Recently I feel like I’ve had a bit of ‘bloggers block’. I feel like I’ve lost my way a bit with my writing and have lacked the motivation that I used to have to sit down at the laptop and write a post. I’m not sure where it started to be honest. I’ve been super busy at work over the last few months and I think that’s probably had something to do with it, but it certainly isn’t just that.
While I haven’t been doing that much writing, I’ve certainly been doing a lot of thinking. Should I redesign the site to make it look more professional? Should I be doing more product reviews? Should I be going along to more blogger events to meet fellow bloggers or new brands. Should I be looking to try and monetise my blog – a lot of people seem to be doing that these days? I don’t really fit into the typical fitness blogger profile – I’m in my early 40s, size 12-14 with some fat I’d like to lose – why is anyone even reading my posts? Maybe I should just call it a day with the blogging?
While all these questions have been floating around in my head I’ve been drawn back to one. Why do I blog?
This blog started as a diary of my training for my first marathon back in 2012. I found that I enjoyed writing and the interaction that it brought with other people. So after I’d completed that marathon I decided to carry on blogging and sharing my fitness and fat loss progress. I might now be working on my first unassisted pull up rather than my first marathon but at the heart of it this blog has always been about my personal journey.
As my readers and followers have grown I’ve come to the attention of PR agencies and some fitness brands. I’ve been offered some great opportunities to review products, take part in events, meet other fitness bloggers and had some lovely free goodies thrown my way. I enjoy that side of blogging of course, but it’s not why I started this blog and I certainly see that as a side benefit and not the main reason for writing From Snickers to Marathon.
I try to pick the opportunities that I accept carefully and make sure that they ‘fit’ with my blog. This is a record of my fitness journey and while I’ve had the odd diversion to talk about my favourite leggings, the latest protein powder that I’ve been sent to try out or a class that I’ve been along to, in the main when I talk about products its because I genuinely use them day to day rather than because I’ve been sent them to review. There are lots of people out there writing magazine type blogs, far better than I ever could and I have no intention of this blog going in that direction.
Over the last week it’s almost as if ‘The Universe’ has known what’s been going on in my head and has decided to help me find an answer. (By the way – I don’t really believe I that kind of stuff, but sometimes things happen and it does make you think)
Firstly fellow fitness blogger Lucy Lunges included one of my posts in her April Favourite Reads. It’s always nice to know that someone has enjoyed reading what you’ve written – especially when it was a spontaneous post and not one that I’d sat and planned out.
Secondly I found out that I’d been featured in a list of ‘Top 50 Fitness Bloggers’ by Voucher Codes Pro. That kind of blew my mind a little bit, especially when I saw the company that I was in. My own fat loss coach Julia Buckley and my Weight Lifting coach Strength Ambassadors were also on the list. It was also lovely to read about why they’d included me on the list. It really did make my day.
And finally I woke up on Saturday morning to find a new comment on my blog.
Hi Becca, I just spent the past three days binge-reading your entire blog from the very beginning. It is so inspiring what you’ve achieved and has inspired me to get moving and into running. I have signed up for a 5K run in July and hope to get to the point down the line where I can run in a marathon like you. By any chance do you know of other similar blogs that talk about running training from scratch? I want to get as many beginner’s perspectives as I can and will certainly be referring back to your blog as I go along, i find it so motivating!
Sorry for the long gush. You are awesome.
That. That right there is absolute best thing about writing this blog and the reason I will keep blogging. The idea that reading about my journey has inspired someone else to get into fitness is just fantastic. So thank you Ashley and I hope you have fun training for your first 5K.
So while this blog may not be professionally designed or look particularly sleek, while I might not fit the ‘typical’ fitness blogger profile I do have a story to tell. And I’m going to keep telling it.
Sharing my progress, and hopefully along the way inspiring other people is definitely what it’s all about.
From Strength to Strength 
It looks like you are self-hosted all ready? I switched to self hosted about a year ago and re-building my audience has been a challenge.
I switched so I could sell products that I make and not so much to monetize my blog. I have started posted affiliate links in hopes that I can cover my operating costs. Not even worried about making a profit.
If you are self hosted and have this momentum you might want to consider a few options to “monetize” your blog. I have found it challenging, but some folks turn it into a lucrative career.
Andy
Oh I’m not looking to turn this blog into a career Andy it was just one of the questions that I asked myself. I know several people who make a small amount of money from adverts and affiliate links on their pages and it’s something I’ve considered but not yet pursued in a big way.
Becca, I know sometime it is easy to doubt yourself and wonder why people want to read your blog. So as someone who has followed you almost from the beginning (VLM 2012), let me tell you that I continue to read your blog because a) it is well written b) it constantly reminds me what can be done with a positive attitude and c) because what you have achieved is awesome – just awesome. Don’t ever stop blogging about you….that’s the story everyone comes back to read….you!!!
Thanks Peter. That might be the nicest comment that anyone has ever written on my blog. Really appreciate it 🙂
Your blog is great, keep going with it, I always enjoy reading it 🙂 I think sometimes the best posts are the ones you spontaneously write without too much planning.
Hello,
As someone who has read your blog for a number of years.
Just wanted to say two things:
1. I will probably read it for as long as you write it.
2. I probably find it less relevant to me that I used to – the reason for this is because I particularly emphasised with which the difficulties you had in your early days leading up to your first marathon. I found a lot of blogs from people who have multiple marathons and are super fit and that just isn’t me. So it was nice to see someone writing about “normal” people trying to achieve something. Also I read it from the running angle which seems less and less the focus. I have never been too crazy into lifting weights nor high-intensity fitness which seems where this blog is now heading.
Hi there
Thanks for commenting. It’s great to know that you enjoy reading my blog and identified with my marathon training. I guess as my fitness journey has gone on, running has featured less as I’ve got more into strength training. But the running is still there – it’s just not the only thing I do these days. Hopefully you’ll still find something of interest here though.
Thanks again.