So What Do You Like In A Blog?

   Over the last several weeks, I have had the opportunity to read tons of running blogs. Who knew there would be so many!?
   I had already been writing my other blog, "Neanderings", for a couple of years when I took up running last August. Running was such a new adventure for me that I wrote a couple of blog posts about it. Then another couple. It reached the point where all I was really interested in was writing about running. So why not just start a running blog?
   "Strides" came into being in October of 2012 as a result of all this. I had never read another running blog before I started writing one so one day I idly Googled running blogs. And this eventually led me to Running Bloggers!
   Naturally, as you read so many wonderful running blogs, you begin to compare them to your own. It was difficult to see the excellence in other peoples' work and not think that maybe I wasn't doing enough with my own. I don't currently do giveaways or run contests or do polls. Other blogs look very "professional" whereas my blog sports a different color typeface pretty well every post, depending on my mood. 
   Other blogs had very intricate design and graphics, interesting ways of displaying race stats and running mileage, great photo montages and wonderfully descriptive bios. Many were simply well-written---you know, proper grammar, spelling, punctuation---the whole nine yards. Almost all of them had amazing stories to tell. Running is such a transformational thing---in both mind and body---and it was inspiring to hear peoples' stories about the effect it had had on them.
   So what do I like in a blog?
   First and foremost, I like humour. I like to hear stories where, no matter what the outcome, there was some humour to be had. I like people who don't take themselves too seriously and are able to see the lighter sides of situations.
   Secondly, I enjoy hearing about other peoples' trials and tribulations. I enjoy hearing about their struggles with or triumphs over physical ailments and obstacles. I like to hear about their family members and how their running has perhaps affected loved ones.
   Thirdly, I like to hear about some of the technical stuff. I enjoy discovering what kinds of shoes people are using, what training techniques seem to be working, what clothing options there are, what different kinds of races people are running, etc.

   What don't I like in a blog?
   Well, about the only thing I don't like in a blog is numbers. I hate reading blogs where you get streams of data, heart rates, interval numbers, race times, and the like. I've always hated numbers---I probably couldn't tell you what our current mortgage rate is, exactly how much life insurance I have or anything like that. I can deal with and wrap my head around it at the time but then it's gone. So if I'm reading a blog and I come across a paragraph with lots of numbers in it, I quite often jut skip it. If the whole post is like that, then I'll pass over it entirely. Yes, I'm bad! Apart from numbers, though, not much else will temper my enjoyment of a blog.
   So tell me, what do you like in a blog!
   And, while you're at it, happy and healthy running to you all!