Running & Hiking Books Spring 2018
If you like to hike or trail run you will be really excited to hear about three new books that all go on sale April 10th. Two of the books focus on the AT (Appalachian Trail). The AT is a 2,189 mile trail that runs up the east coast from Georgia to Maine. It is longest hiking only footpath in the world. I managed to get my hands on an advanced readers copy of the first book a few days before our recent road trip up to Tennessee so of course I took it with me to read on our trip. It seemed very fitting since part of the AT runs through the national park we spent the weekend hiking in.
The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience
If you haven’t read this author before you are missing out. I thought this book would be like her previous books. I thought it would basically just be a memoir of her 2011 FKT (fastest known time) hike on the AT but it surprisingly is much more than that. It is a study of endurance. The author Jennifer Pharr Davis gives readers a brief history lesson on the hikers that have set previous FKT records. She also examines some of the shared traits that these individuals have. Traits that allow them to push through mental and physical pain to reach that next level. Endurance that is needed to set long distance trail records.
North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail
Vegan trail runner Scott Jurek’s book is more of a traditional trail memoir. He writes about his 2015 FKT journey on the AT. Sections of the book are written by Scott’s wife Jenny. She was with him as his support crew. The reader gets an interesting duel perspective of trail. While Scott was running nearly 50 miles every day for 46 days straight his wife Jenny would resupply and drive their van to the next spot where the trail crossed the road to meet him so that Scott would have to carry less food and supplies with him as he ran. Scott’s book is a great read filled with trail magic.
Spoiler Alert
When Scott set this FKT speed record the record he was breaking was Jennifer Pharr Davis’s record. He broke her record by only a few hours.
Something that both authors touch on in their books is that other people thought that they were hiking the trail the wrong way. That by running and trying to set the fastest known time that they were not doing the trail justice and could not appreciate it’s beauty the same way other hikers do that usually take several months to complete the trail. I wish people didn’t have this negative view of what they accomplished and I can relate to this feeling of being judged. In yoga we hear keep it on your own mat meaning focus what you are doing not what others are doing. Our world needs less judgement of others and more positive celebration of others accomplishments. Run your own race.
Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory
The third book that also goes on sale the same day I have not had a chance to read yet. It will be going into my TBR (to be read) stack. I need more of this type of positivity in my life. Deena Kastor is a long distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the women’s marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Deena’s book is about how she reshaped her mind to be more positive and how that reshaped her running career.
If you like this post on books you may also want to check out:
