I’d like to start by saying good morning, good afternoon, good evening, etc, and happy Monday! If you entered the ballot for the 2023 London Marathon, I really do hope that you get some good news today. I can’t believe that after a long, rainy weekend, I’m back thinking about dry weather. I also can’t believe how long it took me to finish this blog. I hope that everyone who reads this latest selection of book reviews had a fab weekend.

One of my 2022 New Year’s Resolutions was to read more books. Not just running related books, but all of the books that I’ve purchased and never found made the time to read. Since the start of the first lockdown in 2020, books have provided me with a much-needed temporary break from what’s happening in the real world. Books have also provided my eyes with a break from my laptop in the evenings. If you haven’t already done so, please check the rest of my ‘Books I’ve read recently’ posts.

Books I’ve read recently #1 | Books I’ve read recently #2 | Books I’ve read recently #3 | Books I’ve read recently #4 | Books I’ve read recently #5 | Books I’ve read recently #6

Below are short reviews of the running related books I read between June and September. Although I’ve been reading a lot of books this year, I’m not a book blogger, so I decided to stick to reviews of running(ish) related books on this blog. I’ve also included the books I’m currently reading. Wherever possible, I’ve included links to either the publisher or the author of each book rather than to Amazon.

Books I read between June and September

Running for our Lives by Rachel Ann Cullen

In Books read recently #4, I shared a short review of Rachel Ann Cullen’s first book; ‘Running for my Life’.

‘Running for our Lives’ is Cullen’s third book and is described as a collection of stories of ordinary runners who have overcome extraordinary adversity. The author makes it clear that the people interviewed are not celebrities or elite runners but are people who are living ordinary lives with one thing in common, they have all found solace in running.

Although I know from personal experience how much of a positive influence running can have, I felt slightly anxious when I started reading ‘Running for our Lives’. I’m not sure why, but I suspect that at least some of my anxiety stemmed from the fact that in the past I’ve been guilty of comparing myself to others and feeling as if my own issues are insignificant compared to the huge challenges and difficulties other people overcome.

Despite my concerns, I enjoyed reading ‘Running for our Lives’ and found many of the stories a lot more relatable than I was expecting. I found it refreshing to read how running has had the same positive impact on other people, and how running has helped countless others overcome difficult events in their lives. Some of the stories are harrowing at times and difficult to read, particularly the final story, but ‘Running for our Lives’ is ultimately uplifting.

‘Running for our Lives’ was a useful reminder of how lucky we are to have running in our lives and how there are many people out there dealing with the challenges using running as a coping mechanism. The book serves as a reminder to spend a minute recognising that the people we run with may well be dealing with their own battles. I think that all runners should read ‘Running for our Lives’.

Fast Girls by Elise Hooper

‘Fast Girls’ is a factual based but fictional book that outlines the story of American women’s track and field from the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, followed by the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, culminating in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The book follows three young American women; Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes, and Helen Stephens, who qualified as members of the American women’s track and field 1936 Olympic team. ‘Fast Girls’ alternates between these three women and their inspirational stories, the author Elise Hooper traces their histories from childhood to reveal the challenges each had to overcome as women to make it to the 1936 Olympics.

The women had to cope with prejudice and the patronising attitudes of those who believed that athletics damaged women both psychologically and physically, poverty, racism, extreme sexism, and a whole host of other issues. Helen Stephens, a farm girl from rural Missouri who was a newcomer to the 1936 team even had to deal with claims she was not all she seemed to be.

Helen Stephens running on track [William Woods University]

[Source]

I found ‘Fast Girls’ captivating but quite shocking in places, I felt deeply for Betty, Louise, and Helen. The book made me feel glad that times have changed for women and their rights since the 1930s. Although sections of the book were uncomfortable to read, I found myself silently cheering for Betty, Louise, and Helen as they overcame the countless challenges they faced.

If you have an interest in the history of women’s athletics or in the history of the Olympics, I will go as far as to describe ‘Fast Girls’ as a book you must read. I don’t want to give too much away, but sadly elements of ‘Fast Girls’ are still relevant today.

Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men’s Cross Country Team by Chris Lear

When I recently asked for running book recommendations, several people recommended ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ by Chris Lear.

The premise of ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ is simple; Chris Lear followed the University of Colorado cross country team for a season. The book details every day in the life of the men’s cross country team, it starts in the summer months when it wasn’t clear who the stars of the Buffaloes would be and culminates at the 1998 NCAA cross country championships.

I’ll never be a competitive runner and I suspect that my cross country running days are behind me, but I found ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ inspirational. I found it difficult to put the book down. By the end of the book, I was immersed in the hopes and dreams of the Buffaloes and was keen to discover the fate of the team at the NCAA championships.

I’ve seen ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ described as a book written for “serious runners” and “competitive runners”. I don’t agree. Yes, the training sessions that form a large and important part of ‘Running with the Buffaloes’ are at a level and intensity I found difficult to comprehend, however, I think that pretty much any runner will find the insight into the training sessions the Buffaloes completed fascinating.

