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For today's episode we got to read another fictional running story. These are rare but we've enjoyed every single one we read so far and this one was no exception.

Toeing the start line of the 1983 Boston Marathon, Cooper McKenzie (the main character) finds himself in a race to make meaning of his troubled, unimpressive life. Cooper McKenzie is contending with the stark realities of middle age—he is fully disenchanted with his career, he is struggling to meet the financial needs of his young family, and he has accumulated an unbearable number of “what ifs” and regrets. Staring down a serious medical diagnosis, Cooper takes inventory of the pivotal moments of his life—things left unfinished, unfortunate outcomes, and a negative sense of self. He resolves to rewrite his script of failure even as his own body is failing him. A story of resilience builds as Cooper makes his way to the start of the Boston Marathon to run a distance he has never attempted, let alone completed. His reasons for risking it all to finish are painfully clear, but with such high stakes, finishing could mean the end. The Road to Redemption captures a personal journey that is altogether universal. We must traverse our lived experience, particularly those moments of vulnerability and shame, to reach the end goal of knowing the truth of what we can do and who we are.

In this episode we had two guests... Tom's son, Matt Fitzgerald (yes, the same Matt Fitzgerald who has written more than 30 books about endurance), was there to help with questions if needed and Tom's other son, Sean, was in the background to help set up the technology. I guess we had 3 guests? 

Tom Fitzgerald doesn't always write about running but has his own impressive resume. He has authored a wide-ranging collection of impactful books, including the bestselling novel Chocolate Charlie, the popular fitness title Get Tough!, and the critically acclaimed Poor Richard's Lament. Raised in Upstate New York on the St. Lawrence River, Fitzgerald completed a series of solo open-water swims in his late teens and early 20s before joining the United States Navy and serving in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. He later ran the Boston Marathon three times. Fitzgerald began working on Road to Redemption (originally titled A Private Agony) in 1982, completing the novel after a lengthy hiatus at the urging of the second of his three sons, Matt Fitzgerald, himself the author of many books on running.

If you'd like to learn more about the author, his website is: https://www.kingsleybooks.info

If you'd like to see some of the oth

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Here we are again with another recap episode. Alan and Liz chat about their last ten reads and we've also linked the full episode for each book in case you want to hear more!

If you're behind in your listening then this episode is for you. You can get a feel for each of the last 10 books, before going back to the episodes in order of which books you're most interested in.

Unbound, by Bill Donahue 

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/16892720

Run Less Run Faster, by Bill Pierce and Scott Mur

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17210285

What If?, by Ashley Varley

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17210375

Believe Training Journal, by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17284114

Chasing Mastery, by Matt Fitzgerald

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17343771

Mud, Sweat and Bears, by Harriet Gaywood

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17397837

Feet In The Clouds, by Richard Askwith

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17528270

How To Run, by Scott F. Parker

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17621086

Marathon Mindset, by Erica Rasmussen

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17676440

Stroke of Luck, by Steven Kelly

Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17925455

You probably noticed we talked about a book Liz is reading that was not reviewed yet called The Running Shaped Hole. If you’re interested in learning more about that then you can find it on the publisher’s website here: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459749054-the-running-shape

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Recently, a trend has captured public attention: female athletes have been beating the strongest male contenders, in the toughest races in the world, races designed for men. In Ultra Women, the authors (who are themselves endurance athletes) delve into the surprising science of sporting performance to explore the physiological and psychological differences between the sexes. They ask: could fat stores and muscle type (and capacity for not sleeping) really give women an edge over men in ultra long distances? And what roles are played by pace, preparation, and motherhood? Speaking to elite athletes, historians and scientists, the book unearths the largely unknown past of female endurance, from hunter- gathering to the early 20th Century discipline of pedestrianism and we get to meet some amazing women who have done amazing things.

These bios are not going to do justice to these two women because they do a lot more than we could cover in the number of characters allowed in this description, but here it goes! 

Lily Canter is a freelance running, fitness and  adventure travel journalist writing for Runner’s  World, Live for the Outdoors, Women’s Health,  The Guardian and Metro. She is an England  Athletics running coach and founder of  women’s only club Great Bowden Runners. She  competes in ultra marathons and canicrosses  with her dog. Instagram: @lilycanter 

Emma Wilkinson is an award-winning  freelance journalist specialising in medicine,  science and health. She has written for the  Sunday Times, BBC, Pulse, the BMJ and Lancet  among others. Emma lives in Sheffield and runs  up hills for fun. Instagram: @emmawjourno 

If you're interested in getting a copy of this book for yourself then you can find it on Amazon or directly on the publishers website here: https://www.canburypress.com/products/presale-ultra-women-by-lily-canter-and-emma-wilkinson-isbn-9781914487101?srsltid=AfmBOopm-PGhLV9ZE2vjNfl-wobGtYreNsxyJ2F_VNPUtgLWH1VGzlsy

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Chasing The Grid is the story of the authors physical and spiritual journey running in the Catskill Mountains. Originally wanting to beat the record for climbing all 35 peaks in one outing, Kenneth Posner got injured on his second attempt and needed to find a new goal for his running. His new goal came from a chance encounter while in the mountains he loved, and it’s the main subject of this book!

