Day 184: Periodically Speaking

When I worked in advertising, I read more than 30 magazines a month. Some titles I’d have sent to both my home and office, so I wouldn’t have to schlep them back and forth, and I’d never risk missing an issue. I thought nothing of this excessiveness because I would redistribute the books wherever I went, mailing them to my family, leaving them behind in the subway, or dropping them in the recycle bin at work even though everyone knows the office buildings in NYC don’t really recycle.

Then I left advertising and decided to take a break from print media for a while. I’d buy things off the newsstand of course, but the only magazine I got a proper subscription to was Psychology Today. An armchair psychologist needs her bible and this one is mine. I grew to really enjoy the simplicity of an uncluttered mailbox.

Ever since I’ve started running, however, magazines are back in force. It started with a second-hand copy of Runner’s World. A friend gave it to me back in December and I devoured it in a few hours on a cross-country flight. I immediately told my sister that I liked the magazine, hoping she’d take the hint and get me a subscription for my birthday. She did! I was so excited. I think I read the November and December issues about 4x each while I waited for the January issue to arrive in the mail!

Then I joined the NY Road Runners, and they sent me their Annual Marathon Recap, which is a thick publication listing every runner’s name and time, plus articles about the most recent race. I kept it even though I only know one person who ran in the 2009 Marathon. It seemed like something I should hold onto.

Then I signed up for the More and Fitness Half Marathon and a free subscription to one or the other was included in the entrance fee. I picked Fitness, but both started coming anyway in March. At an expo I picked up free copies of Muscle & Performance and Women’s Health magazines. In April I fanned my collection out across the ottoman in my sitting area. Trophies of an active life! Then the May issues arrived too and since I hadn’t read the April issues yet, I started stacking them. The Runner’s Worlds I’d stick in my handbag and carry around me with to read, but the others sat in waiting.

Tonight when I went to my mailbox, there was yet another publication that I didn’t order, New York Runner, a quarterly published by New York Road Runners. OK, stop the madness! There’s a backlog forming! I also have a novel to knock out for book club in a few weeks; I haven’t watched my Netflix in a month; and now I’ve got all this to churn though too? The pressure is too much! And I can't redistribute any of this stuff because I don't know anybody who would be interested in it.

The thing is, I want to read about my new lifestyle and learn; I really do! I want to read the articles and learn about, “Six Pack Secrets” and “9 Best Muscle Building Moves of All Time.” But isn’t that a bit premature? Where’s the article on “How to Hide Water Bottles Effectively in the Park” or “How to Look Your Best for the Finish Line Photo When You’ve Just Run 13.1 in Freezing Rain and Didn’t Carry a Hairbrush?” I’m just saying…

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the free magazines, or that I don’t hope to grow into their editorial sweet spot – but right now, I’m just a little bit intimidated knowing advertisers are targeting me for a lifestyle and accomplishments I haven’t yet achieved. Isn't that sort of deceptive? Headlines like, “5 of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Best Training Secrets?” Oh boy! I'm so not there yet!

For now I'm going to stick with my Runner's World, which gives me practical, relevant information, and Psychology Today, which boasts compelling headlines like, “The Worst Advice I Ever Got,” “5 Rules of Great Gossip,” “When Lust Goes Bust,” and “Caveman Cravings: The Allure of an Ancient Diet." See?! Now, there is an article that totally applies to my life! I'm always craving woolly mammoth short ribs after a big run. How ever did they know..?

It will be fun to check in again in 6 months and see how my editorial evolution may have progressed.