Running, Writing, and the Space Between

What do running and writing have in common? More than you might think! Join Rebecca Meek as she explores how hitting the pavement can make room for creativity, perseverance, and those unexpected aha! moments—and how those experiences helped shape Mylze Moore in Summer at Caroling Creek.

I love running.

To be more honest, I love the feeling of having finished a run. The feeling of having moved my body, challenged myself, and sweated out some toxins. The running itself? That’s often hard. Parts of my body ache and twinge, breathing can become difficult, and there’s a constant voice in my head telling me I should stop because this is just. Too. Hard.

But that post-run feeling? It’s what gets the shoes on my feet, the laces tied, and gets me out the door on days when my body tells me it would be better to stay on the couch sipping my coffee.

I recently took an unplanned month off from my running routine. I knew that when I started running again, I would need to ease into it. Hitting it full force would mean risking overuse injuries, and I’ve been down that road before. Since I’d been running three miles at least twice a week before my break, I figured an easy two-miler wouldn’t be too hard on my body, but my muscles were still sore after that first run!

Injuries might be a runner’s worst nightmare, but there are also plenty of other pitfalls to avoid when out on the trails. There may be rocks to trip on, or a hidden hole in the grass. And sprinklers. One might think a little sprinkler would be refreshing on a warm summer morning, but our local park sprinklers are like taking a shower! Keeping my eyes up and knowing what’s coming helps me avoid the “dangers” while also making me feel a bit like Super Mario running the gauntlet of a video game.

What I love most about running is what happens in the background while my feet hit the pavement. As my brain checks out and I focus on my breathing (In-two-three, Out-two-three), my subconscious is working on all the things. Often, I have an aha! moment about a particular problem I’m trying to solve. Even plotlines of new stories and fresh ideas take shape in the back of my brain as I focus on form or pace.

Writing is like that, isn’t it? We love getting the words out on the page, but the process is sometimes drudgery, messy, and uncomfortable, not to mention the distractions that surround us (Instagram, what?). And when we take a break from it, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge to get back into the routine of a regular writing habit. Do too much too quickly, and we run the risk of perhaps not injury, but burnout. Of course, we all have those epiphany moments when the words just flow, but the general discipline of a writing habit must be curated over time, and with intention.

As a plantser (part plotter, part pantser), I like to have a rough outline, while still letting the big ideas take shape on the page. Sitting down to write is, in many ways, like going for a run. As the words begin to fill the page, ideas take shape in the background, which then work their way through my fingers and into the world. But I still have to watch where I’m going, or I might end up tripping over a plot hole.

In my new novel, Summer at Caroling Creek, the main character, Mylze Moore, is an avid runner. Much like me, her discipline of running helps her process the issues going on in her life. As a travel blogger, Mylze escapes her problems and any form of commitment by roaming the world, and her discipline of running is yet another way to “get away from it all.” Yet as the story progresses, we see those aha! moments happen while she’s running, and ultimately, shape the course of her life.

In a world where information comes at us fast and hard, writing and running both offer space for  the background noise to fade away, to allow parts of our brains to work on solutions, process emotions, and activate creativity. As we run our races (figuratively or literally), we create space for lasting change in our lives.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV

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Rebecca Meek is a lover of stories, maker of music, and dreamer of dreams. She writes tales that tell of home, family, and leaving a legacy that matters. When not writing, she can be found paddle boarding with her family, or enjoying a good book. She married her high school sweetheart, and they have three adult children and two cool sons-in-law. She resides in Spokane, Washington. Her debut novel, Summer at Caroling Creek, is now available from Scrivenings Press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title: Summer at Caroling Creek

Genre: Romance

Author: Rebecca Meek

Series: Book 1, Caroling Creek

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Read the first 3 chapters for FREE here.

 

She came to sell a cabin. She never expected to find a place to belong.

Mylze Moore lives to travel. As a travel writer, she has built her career chasing horizons, collecting stories, and leaving before anything can tie her down. But when she and her sister inherit their aunt’s lake cabin in Caroling Creek, Mylze’s next destination comes with peeling paint, unfinished repairs, and a whole lot of family baggage.

The plan is simple: fix the cabin, sell it, and move on.

Contractor Jeff Matthews has other ideas. The cabin is in worse shape than Mylze wants to admit, and her budget, timeline, and enthusiastic DIY confidence may not be enough to save it. His steady competence frustrates her. Her stubborn independence tests him. And neither of them expects their tension to turn into something warmer beneath summer stars and twinkle lights.

But as Caroling Creek begins to feel like home, Mylze must face more than a renovation. Keeping the cabin could deepen the divide with her sister, change the future of her career, and force her to admit that the life she thought she wanted may not be the one her heart has been searching for all along.

Perfect for fans of The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh, The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, and Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter, Summer at Caroling Creek is an inspirational women’s fiction novel with sweet small-town romance, enemies-to-lovers spark, sibling tension, grief and healing, and one determined woman learning that home is sometimes the place you least expect.

Start reading Summer at Caroling Creek today and escape to a summer of second chances, twinkle lights, and love by the lake.