how I’ll use what they’ve taught me to help set my compass in 2025.

Run Lightly,
-mike

Writing: Maria Popova

Why I’m jealous… I start every morning with a few websites I know will send me into the day with my imagination firing. “The Marginalian” is always the last browser tab open. I save it, because Maria Popova’s poetic renderings of her readings never fail to fill my heart. Her precious reflections on life ponderings from across generations are timeless in their own right. Start here and get lost.

From jealousy to possibility… I want my readers to look forward to Running Lightly, to miss it when it’s gone and smile when they see it again. If I can edge just a little closer to poetry, maybe we’ll connect in that special place.

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Running: David Roche

Why I’m jealous… It’s easy to find athletes we admire for their achievements in sport. David Roche has plenty of those. What’s less common are runners known as much for the quality of their character as for feats of the feet. With a content and coaching ecosystem that is all about leading with love, Roche sets the bar high for people like me who aspire to reframe what it means to be tough.

From jealousy to possibility… Roche has energized me to shoot my shot in this one, big life, and to go against the grain while doing so, if that’s what it takes. Big running goals—and a determination to help spark yours—are gathering.*

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Writing About Writing: Natalie Goldberg

Why I’m jealous… During a break from booze a decade ago, I read “Writing Down the Bones” and highlighted nearly every page. I was as moved by Natalie Goldberg’s reflections on mindfulness as by her writing approach. This year, I revisited “Bones,” then promptly devoured everything she’s written. Goldberg’s expansive intertwining of Zen principles with life and writing leaves marks. I’ll never be that good (wink, wink), but her work did inspire me to imagine Replace With Running.

From jealousy to possibility… The best that can come of my holding Natalie Goldberg as a bodhisattva of the written word, is that I paint stories with her brand of heart-opening brushstrokes. In this practice, maybe we arrive together at some truth.

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Writing About Running: George Sheehan

Why I’m jealous… My archive runs rife with Sheehan-worship. I have held my dad’s tattered copy of “Running & Being” as near-spiritual text and aspired to be some version of the curmudgeon in running tights, sat at the typewriter. This year, I read the 300-page anthology, “The Essential Sheehan,” lovingly curated by George’s son, and now have another reason to honor the man. In later work, Sheehan—battling terminal prostate cancer—began reflecting on a life spent running alone, and found new joy and meaning in widening his circle. It hit in an unexpected way.

From jealousy to possibility… I’ll continue to set a course for Sheehan Mode, but with a wider aperture. It’s okay to run alone, but not requisite to transcendent experiences. And the tree ring principle of self-protection might benefit from a little softening.

Interested in mindfulness-centered running in 2025?
I offer personalized training plans and am accepting a limited number of 1:1 coaching clients.
Let’s chat: mike [at] runninglightly.com