As a lifetime reader, and a runner for nearly is long, it’s funny to think that I rarely read books about running or runners. Whether this is a planned habit or merely chance, my often daily escape to the written world rarely touches upon my favorite habit. When offered the chance to enjoy and learn from the experiences of another runner in the book written by Kate Edwards, I figured it would be worth my time. Racing Heart, a runners journey of love, loss, and perseverance, is a story of a woman’s journey from endurance athlete to a non runner with a heart condition.
A somewhat slim novel of just under two hundred pages, Kate shares basic details of her running and athletic career, as well as personal and professional life, before sharing the side effects of and eventual discovery of her health condition. A genetic disease known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which becomes more dangerous with increased heart rate, put an end to her athletic career. As a self described Type-A personality, losing this kind of outlet made a drastic change in her life. Most runners deal with derailment of their training at multiple points in their life, and often deal with the mild chaos that comes with losing a major outlet. This is compounded more so with the concept of losing this hobby for life, with no chance of truly enjoying it in the future.
We are afforded a glimpse into the domino effect of this loss as many of Kate’s friends are athletes and even her job as a physical therapist is tied to the sport. She changes jobs and transforms her whole mindset and outlook on life to heal from the loss and avoid spending the rest of her life mourning running. The story is not overly littered with the technical aspects of running, and can be understood even by those who don’t run. It focuses more on the healing aspect in general and how to transform from a specific focus and outlet to a more generic and less competitive mindset.
The book can be found on Amazon for $14.99.
