Five Running Books On My TBR List

Named one of the best books (and running books) of the year by Real Simple, Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas is the memoir of Olympic runner Alexi Pappas. It’s a tale of grief, depression, trauma, and finding the light, love, and role models to help get through it all. Pappas worked hard to turn tragedy into something victorious and beautiful, and I would really love to read her story.

I am all about the rise of women, and the story of how women broke into and subsequently conquered a “man’s” sport is right up my alley. Author Maggie Mertens follows the trail of the groundbreaking women who are showing us how to challenge and overcome the boundaries every single day and I am here for it.

As a slower runner in a fast world, I love to get motivation from other slower and slow runners. Sometimes it feels like if you can’t meet a pace goal or if you struggle with speed, you don’t belong, so stories like this are incredibly important. Martinus Evans shares how running is for everybody (and every body) and I am incredibly interested to read more about his untraditional journey and how he achieves his running goals!

Perspective is so important, and I’ve heard wonderful things about Alison Mariella Désir’s book on people of color in the running world. Called an “expose on the whiteness of running”, Running While Black has incredible reviews and promises to open up conversations about how to help make the sport equitable for all.

I always say I want to run deep into old age, and Miss Ida Keeling was proof that you can do exactly that. Miss Ida started running at the age of 67, as a way to deal with the brutal murders of her two sons, she went on to show the world that you are never too old to break barriers. Before her passing at 106, she set world records in her age group in both the 60 meter and 100 meter races, a true triumph!