Book Club Friday: A funny book about running

I've slowed down a bit on the reading lately (and picked up on more writing), but I am still well on my way to reaching my goal of 35 books this year.  I will probably reach it by the end of the summer, actually.  I'm totally fine with that.  Fall is busy -- hopefully I'll have a job, plus college football and end-of-season baseball always consume me.

Right now, though, I have very few obligations.  Except to myself.  One of those is working out, and as you all know, I've been spending a lot of time running.  It's rather fitting that my most recent read is all about running ... with a funny twist.

"The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide For Women"

By Dawn Dais

Dawn Dais chronicles her four months of marathon training and shares funny anecdotes along the way.  Within the book are areas to write in your own answers and thoughts about your training.  She suggests a few marathon training schedules, but contrary to some of the reviews on Amazon, I don't think she ever sells herself as an expert or suggests others should follow her exact route.  She did train for a marathon, and she did finish it.

Does that make her a running coach? No.
Does it make her an expert?  No.
Does she offer tips?  Yes, but I occasionally offer cooking tips to my friends, and I did not go to culinary school.
Did it make me laugh?  Oh yes, many times over.
Does it inspire me to continue challenging myself in running?  Yes.

And that's all I was looking for.

I have no illusions that I'm going to run a marathon someday.  At this point, a half is a somewhat distant goal.  But it wasn't too long ago that I decided to try running a 5K, and I was the girl who always joked that if you saw me running, you should call the police because I am being chased.  This is no longer the case, but because of my evolution into running, I related to a lot of the humor and stories Dawn was sharing as she dove into running.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"It's important to realize from the start that running is not a competitive sport. The only person you're really competing against is yourself; and you have to like the odds on that."

-- I think this can be applied to general fitness. Unless you're a professional athlete, there is no competition. The only time I falter in my fitness goals is when I start comparing myself to someone else.  I don't know their story or their journey, and even if I think I do, it's not my business to keep pace with them.

"More than one big moment, your marathon will be a culmination of little moments, subtle changes, and noteworthy milestones.  ... Most of the things you'll learn about yourself, your abilities, and your limits won't come during the actual marathon."

-- This is so true, and it's why I get excited and brag about the little milestones.  A few weeks ago, I increased my weights at BodyPump.  I could feel the change, and I realized I am capable of more than I realized. Last week, when I ran 5.5 miles in less than an hour, you bet I shared that on instagram and facebook. I'm damn proud.

"By far the best part of marathon training is food, food, food. Eat, eat, eat. During training, you can eat whatever you want and you won't gain weight. Now, if you managed to eat, eat, eat like I did, you'll notice you've managed to run hundreds of miles and have not even lost a single pound. It's a bit discouraging. But who cares about weight loss when you can eat a banana split at 2 AM without a bit of hesitation?"

-- When I'm more active, I definitely eat more.  And I don't feel bad about that.  Obviously, my body needs it.  I am in better shape than I was six months ago even though I'm five pounds heavier.  So ... take that.

And I loved this, which was toward the end of the book ...

There are plenty more good snippets, but I read the book on a kindle, so finding the funny passages isn't as easy as if it was a paperback.  All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and it made me feel better about my own running workouts and goals.  I think that's what Dawn had in mind when she wrote it.