Reading for Running Inspiration

How “Running with a Police Escort” Got Me Moving Again!

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a love-hate relationship with running. I love that thing people call “runner’s high.” I HATE the process; the pounding of the pavement; the time it takes to find that “runner’s high.”

I’ve slogged my way up and down the Custis Trail; I’ve struggled with races including the Marine Corps 10K and the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

In an effort to find that elusive runner’s high, I’ve helped with or co-led the Library’s Reading and Running program in partnership with DC Road Runners.

Reading and Running aims to include helpful seminars and reading lists. The reading list usually includes things like “Running with Kenyans” or “Run! 26.2: Stories of Blisters and Bliss.”

But I wanted a book that spoke to runners like me. Runners who don’t always find it easy or fun; runners who aren’t competitive in the traditional sense; runners who just focus on one foot in front of the other. That’s when I found Jill Grunenwald’s “Running with a Police Escort: Tales from the Back of the Pack.” It was perfect!

Just one small problem… the last Reading and Running took place in May, 2016. Grunenwald’s book didn’t come out until January, 2017. I made a mental note, and have had it on my to-read list since then.

Eight months later and I just finished “Running with a Police Escort.” Grunenwald’s candid and laugh-out-loud chronicles of her adventures in running have re-inspired me to embark on another Couch to 5K training program. Every struggling runner should pick this book up.

Better yet, all those elite runners who breeze by the rest of us should pick it up. It might just give you a peek into the back of the pack.

Oh, and I did I mention that Jill Grunenwald is a librarian? Perfect for this running librarian!

 

What books are inspiring you?