Sometimes a book comes a long right when you need it the most. That’s how I feel about Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning To Run by Alexandra Heminsley. I don’t even know why I bought it – it hadn’t been recommended to me, I hadn’t read about it on a blog or heard about it on a podcast. I was just at my local Barnes and Noble and had a gift card and it sort of hollered out to me somehow.

And I absolutely loved it.

Part memoir, part motivational, and part handbook, Alex’s humor and humility are totally enjoyable. She’s real and one of us, totally relatable and a great story teller, not only letting us into her own false starts and mishaps (my favorite was the snooty running store! I HATE that!), but also informing with great historical info about women in running and some great tips on getting started and staying motivated. She captured so many moments in a race perfectly! I loved this (speaking of crossing the finish line of the London Marathon, her first marathon):

“The finish line seemed to be coming toward me as every part of my body heaved with the final effort and an all-consuming relief that I was about to cross the line. As I approached it, there was only one thought in my mind: I am never, ever doing this again. My feet carried me over the line, and I threw my hands above my head to look up at the red banner. That thought was immediately replaced by another: Next time I could do it faster.” (pg 83)

I have to tell you, I’ve really been working on my attitude heading into this fourth cycle of marathon training, and this book was exactly the shot in the arm that I needed. She reminded me that all runners cycle through rough times, but we run for a reason and we will always come back to that if we allow ourselves the time we need. She managed to tell some funny stories, many poignant ones, and inform on some basic running tips without ever sounding preachy or superior. So yeah, my kind of running book. Because I’m pretty sure if I ran into her in a coffee shop, we would like each other:).

On a very personal note, her relationship with her dad was bitter sweet for me. Although my dad was a marathoner and ran almost every day, I didn’t take up running in earnest until after his death five years ago as a way to cope with my grief.

Every time she went to him for running advice or encouragement I felt a twinge of regret knowing that my dad would have done the same for me. But it was wonderful to read how their relationship grew because of their shared love of running!

I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed every page. Truly. Two thumbs WAY up.