Taking Strides With the Turn of a Page
A decade of running, and books on running
I completed a decade of running earlier this year, and it caused me to consider my bookshelves. My eyes perused the sports section filled with books I have collected over the years on running and other activities.
Distance running is a solitary sport. People can run alongside you, but no one can run for you. When I started running over ten years ago, there were not many female distance runners. The roads were often lonely, with a few scattered faces that one looked forward to on long stretches of road. Running groups and marathon coaches weren’t the norm, and the only runners one ran into — aside from at races — were during those solo training runs.
Books offer a refuge in connecting you with people from miles, continents and oceans away. In my early years of running, mainstream literature centered on marathons and distance running was few and far between. It was a treat to read stories from people who were like you and had the same hobbies and passions. People you might have never run into if not for their personal stories reaching you through their pages. Over the years, I have read several hundreds of running books across fictitious accounts and technical books, autobiographies of elite athletes, and memoirs of recreational runners. Books spanning the spectrum of humorous to inspirational, heart wrenching and horrifying accounts and lessons proffered through the experiences of others. Stories about the road have lined my shelves, engaged my mind, and kept my feet happy.
These are the top ten running-related books (in no particular order) I have read over the last decade. I would recommend them to runners who love to read (and also readers who enjoy running).
1) Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley — Like I said, when I started running, there were few women road runners. Heminsley’s memoir was like a breath of fresh air for someone from a non-athletic background who took up sport later in life. She talks about running shoes, sports bras, sunstrokes, intimidating sales assistants, and unhelpful elite runners. Whoever said running was just about putting on your shoes and stepping out the door? When the marathon running wave was at low tide, Heminsley addressed several pertinent issues faced by female distance runners. Her writing is funny, warm and practical.
2) Born to Run by Christopher McDougall — This was my first academic sort of running book, and it almost reads like a thriller. I loved the road of cutting-edge science that McDougall takes us on, as he seeks to unravel the secrets of the world’s greatest distance runners — the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. Who knew what the human body was capable of? When we’re born to run, the secret to happiness is truly right at our feet.
3) From the Mountain to the Ocean by Roshni Rai — Roshni was one of the few women marathoners I knew early on. She had also run several international marathons and 100-kilometer ultrathons. When her book came out, it was from a runner and writer I actually knew and had met, and who also autographed my copy! The book chronicles her journey from the hills of Darjeeling to the seafront of Mumbai. The crux of the memoir is her ongoing effort of bringing opportunities to runners from her native Gorkhaland in Kalimpong. There are many strong runners who cannot afford registration fees, sportswear, running shoes, travel to races, accommodation at the venue, training and nutrition — Roshni strives to make races accessible to all through her non-profit, ‘Run With Roshni’. She epitomizes the community spirit of sports.
4) Running with the Pack by Mark Rowlands — The writer is a philosopher who brings in a different perspective to the sport of distance running. When it’s just you and your thoughts, there’s a lot to think about. Everyone is not consumed with pace, distance, splits, timing — some run for the joy of running. Rowlands’ writing explores the meditative aspect of distance running, and gives you something to think about — both while reading and running.
5) Pants of Perspective by Anna McNuff — The British writer ran 3,000 kilometers in the New Zealand wilderness! And says, “I’m not a ‘real’ runner. I just like to run.” McNuff ran alone for 148 days, along beaches, over mountains and across rivers. She spent nights sleeping in the wild, or was taken into the homes and hearts of the local Kiwis. Her daunting adventure is in stark contrast to the hilarity of her writing. I had the chance to meet Anna in a virtual discussion during the lockdown, and she’s absolutely hilarious and a great person to know and read about.
6) The Best Life Ever by Aditya Shroff — A unique memoir that’s actually a collection of short stories based on the writer’s running experiences. Aditya takes you to his village in Maharashtra, and reminisces about his childhood. The reader runs through farms and bustling cities in an incredible journey across the countryside of India. The stories read as magical musings and life lessons about the finer things in life. A very unique, but brilliantly written book, from this debut author and young runner.
7) Your Pace or Mine by Lisa Jackson — Jackson turned marathoner in her thirties and ultrarunner in her forties, but more than herself, she loves to talk about the people she knows through running. A collection of personal essays, the book is about runners she has met in races around the world. Jackson takes pride in finishing last; what with all her talking and chatting and catching up mid-run. She also wears a flamingo cap while running, so you know to keep an eye out for her. Because running isn’t about the time you do, but the time you have!
8) Miles to Run Before I Sleep by Sumedha Mahajan — Like Heminsley, Mahajan’s book explores the journey of distance running at a time when few women were taking up the sport. She undertook a 1,500 kilometer run from Delhi to Mumbai, with a team of all-male runners, a history of asthma, and no social support. As someone pursuing an endurance sport while battling asthma, I found resonance in Sumedha’s riveting account of the extraordinary feats ordinary people are capable of.
9) Grit: The Major Story by Major DP Singh — There’s so much to love about this book. It’s an autobiography, styled as a graphic novel. Major Singh holds the distinction of being the first blade runner in India. A former officer of the Indian army, he was almost left for dead while fighting at the frontlines of the Kargil War. The tragic loss of a limb notwithstanding, he fought back, and his indomitable spirit oozes with hope, goodwill, and strength.
10) A Dash of Reality by Lee Murray — While nonfiction books in sport are common, running in fiction is hard to come by. The New Zealand writer offers us a breezy take on sports celebrities. The social media era is replete with ambassadors, influencers, face-of-the-events — many of whom might not necessarily partake of the activity they promote and are paid for. Written more than a decade ago, Murray takes a light-hearted and hilarious look at marathon running, through a celebrity runner who needs to actually run to prove she’s right for the job.
The books I read range in genres, styles and forms. Their authors are scattered around the globe, from different ages, genders, nationalities and races. They run in nooks and crannies of the world, in crowded cities and isolated forests, from mountaintops to the lowest plains, in sultry humidity and freezing climes. And they are all bound by running, and have something to share and teach about the sport.
I have intentionally steered away from elite athletes and Olympian distance runners for this compilation. Reading books by recreational or amateur athletes have a different sort of impact for the resonance they offer. We marvel at the achievements of the professionals and admire them from afar. But the amateurs show us they are one of us — people with full-time jobs in non-sporty fields. We train and race alongside managing home and work responsibilities, and do the best we can because we love the sport, even though no one else might be taking us seriously.
Everyone’s running is unique to the runner, but we share so much in our differences. And books open up a world of runners, and their stories on the road and beyond. Where would you go on the next page? Whom would you meet? Read along and run along.
