Books for the Fall Running Season

A couple of great reads.

The Inner Runner by Dr. Jason Karp

First up, Dr. Jason Karp's The Inner Runner. Unlike most of the running books out there, Dr. Karp does not set up a training program or discuss the various workouts. For anyone who's read running books at all, those tropes are tired beyond belief. What Karp does is give you reasons to run, lots of them, told in a friendly style with the anecdotes woven into the science.

Take his example of the connectivity of running. The premise of his statement is deceptively simple: running is very connective. But then Karp plays with the idea of connectedness, tying it to nature, then people, to effort, and finally to souls. (Okay, that was a bad pun. Couldn't resist.) And, after leading us down into introspection, he lifts the story back up, to the sights and sounds of all the myriad places running can take us.

Even his chapter titles highlight the differences: Heathful Runs; Creative and Imaginative Runs: Productive Runs.

What The Inner Runner does, successfully, is to open the realms of the possible for all runners, by taking a look at facets beyond the optimal 5K program or the latest marathon tweak. It a worthy book for any runner to keep permanently on their shelf.

COMPETE Training Journal (Believe Training Journal) by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas

I didn't realize the newest version of Fleshman's and McGettigan-Dumas' Training Journal was available for pre-order until I caught a tweet from Sally Bergesen of Oiselle.  The authors approach the journal process a bit differently than most. While the basics are there, theyadd (based on last year's version) a heap of perspective and motivation to get you to your goals.

Now, I should back up here a touch - Fleshman and McGettigan-Dumas wrote this journal specifically for women. That does not mean it's soft - no one in their right mind considers Fleshman or McGettigan-Dumas soft. It doesn't mean that males can't use it, just be prepared for feminine pronouns in place of the traditional "he, him, his."

The response to last year's version was very positive from the users. It's unusual to get runners to almost unanimously agree on anything but this training journal (I'm basing my opinion on last year) seems pretty well beloved.  Personally, I liked the quality of the covers and pages. I'm not much for running logs since I'm not actively training any more, but the one I checked out as a gift was just plain welcoming to open and I could see my daughters using it with pleasure.

The Compete Training Journal is a nice tool for those that are looking for something that brings quite a bit more to the table than a spreadsheet. According to Amazon, the book will ship November 1st, in plenty of time for Christmas and the upcoming racing seasons.

The Occasional Diamond Thief by J. A. McLachlan

It's not a running book, I know. Still, it was a darn fun read. I picked up a copy of this novel while on my trip to Calgary (and Jane was kind enough to autograph it for me.) As I wrote in review on Amazon:

What an enjoyable read! J. A. McLachlan crafted an entertaining story centered on teenage Kia, a gifted linguist, and a family secret wrapped in guilt. The story moves with smooth pacing and engaging characters from the death of Kia's father to the planet Malem, with enough twists to keep things interesting and none of it forced. The interactions between Kia and the Select, Agathe, are warm and touching, lending a great deal of humanity to the story.

McLachlan managed a nice trick of building a wonderfully adventurous coming-of-age tale in a science fiction future that blends so seamlessly that she transports you with Kia and the Select Agathe to Malem. Definitely a novel to recommend.

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Disclaimer: I buy these books out of my own money - none have been given to me for review and the authors didn't know that I would be writing a review.

Links from Here and There

I interviewed Tim Tays a couple months ago about his book, Wannabe Distance God. Earlier this week, LetsRun.com ran a review and interview with Tim and named him their second Blue Collar Runner.

Sometimes I wonder what happens at large schools on the East Coast. Having grown up part-time in Maryland, I've got some good guesses. In this case, it certainly looks like the school was acting vindictively. Legally Blind Runner Allowed Back On School Team .

Over at JillWillRun, a tutorial on her garden. I do my own small garden and share with the neighbors. My process is mostly benign neglect and seems to work. Certainly the deer enjoyed it as the poor tomatoes retreated into their cages. Any protruding branches got nubbed at the wire. The habanero peppers were safe though.

Lauren Fleshman has a training journal coming out in a month or two. I'm going to get one to look it over - I handed out a couple of run-of-the-mill logs to a pair of my runners this year. Lauren was one of the few people that I sent a copy of Finishing Kick to, even though she told me she wouldn't have time to read it as a new mom and pro athlete. Okie-dokie, someday she will have time.

I need to get ready for the Inland Empire Klassic meet today over in Lewiston. I'll have some articles on it tomorrow over at InlandXC.com but probably not all the races. They kind of drag on until the middle of the afternoon and I need to be on the work site by 2PM. Don't think I'll get to varsity boys.

A Peachtree Recap

Nope, I did not trek to Atlanta, I did not run the Peachtree 10K with thousands of others. I pretty much swore off races with thousands of others after my second Rock n Roll Marathon in San Diego.

These folks, however, were there.

Lauren Fleshman, "In the Mini I raced scared. I let the top pack go right away, and hid in the safety of splits I felt confident I could hit without dying." II think everybody has had those types of moments. She fixed her problem with a major assist from Davila Linden. Read the article to see how a champion responds to adversity - and how a champion makes those around her better.

What, you thought you were the only one who suffered from indecision? Elite runner Tyler Pennel puts words to page and discussed ditching his plan midway through the race. Read to the end where he talks about the advice he got from a sports psychologist. Then ponder what it might mean for you.

And a report from a mere mortal (if you consider a guy that can knock out the Ulmstead 100 miler) who has a case of nerves at the start. Doubts or not, Brian put it on the line, then shared. Great report.

Enough. Run gently, friends.