I will admit that I’m less than halfway through “The Boy Who Runs,” but I wanted to share this with Run Oregon readers because even though I know what happens, this book has captivated me! A few years ago, I interviewed the subject of this book, Julius Achon (read that interview here). I know that he was kidnapped at a young age and forced to serve as a boy soldier in Uganda. I know how he escaped…
Jen A. Miller is an award-winning freelance journalist who is now the New York Times’ “Well” section running writer. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Guardian, Runner’s World, Running Times, Allure and SELF. She’s also author of the running memoir, “Running: A Love Story“ (Amazon), which came out this year. On October 6th, she’s doing a group run then book reading and signing with Mark Remy at the Portland Running Company. The group run starts at…
There’s a new book about a discussion-driving topic in sport: doping. “Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports,” by Mark Johnson, was just released by VeloPress and explores the history and current day controversies of performance-enhancing drugs. The book doesn’t exclusively explore the sport of running (how could it, really), but running has had more than its fair share of … situations. Not all of them were down-low, hide-it-from-WADA scandals…
If you thrive on positivity or need a reminder how fulfilling running can be, you should most definitely get the book Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe by the amazing Becky Wade. A professional runner who feels a strong connection to “the rest of us” – all over the world – this book puts words to that feeling you get when passing another runner. No matter who you are or…
The dream of the sub-2:00 marathon has gotten a lot of attention in the media in the last few years as the marathon world record and “world best” have crept closer to that symbolic milestone than anybody could have anticipated just a decade ago. Several recent non-fiction books have explored the subject, and now an engaging and highly entertaining novel has joined them. “Million Dollar Marathon” by Philip Maffetone with Richard A. Lovett combines running,…
Book: Marathon Journey, An Achilles Story Author: Stephen F. Balsamo Release Date: July 2013 Purchase: Amazon ($7.99) “Perseverance in times of weakness can lead to strength.” Generally, when you think about running books, your mind goes to self-help titles on improving your speed, how to run appropriately on different terrains, or different ways to train. There are so many titles out there that are great and extremely helpful. While I have gone through a couple…
I’m not even waiting until I’m done with Two Hours by Ed Caesar to do a quick post about this book because I am loving it. I had to wait until my husband finished reading it, but I finally got my turn and am about half way through. I’ll post a more thorough review when I’m finished, too, but had to tell you about this book. Part history of the marathon distance and runners that helped…
