Eric Walker

If you are looking for a great motivational book to keep you going in whatever you are trying to do look no further. If you are looking for a book about how to run then this might not be what you are looking for but you should pick this one up as well to give you some laughs along your running journey.

The great part about this book is that it is all about the Running journey and exploring why people run and the motivation behind it. By using Brendan’s and others' relatable running stories it frames up challenges all of us face to just get motivated to do things in life. There are always obstacles in the way, better things to do, or thinking we are too busy to do something. As a “runner” myself, I can personally relate to the specific stories of running as no matter how much I love running, being outdoors, It is much better to have the run done and behind me as I too am someone that struggles most of the time to just get out the door. Specific to running, everyone has their own story and reasons why they run and Brendan also explores that as part of the book.

Now I am a fan of Brendan Leonard fan of his work from his site Semi-Rad, and this book did not disappoint. That being said, I have seen some of these graphs before but the rest of the story and context is short, witty, and perfectly sized for most of us to get through in a timely manor.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when he is talking about what he calls the “invisible work” which in the context of the book is all of the miles and hours you put in before a race or event. In fact, for someone like myself who is planning on running a Marathon later this year, I have already run about 37 marathons with the number of miles I have put in so far.

Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. - Chuck Close

Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book more but honestly don’t just take my word for it and pick up a copy from the links on his website. The best thing is it is a smaller-sized book so you can carry it with you on all of your adventures (well maybe not while running) so you can refer to the helpful motivational kick in the butt that is needed from time to time while doing anything. Honestly, I wish I had this book a couple of years back when I was content with just running a 5k a day as some days were harder to get motivated than others. As I am now running longer miles with slightly less frequency, I feel like this book helps keep me motivated to get out there.