If you’re looking for a unique insight into the dedication it takes to become a competitive cross country runner, I would recommend ‘Running with the Buffaloes’. If you think you’ll find the occasional slightly disparaging comment about average runners offensive or disheartening, then you might need to skip a couple of sections of ‘Running with the Buffaloes’.

I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion by Brendan Leonard

I’m not going to lie, my initial impression of ‘I Hate Running and You Can Too’ wasn’t overly positive. Probably because I thought I’d inadvertency purchased what on first impressions appeared to be quite possibly the world’s smallest running book; something aimed at children rather than adults. And then I started reading the book and it was very much a case of carry on reading.

I read this book in one sitting. I loved all of the quotes, the diagrams, and the comics. I loved the fact that the book doesn’t take itself seriously. I loved how accessible and relatable the book is. The author, Brendan Leonard “Semi-Rad” is hilarious, but he knows what he is talking about, provides great advice for runners, and is far more motivational than I was expecting. Sorry, Brendan!

The book is filled with quotes, including several from respected members of the running community:

“If you find yourself hating running and quitting early, just keep at it. Running takes time to become enjoyable. It’s not a surgical strike; it’s a war of attrition” – Matthew Inman (aka The Oatmeal).

If you’re looking for a ‘serious’ running book, I’d suggest you don’t rush out and buy ‘I Hate Running and You Can Too’. If you’re looking for a light-hearted book that is easy to read and hard to put down, then I’d recommend you consider purchasing this book. I would let you have my copy but given how frequently I seem to fall out of love with running, I think I should hold onto it.

Check out Semi-Rad here, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A while ago I pondered introducing a third category to this series of ‘Books I’ve read recently’ posts. I thought about naming this category something along the lines of ‘Books I tried to read several times but gave up reading’, ‘Books I found too difficult to read’, or ‘Books I started to read but just couldn’t get into’.

I didn’t realise that in the book world, the term for failing to finish a book is the same as the term for failing to finish a race; ‘DNF’ (did not finish).

Books I that I ‘DNF’ (did not finish) 

A Beautiful Work in Progress by Mirna Valerio

I feel terrible writing this and I don’t want this review to sound overly negative, but after three failed attempts at trying and failing to read ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress’ – I found it impossible to ‘get into’ the book – I decided to put the book back on my bookshelf.

I never want to ‘DNF’ a book, but I found the construction of ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress’ so poor it distracted from the narrative of the book. The author Mirna Valerio is clearly a highly accomplished individual who has an incredibly interesting story to tell, I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to get into the book. After three failed attempts at trying to read the book, I reluctantly decided to call it day.

I read some reviews of ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress’ on Goodreads and must say that I felt quite relieved when I discovered others have struggled with the construction of the book and that I’m not the only person who has failed to finish the book.

Anyway, enough negativity! If anyone who reads this would like my pretty much unread copy of ‘A Beautiful Work in Progress’ please message me.

Books I’m currently reading  

One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake

A few months ago, I came away from the local charity bookshop with a pile of cycling related books. I’ve realised this makes it sound like I pinched the books; I promise that I did pay for them. I’m halfway through ‘One More Croissant for the Road’ and I’m afraid that I’m finding the book too repetitive for my liking. Much as I admire the author Felicity Cloake for having the confidence to embark on such a long and at times tough journey around France, it doesn’t make me want to travel to France, and France is already one of my favourite travel destinations. As for some of the regional French culinary specialities, the author is definitely a lot braver than I am!

My Hidden Race by Anyika Onuora

When I read this interview with Anyika Onuora in The Guardian, I knew that I had to buy Anyika’s autobiography; ‘My Hidden Race’. ‘My Hidden Race’ is described as offering a stark – and disturbing – glimpse into the fight that black, female athletes still face in their everyday life and career and, in the era of Black Lives Matter and Me Too, asks serious questions of British Society and sport. I’ve only read the first two chapters; Life Lessons and Things Fall Apart and I already know that ‘My Hidden Race’ is an important and powerful sports autobiography that should be widely read.

Books I’m aiming to read next 

As I’ve now reached the bottom of my pile of running books, I’ve been checking out the local charity bookshops in Four Oaks and Lichfield regularly. I’ve said it before, but I like the idea of not knowing what I’ll find when I go into a bookshop. I’ve also been keeping a lookout for book recommendations on social media, and if I’m offered the opportunity to review a book, I’m always going to say yes as I love reading!

Would you like to read any of the books I’ve reviewed here? If you’d like to read any of the books I’ve reviewed here, please let me know and I’ll send you my copy.

Have you read any running-related books recently you’ve enjoyed? With apologies for the repeat question but I’m always on the lookout for running-related book recommendations.

**Full disclosure: I purchased all of the books reviewed in this post myself. As always, all opinions and typos are my own** 

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