Kenneth Posner’s running credentials include completing 110 races of marathon distance or longer and setting fastest known times for the 294-mile Badwater Double in Death Valley and New York’s 350-mile Long Path. As a barefoot athlete, he has run 112 races, climbed 485 mountains, including every 4,000-footer in the Northeast, and thru-hiked the John Muir Trail. As board chair for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Run Wild, Inc., he supports land conservation and stewardship and advocates for connecting young people with nature. Following service as a US Army infantry officer, his business career now spans 30 years as a Wall Street analyst and corporate executive. He is currently serving as senior vice president of strategic planning and investor relations at Mr. Cooper Group, the nation’s largest mortgage servicer.

If you’d like to read the book for yourself you can find links to this one and his other work here: https://www.barefootken.com

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Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics is a chronicle of passion and rediscovery—the emotional story of a dedicated competitive runner, Steven Kelly, whose participation in the sport spans fifty years. As a teenager, Steve searches for his niche while dealing with challenges that will be familiar to many families. After he discovers running, it soon becomes part of his identity. Steve’s adventures take him across North America and Europe, and he fulfills a lifelong dream by running in the 2001 Boston Marathon. Along the way, Steve comes to realize that much of his personal success is due to the enduring presence of running in his life. A series of strokes threaten not only Steve’s athletic pursuits but his life. By eventually returning to the road, he realizes new opportunities for growth. 

Steven Kelly is a semi-retired chemical engineer and a dedicated amateur runner, who has competed in road races for almost fifty years. He grew up in a working-class city in Ontario. Telling the story of his recovery from a series of strokes has allowed Steve to pursue another of his lifelong interests, non-fiction writing. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, and while he still enjoys running along the river pathways, it is now at a slower pace and usually includes photography. 

If you’d like to get a copy of the book, it’s available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/eTW5ggd

Steven's blog with some of his photos can be found here: https://mysecondrunninglife.com/about-the-blog/

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Marathon Mindset is Erica’s story of becoming a runner while on a 100 pound weight loss journey.  She also talks about her past struggles with an eating disorder, anxiety and depression which started in high school. Through her running journey, Erica learned 5 lessons which she brings to the rest of her life: Grit, Grind, Grace, Growth and Gratitude.

Erica is a mom who unexpectedly became a marathon runner. She also took on the challenge to run a race in all 50 states by age 50 and wants to complete all of the 6 original marathon majors. She has made it her mission to inspire others to go for their goals and not get too discouraged if there are doubts and challenges along the way.

During the episode we mentioned a Ted Talk about mindset where Carol Dweck talks about the idea of growth and fixed mindset. Here is the link if you'd like to see it for yourself: https://youtu.be/hiiEeMN7vbQ?feature=shared

If you'd like to get a copy of the book, you can find it here: https://a.co/d/jiWb3ep

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Giving an overview of this book is complicated. It’s like giving an overview of what running is… where do you start? What kind of running are we talking about? Trail? Road? Ultrarunning? This book is also misnamed because it won’t teach you how to run. You likely need to already be a runner and have opinions about running for it to speak to you. The short answer is that this book is a collection of poems and short essays about running. Most of them express Scott’s love for running, but there are also a few “rants” in there for those that like some controversy.

Scott F. Parker is the author of The Joy of Running qua Running, Run for Your Life: A Manifesto, Running after Prefontaine, and the picture book Run for Fun. His work has appeared in Runner's World, Running Times, and many other publications. He writes the On the Run series for Sport Literate.

If you'd like to learn more about Scott and see what else he's writing about, you can find him here: https://www.scottfparker.com/books

You can find the book on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/iFE0Yf1

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Feet in the Clouds is a deep dive into the world of fell running. It talks about the history of the sport, some of its GOATs like Bill Teasdale and Kenny Stuart, and professional vs amateur races. At the same time, the author tells the story of his own journey in fell running and his quest to complete the Bob Graham Round in under 24 hours.

Richard Askwith is a UK Northamptonshire-based journalist and author whose passions include running, outdoor adventure and the traditions and ordinary people of the English countryside. He has written six books including Running Free and Today We Die a Little (the story of famous Czech Runner Emil Zatopek and the subject of a previous episode which you can listen to here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/8948352 ).

You can learn more about Richard and find all his other books by going to his website: https://richardaskwith.co.uk/books/

If you’re interested in reading the book for yourself and want a copy, you can find it here on Amazon: https://a.co/d/aa87ajc

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Mud, Sweat and Bears is mostly about the author, Harriet Gaywood’s, ultra racing experience in 2024. Before you think the book is going to be about conquering a hundred-miler or any other single race distance, I’ll let you know that Harriet’s 2024 race season had 1850k of official race kilometers with many races of 100k or more. Harriet races all over Asia, and shares her experience as well as the things she learned along the way about:

·      Kit essentials

·      Nutrition

·      Training

Harriet Gaywood was born and educated in the UK but has been living and working in Asia for nearly 30 years. She took up trail-running in her 40’s and as we’ll hear, has run many trail ultra-marathons around Asia. Her 2024 racing year has let her qualify for the 2025 UTMB and she has also recently decided to start her own business so she can spend more time in the trails.

You can find Harriet online at https://www.trailingaroundasia.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB9vILeoGfy9XMh7gaaKH6g

IG: https://www.instagram.com/trailingaroundasia?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

If you’re interested in getting a copy of the book for herself, you can find it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7ZN5g0r

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