More than a decade ago, I stepped out of a safe career track, leaving a good job as a TV producer. I planned to be with my kids and try freelance editing. But really, I left one job not knowing where I’d end up.  I didn’t expect my running hobby would spark my next career. I’m a slow runner, finishing dead last in every track race I ran. When a friend suggested I list running in my resume, I laughed and said no way. Running has been a piece of my life for decades, but I’d always considered work and play separate.   

As the years passed, I ran on, growing more comfortable with my sport and myself. It seemed natural to write about running and the outdoors world I’d grown to savor. I wrote articles for local running magazines. Then a publisher asked if I’d write a trail running guidebook.

I worried that writing a book about running might spoil my love of the sport. I worried I was too slow a runner to be taken seriously. Luckily, I decided to risk it. So I spent the better part of a year traveling the state, researching trails. I’d run local trails during the week, then when the kids went to school on Fridays, I’d head out of town for a weekend of solo camping, running, and driving.

After putting hundreds of miles on my sneakers and thousands of miles on my car, I finished the book. That spurred another trail guide and now I’m dreaming about a third sporty book. My books about running and the outdoors have helped me balance work and play.

I’m thrilled to approach age 50, my next age group for races, on a path that blends two loves—writing and running.