The Best Books About Running for Health and Happiness (plus a few blogs and some podcasts)
Feeding the active mind, inspiring adventures, and staying connected to purpose
A classic article in The Atlantic suggests why there's such a strong and enduring affinity between writing and running: "Freedom, consciousness, and wildness: Running offers writers escape with purpose", wrote Nick Ripatrazone. I agree, and I'd like to suggest that the converse is also true. Literature offers runners escape with purpose. Whether it's books or other media, taking in stories and perspectives can enrich the experience of running or whatever your chosen activity is. Staying motivated, staying curious, staying interested, and working through mental and physical challenges is greatly aided by a robust reading list. This might sound romantic, but it's also practical. Sometimes the best next step isn't an adjustment to training or nutrition or even sleep (did I just say that??). Sometimes it's finding something that rekindles purpose.
An exhaustive running bibliography would be exhausting to curate- you'd run out of shelf space (especially if you're sharing it with your running shoes). Many excellent running books are for learning and developing technical knowledge-- but they're not on this list. This list is a grab bag (or perhaps I should say a drop bag?) of media about the culture, soul, pain, and joy of the sport we call running. It's for books to bring on vacation and things to listen to on your road trip. It's not comprehensive-- it's curated. Please enjoy it in that spirit!
Books:
If you’re looking for books to support you in running for health and happiness, rather than for medals and glory, you’re looking at the right list. You'll likely recognize the name of every author on this list, but have you read this book?
Christopher McDougall: Running with Sherman. You've probably already read Born To Run, which was thoroughly hyped but also extremely compelling. Running With Sherman takes McDougall's passion for running and signature storytelling and adds a loving exploration of human/animal relationships.
Haruki Murakami: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. This is a real runner's book. People who feel running in their souls will get this. It's not about training or being fast or achieving. It's just about running. Murakami is primarily known as a prolific novelist with a bit of a magical realist bent, and that somehow makes sense even though this is nonfiction firmly grounded in reality.
Alexi Pappas: Bravey. This is a poetic book for a new generation. It feels entirely honest, even raw, but has a joyful thrust to it. It also engages with mental health in a direct clear way, and this helps to create a larger cultural space for discussion and acceptance.
Deena Kastor: Let Your Mind Run. Lots of pros write memoirs; this one is especially lovely. There's a humanity to it that's utterly relatable yet also inspiring. This book is also an illustration of how positive thinking can be powerful in running-- even if saying that out loud would normally make you roll your eyes.
Adharanand Finn: The Rise of the Ultra Runners, Running with the Kenyans, The Way of the Runner. These are all good. They're kind of like ethnographies of running cultures, expertly written. Immersion in another world for a while sound good? Finn will deliver.
Matt Fitzgerald: Running the Dream. He's written an absurd number of books, including memoirs, pop-psychology advice, and training guides, and this one serves as a little of three, while also being wildly entertaining. If you've ever fantasized about what it would be like to be a pro, this will be your jam. I especially enjoyed the audiobook version.
Blogs & Websites
Sometimes you need something bite-sized to fill a few minutes. The internet can really deliver here, as long as you keep your wits about you.
Trail Sisters Journal: Women runners (including me!) contribute personal stories as well as tips and adventure reports to this blog, giving in a strong community vibe
Tempo Journal: is a slick online magazine covering both elite and everyday runners and running. It's just. . . cool.
Like the Wind is a print magazine (what??), but also shares content online. They focus on telling stories and also have incredible visuals. It's old-school.
Runner's Life (on medium): This Medium publication shares variety of voices and everything from form tips to personal reflections on the sport. You can also find some of my articles here, alongside articles by seasoned runners and coaches, newbies, physical therapists, and more.
Audio Content
Have podcasts jumped the shark? Not for runners, who have hours of time to fill during long solo runs. This is a very saturated space, but a few authentic voices really stand out to me. I especially value hearing women's voices!
Becoming Ultra pairs runners with accomplished ultrarunning coaches as they prepare for their first ultra-- and shares calls between runners, coaches, and host/coach Scott Jones during their training. It's like being a fly on the wall in these informal and very informative calls (complete with "you're on mute" and other various sound issues). The runners are vulnerable. They grow. They learn. The coaches are smart, supportive, and frequently funny. Hillary Allen, also of Trail Society (below), is one of the coaches and I am Here. For. It.
Trail Society is a conversation among three accomplished female ultrarunners taking on the science, culture, and experience of trail running with a decidedly female focus. It's excellent. Part of the Freetrail platform headed by Dylan Bowman (who I'm pretty sure I passed in Forest Park yesterday-- hi, D-Bo!)
Some Work All Play is a joyful explosion of training science, coaching wisdom, silliness, and advocacy from two extremely successful coaches (who are also married to each other). They talk fast and you might have to listen twice to get it all (but it's worth it).
Chasing Cutoffs is host Ben Mead's loveletter to back-of-the-pack runners. It takes a different kind of toughness and endurance, and these stories are the best ones.
Do you have a favorite that's not on the list? Is there a book that inspires you to run for health and happiness? Let me know on twitter (@theknightnurse)!
