Like many of you readers, I have too many interests and not enough time. Being the industrious person that I am, I have started to combine my hobbies to try to be more efficient. However, because my three favorite activities are running, crocheting (and/or knitting), and reading, the resulting combinations have resulted in varying degrees of success.
Running + Knitting
Susie Hewer might be my new idol.
This incredible woman has run 33 marathons (AND a double-marathon and two ultras!!) to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK in honor of her late mother. Very impressive, especially given that she began running well into her 40s, and ran 5 marathons in 2007 alone to celebrate her 50th birthday. As a marathon runner myself, I just cannot imagine the fight my knees will put up in 30+ years! Kudos to Susie for being an inspirational runner to us all!
However, what makes Susie even more impressive is that she was the first person to ever run a marathon WHILE KNITTING and has set a Guinness World Record for it!! She has also set a record for the longest chain crocheted while running a marathon: 77.4 meters (253 ft.) during the London Marathon in 2010. Miraculously, she still finished in 5 hours 42 minutes, which is just unbelievable!
Check out Susie’s awesome blog Extreme Knitting Redhead for craft ideas, marathon inspiration, and the latest in Alzheimer’s research.
Susie has also inspired a number of other runners to try their hand at the knitting/running combo as well!! David Babcock is one of these people. By the time he finished the 2013 Kansas City Marathon in 5:48, he had a new 12 ft., 1.75 inch scarf to show for it.
Here’s a short, first-person video of one of David’s knitting runs. Check out some others on his awesome blog, Do Not Staple.
After realizing that my multitasking abilities are essentially nonexistent in comparison, I guess I have a lot of practicing to do…
Reading + Running
This is a very difficult task that I have yet to master. Whenever I go to the gym, I see rows of people walking on an inclined treadmill, holding their books open on the console. Now, maybe I struggle with this combo activity because I want to really run for my workout, or because I have a vendetta against treadmills in general (like a mailman, not rain nor sleet nor snow will keep me indoors on a run)….but also because it is just a very, very hard thing to do.
Luckily for you treadmill readers, there is a snazzy new device that syncs the movement of your head and shoulders to your tablet e-readers so it looks as though the material is stationary. Which is actually pretty awesome! Follow this link to go to one of many sites that advertises this device. If anyone tries it, I’d love to hear how it works (Bonus: It’s super stylish)!
Knitting + Reading
This might just be my favorite combo activity, even though (shh) it does involve a bit of cheating. Picture this:
It is a rainy day in Storrs. You click on the lamp, plug in some Christmas lights, and settle down with a piece you are knitting and a good book. But oh no! If you are anything like me, you need to look at the piece you are knitting in order to make some semblance of straight lines and edges. Similarly, I am guessing that you need to actually look at a book in order to read it….
That is, unless you have discovered the wonderful thing that is the audiobook.
There has been many an assigned reading that I would not have gotten through if I could not put in my headphones, pick up my knitting, and float off into the story.
There is something about coming away with a finished scarf or hat or mitten that makes the act of reading so much more satisfying. It can be our way of showing the world that yes! Something productive can come from an afternoon of reading and we should not be ashamed of settling down with a good book and a scarf in the making! I know I’m not!
Thanks for bearing with my especially long post today, and I hope it’s inspired you to find new and exciting ways to combine your own hobbies!