Running…Again!

Since the Pittsburgh half-marathon (which I posted about here), I have kept running. I have been doing so for over 5 years, so I didn’t think I’d quit or anything, but it’s always nice to keep going. I’ve been thinking back to the post I wrote regarding books that inspire me when it comes to running. There are many, so I thought at the beginning of the warmer months here in Pittsburgh, that I’d post a few more that help to get me up and out at 5:30am, or out on my lunch break, or out after a long day of work.

John L. Parker Jr. wrote Once a Runner and sold it out of his car at road races and meets until it got picked up by a major publisher. There are stories of battered copies being handed down from one runner to another. I never ran in the track and field capacity, but there are elements of this book that grab you and speak to anyone who has ever run. In addition, if you never ran and don’t plan to, it’s still a cool story about an interesting, kind of wonderfully weird guy. Highly recommended; Parker continued the story of that wonderfully weird guy, Quinten Casssidy, in the sequel to Once a Runner called Again to Carthage. Again, you don’t have to run to read this. Either way, check it out.

Haruki Murakami is known for his novels, but this is a memoir about his life as a runner. It’s abstract at times and always interesting. The approach he has to his life as runner and writer is fascinating and the parallels he draws are fascinating.Publisher’s Weekly called it “a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time.”

Finally, for a bit of “how-to” I point you to Jeff Galloway. Galloway’s Book on Running is a classic in the running “how-to” genre. I like Galloway’s stuff because it’s accessible for runners of all levels, but very well informed and helpful. His tips and information can help a lot!

There you have it, dear Eleventh Stack reader! A few books to kick you in the pants and get you moving. They help me, anyway. Why not walk or run to the local library to get a hold of a few of these titles?

–Eric