I started this blog on January 1, 2015 (here’s that first post), and haven’t missed a day since. The original intent was to see if I was up to the challenge of posting every day for 31 days.
When I got to 31 days I said to myself why not try for 50 days, which became 100, then 365, and now the goal is Cal Ripken’s streak of 2,632 consecutive games. I’m currently at 1,666. If my calculations are correct, I’ll break Ripken’s streak on March 17, 2022. (As if I needed a reason to drink green beer on St. Patty’s Day!)
However, jborden.com was not my first attempt at blogging.
That started way back in July, 2012. The site still exists, but it only has a total of five posts. I named the site Sportsographies, and the goal was to write reviews of all the great sports biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies that I have read, going back to when I was a teenager.
But I quickly found out that writing a good book review is hard, and required a skill I’m not sure I had. As a result, I was not posting as frequently as I had hoped.
So I decided to start another blog about a month later, focused on my obsession with the Wall Street Journal. I thought it would be helpful for me, and my students, to provide brief summaries of my favorite stories from the WSJ every day. The clever name I gave to the blog was thewsjblogger.com (here is the first post I created – surprisingly the links to the WSJ still work!).
I also used that blog to write about things other than just the WSJ, such as my favorite videos or commercials. It was an easy way to dip my feet into the world of daily blogging, but it did not require much original thought or creativity.
I maintained my daily WSJ updates on the blog for a year and then I decided it was time to stop. I kept the blog going for occasional posts, but such posts were afterthoughts.
But when I saw a 31-day write and run challenge from Matt and Christine Frazier, I thought it seemed like a good time to get back into blogging, but this time writing my own material. As noted above, that was back in January 2015, and while I may not be running anymore, I haven’t stopped writing.
Since I will likely be taking down the Sportographies web site, I plan to repost those five blogs here over the next few weeks. That way I’ll still have a record of my first attempt at blogging, and I’ll be able to share those posts with some new readers.
So my blogging journey has not been a smooth one; it’s had its starts and stops, but all those early attempts helped me get to where I’m at today.
Borden's Blather 
🙂 In regards to blogging, we all had somewhat of a rocky start.
Also, it is nice to see that you are fully devoted to this blog of yours.
Keep blogging, my friend!
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thanks, Renard. It’s thanks to the support of people like you that makes it easier to keep on blogging!
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🙂 You are welcome, Jim.
We bloggers need to stick together and support each other.
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that’s what I’m learning!
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I feel like both writing and running are good for the soul. What caused you to stop running? Just lack of interest? I used to run a lot, but I haven’t been able to so much since I’ve herniated that disc. Kind of bobbing motion hurts my neck.
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I stopped running because of bad knees, so now I use a stationary bike and a rowing machine to get in my cardio. Sorry about the herniated disc; is that something that will improve over time?
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It’s already improved a lot, but I’ll probably always have a bit of a weakness and need to be cautious. Bikes are good. Good for you keeping that heart healthy. 💪
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glad to hear it’s gotten better.
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Amazing how far you’ve come )
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thanks, Beth!
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I could never write one post for each day every day… I’m afraid I might run out of ideas! Then again… I never did try that one before.
Keep blogging, and keep on writing!
Have a nice day.
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That was my worry when my goal was to do it for 31 days. I guess at this point I’m always thinking, reading, and observing for possible ideas. Admittedly, some days are easier than others, and as a result, some posts are better than others. But at this point, daily blogging has become a habit, plus I don’t want to break the streak!
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Keep on going! 😀
And if you’re ever going on vacation on a remote island with no internet connection, make sure to schedule your posts ahead of time. 🙂
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Every day. That’s quite an achievement!
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achievement/obsession; there’s a fine line!
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I, too, fell into the habit of posting everyday. At first it was just the release of pent up ideas and thoughts that had gone unwritten for a long time. Then it became more of a habit. Then like you it became a recognizable streak. Yes, the push for daily content leads to some entries being better than others, but that is based on our own view of the writings value. There is no way to know how even your perceived worst posts may have greatly impacted another reader. I plan to be around to see you break the record in March of 2022. I have great confidence you will achieve your goal!
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Thanks for your confidence, Brad. And I wish the best to you with your blogging as well.
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