'Ultimate' writer finds inspiration in running, good health

You can't call Miriam Hill a downer.

The Clearwater retiree is a motivator who pushes with positive prose.

In the last seven years, Hill has discovered a second career as an inspirational author. Her writings so far have been included in 13 of the insanely popular "Chicken Soup" books and four of the "Ultimate" motivational essay series. She takes the travails of brides, shoppers, working moms - even middle school students - and somehow finds a way to tug at strangers' heartstrings.

And, yes, she admits she cries reading her own essays.

Hill's latest, in "The Ultimate Runner" ($14.95, Health Communications Inc.), hits closer to home than most. It explains how her husband and children's passion for running became her own. Short jogs in the late 1970s evolved into annual participation in local road races and trophies for her performance. The exercise she explored as a passing interest became a critical and integral part of her being.

Today, the grandmother of nine chooses to walk instead of run, but she does it every day if possible. "I don't want to create any unnecessary injury," she says. Hill credits walking, regular Bible study and yoga three days a week for keeping her body, mind and writing skills in shape.

"I think I can be more creative when I'm more fit," she says. "I can be more creative when I don't have to worry about doctor's appointments."

Writing wouldn't come as easily without exercise, she says. A lot of Hill's writing ideas come during daily four-mile walks along Edgewater Drive, between Clearwater and Dunedin. It's just heaven," she says of the scenic waterway path across from Caladesi Island State Park.

"You can't feel sorry for yourself out here," she says. "You can't worry about aches and pains out here."

Hill says she won't share how old she is - it's part of her "glass is half full" attitude. She'll disclose only that her three children are in their 40s. She points out others who inspire at an older age, such as her husband, Jim, who is still an active runner. And her neighbor, who is 90-plus, runs circles around people decades younger, she says.

Hill's children and grandchildren also inspire her, and remind her that fitness doesn't have to involve a 26.2-mile marathon or massive weight loss. It's about feeling good and being healthy. Her latest boost came when she took her 11-year-old granddaughter to compete in a science fair. Parents suggested Hill looked more like a mom than a grandma.

"That's a huge payoff," she says of the compliments. "That's better than climbing a mountain."