It’s been a busy week, but I’m still happily reading.
I was devastated at the end of last week. The run club I had so loved over the last three years showed it wasn’t worthy of that love. That left me sad. I was so sad that my partner was worried I’d never run again.
There’s a big long story here that I don’t have the space to go into. But the long and the short of it was that I was almost always running alone when I showed up to group runs. I’m a slow runner, and I had found I was unhappy as a slow runner simply because I couldn’t consistently get anyone to run with me. And after a run where I pushed myself too hard to work towards a pace that would get me company, I posted asking if we as a club could really call ourselves an all paces welcome club. It didn’t go well for me or any of the slow runners who were still a part of the club.
I struggled with what would be next for me and running. I took a few days off and still felt the itch. So on Monday, I ran. But this time I ran without a certain pace in mind. I just ran to run. And that felt good.
The next day, three slow runners joined me and we went at a pace comfortable for the slowest of the four. And that felt good.
Quitting my run club made running feel good again. Who would have guessed that one?
I don’t know where it goes from here. I’m just following the path of what feels good for my running journey and seeing where it leads me. That’s all I need right now.
And with that, it’s time to get to what I have been reading.
Reading Social Media News
This feels very duh to me, but the latest research shows that the more social your brand is on social media, the more reach you will get. It’s as simple as seeing your posts as the start of conversations and talk with those who comment. Do some give and take just like a normal conversation, and more people will see your posts. Just pushing your posts at people and leaving them out there to flounder is never going to get you anywhere.
I loved these six SEO truths from Search Engine Land. I’ve felt for a long time if you focused on good SEO that the AI visibility would happen. The problem is that most haven’t been focused on good SEO so they’re chasing on the next thing. If you’re skipping over SEO, you’re probably not going to do good AEO either. Get back to basics before it’s too late.
Reading Books, Books and More Books
Past
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow seemed like well-trod territory. Girl who came from nothing discovers a pathway towards being a hero with romance along the way. If it had just been that, I think I would have had a hard time reading it. But I loved reading it. There were a lot of things that I can say now were foreshadowed along the way, but I didn’t pick up on them. That’s strange for me since I usually pick up on everything. So I hadn’t fully guessed at the reveal. It may have been a well-known story but the twists made it feel new again. I fully enjoyed the journey. Score: B+
Present
Next up on my Alix E. Harrow journey is The Everlasting. Look, I’m calling this a journey, but it will only be two books. I’ve kept another book I had meant to read by now for two months. I need to move on from Harrow and read this book before the library starts sending me angry messages again. It’s been a few weeks since they have sent me those messages. I’d like to be on good terms with them. In the meantime, I’m gonna enjoy this last Harrow journey book and hope that unread book is good as well.
What are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?