TLC: Run The World

I'll be the first to admit that my running has suffered a little bit over the past few months. Maybe I'm burned out and need to try something different, but while shopping for Big Sister's new cross country shoes the other day, I got a little bit of a twinge to run - really run- again.

And to top it off, I started reading Run the World: My 3,500 Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the World by Becky Wade.  

Wade isn't just a recreational runner. She is the real deal: a professional runner who is sponsored by Asics and was invited to the 2016 Olympic Trials for the marathon.   (I immediately googled who would be running the 2016 women's marathon in Rio and was sad to see that Becky didn't make the team).  

This book takes us through the year Wade spent travelling the globe. She not only ran in a variety of locales, but immersed herself in the running culture of each locale, and even met running legends such as Usain Bolt.  In addition to Wade chronicling her year, this book explores a variety of topics that deal with running.  I found myself reading aloud to my family her comments on the Kenyan's diet which includes many carbs, but little protein, a direct contrast to the high protein diets now popular in the United States. 

As I continued to read, there are many people who I want to pass this book on to.  I've tried to refrain from hounding my husband and daughter with passages I want to read aloud to them, and waiting for them to explore this book on their own.  Although Wade's book is about her running journey, I found myself connecting with this book about a sport she is passionate about.

Runners will snap this one up in a heartbeat, but Run The World should appeal to a variety of readers as well. There's plenty for armchair travelers to enjoy as well as memoir-readers, and athletes in any sport can understand her dedication and commitment to running.

Thanks to TLC books for providing a copy of Run the World for me to read. The opinions expressed are, as always, my own.