Good morning, without sounding all too predictable, I can’t believe its September. I don’t want to wish my life away, but I’m kind of relieved that there are ‘only’ another four months of what has been a challenging year to get through! 2021 has to be better, doesn’t it?

I’ve been making an effort to read more books during the lockdown. Not magazines or e-books, but actual books. I’ve always been a bookworm, so to be honest; this wasn’t too much of a chore. If I love a book, I’ll finish it in one sitting. I published my first ‘Books I’ve read recently’ post at the start of June. If you didn’t read it, I would recommend checking it out just to find out which books I loved reading before I started to go grey.

Below are the books I read during July and August. Like last time, I’ve also included the books I’m currently reading. Wherever possible, I’ve included links to either the publisher or to the author of each book. I’m actually reaching the bottom of my ‘books to read’ pile so I’ve listed six books I’m thinking about purchasing. If you’ve read any of these books, I’d really appreciate your feedback.

Books I read in July and August

Running up that Hill by Vassos Alexander

Apologies for the inevitable Kate Bush earworm! I loved reading Vassos’ first book – Don’t Stop Me Now’ – and finished reading it in one sitting. It only took me a day to finish reading Vassos’ follow-up book ‘Running up that Hill’.

‘Running up that Hill’ is described as a “celebration of endurance running”. Full disclaimer time, I have no intention of attempting to complete an endurance event. Much as I’d love to try and run further than 26 miles and 385 yards, I don’t think my fragile feet and knees would let me. I’m also terrible at navigating myself so there’s the distinct possibility I’d get horribly lost and would trigger some sort of rescue mission.

I found ‘Running up that Hill’ incredibly easy to read, it’s well written and I love the way the Spartathlon forms what I’d describe the ‘spine’ of the book. Vassos introduces and also interviews a whole series of truly world-class runners. These mini interviews are interspersed with his own real-life stories and race reviews.

So, a great book, one I’m most definitely happy to recommend to everyone.

The Pants of Perspective by Anna McNuff

I knew that I’d love reading ‘The Pants of Perspective’ for two reasons. I’ve been following Anna on twitter for a few years and she is lovely. I’ve visited New Zealand myself and knew that I’d recognise some of the places Anna visited. ‘The Pants of Perspective’ didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed all 412 pages of ‘The Pants of Perspective’ and found myself wondering how on earth Anna had the balls to do what she was doing on a number of occasions. I’m not sure I’d have been brave enough to stay in some of those huts. Reading the book allowed me to forget about the ‘real world’ for a few hours. The kindness and generosity complete strangers showed Anna throughout her journey reminded me that the vast majority of people are good. A timely reminder.

So, thanks Anna for sharing your story and for putting New Zealand back on my travel bucket list. Thanks also for giving me the perfect excuse to share some of the photos I took when I travelled around New Zealand.

Just Finish* by Sean Kachmarski

I’ve been following Sean on twitter for a few months and his energy is endless and his enthusiasm is infectious. Sean very kindly sent me a copy of his book ‘Just Finish’ to read and review. I’m planning on reviewing ‘Just Finish’ separately so I won’t go into too much detail here.

As a slow and proud runner, I found ‘Just Finish’ very easy to relate to. Sean is proud of the fact he is a slow runner. I’ve read a few books where the runners describe themselves as ‘slow’ when the reality is that they are churning out 7-minute or 8-minute miles. Although this is ‘slow’ to some runners, I can only dream of running at this pace.

I found ‘Just Finish’ very easy to read, yet another book I managed to read in one sitting. I would love to have a go at completing one of Sean’s challenges – I love the commemorative photo display Sean produced for Leyla. I’m not going to say more about this as I don’t want to give too much away.

‘Just Finish’ is a great book, one I’m most definitely happy to recommend to everyone.

Eat Sweat Play by Anna Kessel

I started reading this book a couple of years ago but only got as far as Chapter 1; How to bunk a PE lesson: a rough guide. I loved PE and never even thought about bunking off PE so I found the first chapter quite hard to relate to. I rather hastily concluded that the book probably wasn’t for me and put it back on my bookshelf.

