What do you do with spare time? I bike. And run. And when I do these things, thoughts fly from my medulla oblongata (or somewhere from this area). Especially with running. No other activity–with the possible exception of tractor driving–makes things more clear for ideation, thinking, or whatever you call it.
Yesterday after a long run, I spent some time looking around at favorite blogs — Church of the Granny Bike | Cycle Chic | Dorthybitestoto’s Blog | Kent’s Bike Blog | Loving The Bike | Pigtailsflying | shebicycles. I sent a twitter shout asking why they blogged. Their 140 character responses:
It provides mental closure to some thoughts and allows me to share others for discussion… I don’t blog as much as i used to, with Twitter for smaller things, but i write longer pieces, post photos… I like to share my thoughts on running (diff workouts, races, tips) and also read others to get motivated or new tips on running… Takes a lot of time, but worth it. If you’re passionate about it, I say go for it… I blog entirely for myself because I love the writing. I use it as a way to record what I think about when I run… My blog is a place where I can tell bigger bike stories than I can on Twitter. It’s more interactive & immediate than a book. I also find the best blogs, like @grannybike @fatcyclist or Jill Homer’s have a real, interesting person behind them. Blogs have more structure and story arc than the “everything that pops into my head” world of Facebook or Twitter… I’ve had nothing but good experiences w/blogging- have met great people & enjoy the creative writing opportunity. I say do it… It’s good record/journal, sharing with family. Although often feels like I am talking to self. :-0 Takes time. I’ve also found consistency in posting is important. Simply because you are thinking about it, means you have something to say … so DO IT! 😀
I’m doing it. @morebikes, @dorthybitestoto, @kentsbike, @pigtailsflying, @lovingthebike, @grannybike… thanks for sharing your experiences.
P.S. more on tractor driving later.
bikerly.wordpress.com 
I agree with you about using running time to think, observe and reflect. Especially if you are running on trails or backroads where you don’t have to worry about traffic or other distractions.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a tractor (30+ years since I moved from Michigan) but I do remember that same sense of brain time. I don’t think people who run with their iPods know what they are missing.
Nicely done man! Welcome to the big bad world of blogging.
A perfect beginning! I am so excited that you have jumped in … and am looking forward to every word, your insights, your “ideation”. Well done, my friend!
What a great post….it’s so nice to have you part of the cycling blog community.
I’m adding it to my RSS feed right now.
Darryl
[…] I also bookmarked a whole pile of blogs. It was a great opportunity to learn something new. Not the normal bicycle maintenance tutorials but stories about people, their bikes and why they ride them. After reading bike blogs for months I wondered if I should start one and be part of the story telling. So I asked some of my favorite bloggers why they did it. Most of their feedback is shared on my first post. […]
Your reverse twitcology worked and I went back in time to read this great post. I recognize many of these names. I found you all much later. Glad I did. Funny thing is did not know about the tractor thing. My coworker/buddy who rides the spring 8 hour as my tag team partner does not do many other races as he tractor pulls instead. From what I can tell there must have been a blog before this one. So I in fact likely did not read your first post. I tried though. You gotta give me that…