When I realised that my supply of lockdown books was getting dangerously low, I decided to have another go at reading ‘Eat Sweat Play’. I found ‘Eat Sweat Play’ quite hard to get into to start with but once I did, I found the book a real eye-opener. It also made me realise that I had a privileged upbringing and that my experiences of sport were probably not the norm. I thought my sporty childhood was normal when it clearly wasn’t.

I think everyone in the sports industry should read ‘Eat Sweat Play’ as let’s face it, sports should be for everyone.

Running the Smoke by Michael McEwan

I finished reading ‘Running the Smoke’ the day I discovered that the 2020 Chicago Marathon had been cancelled due to Covid. I wasn’t sure what to expect reading the stories of 26 different runners who have completed the London Marathon. Let’s face it; I’ve not exactly had positive experiences completing the London Marathon. In 2016 as I hobbled across the finish line in a smidge under six hours I vowed to never stick my name in the ballot again. I figured that I’ve had my turn and I should let others experience what London has to offer. Fast forward a couple of months and I’ve paid £20 to enter the virtual 2020 London Marathon!

So, back to ‘Running the Smoke’. It’s most definitely an inspirational read. I’d rank it as one of the most inspirational running books I’ve read. I found all of the chapters emotional, inspiring, and motivating. A couple of chapters made me well up uncontrollably, one was a little too close to home. I loved the fact that this book was a collection of 26 different runners’ stories and not just one runners story of his/her training for the London Marathon and of their race day experience. I loved the combination of what I’d describe as elite runners and everyday people who ran the London Marathon for a range of reasons. I could definitely relate more to the everyday runners.

Books I’m currently reading

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

I have a suspicion that most runners have already read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I’ve read a few reviews and this book appears to rank highly in the must-read running book category.

I’ve seen the book described as a book that everyone should own. I’ve only read the first two chapters but I can see why it’s such a popular book. I don’t think I’ll be donating this book to my local charity shop when I’ve finished reading it.

Tricurious by Katie King and Laura Fountain

I read this book when it was published in 2015. Katie and Laura left me wanting to book some adult swimming lessons so that I could improve my swimming. They also made me realise that I needed to upgrade my bike to something with functioning gears and brakes. I’d describe Katie and Laura as doers, they make things happen. I’ve always been a thinker. Once I’d come up with a million and one reasons not to book swimming lessons, I stopped dreaming about triathlons.

I’m not making any promises, but I’m currently re-reading Tricurious and I’ve been spending a lot of time researching bike options. It’s a case of can’t run, can possibly cycle. Having said that, I probably need to step away from the Brompton Bikes site as I don’t think buying a Brompton would be very practical.

Books I’m aiming to read this month

And finally, this is where I need a bit of help. I’ve listed six running-related books I suspect I’d enjoy reading. I know that everyone has unique tastes when it comes to books, however, if you’ve read any of these books I’d really appreciate your honest feedback. Are there any books you’d recommend? Are there any I should probably avoid and save my money?

I haven’t included the summary of each of these books here as I didn’t want this blog to turn into yet another of my essays. If you want to find out more about any of these books, please click on the links I’ve provided.

There is No Map in Hell: The Record-Breaking Run Across the Lake District Fells by Steve Birkinshaw

Run or Die: The Inspirational Memoir of the World’s Greatest Ultra-Runner by Kilian Jornet

Why Running Matters: Lessons in Life, Pain and Exhilaration From 5K to the Marathon by Ian Mortimer

Running: Cheaper Than Therapy: A Celebration of Running by Chas Newkey-Burden

401: The Man who Ran 401 Marathons in 401 Days and Changed his Life Forever by Ben Smith

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon by Bart Yasso

Have you read any running-related books recently you’ve enjoyed? If you have, please share your recommendations with me.

Are there any running-related books I should definitely avoid? Please let me know!

**Full disclosure: I was gifted the book marked * all other books I purchased myself. As always, all opinions are my own**

---