010: The Miles Between Pages
Running has a rhythm. So does reading.
Both begin with a spark of intent, the first step on a trail, the first line on a page. Both ask you to keep showing up long after that spark has faded into effort.
On the surface, running and reading might seem worlds apart. One is movement, sweat, and the pounding of feet; the other is stillness, quiet, and the turning of pages.
But the truth is, they share the same muscle. Attention.
And like any muscle, it grows with use.
When I run, I’m not just training my body. I’m training my mind to stay present, through the easy miles and the hard ones, through the moments where I want to stop.
Reading does the same. It keeps me with a story when it drags, challenges me with ideas I don’t instantly understand, and rewards me when I hold on to the end.
Running a marathon or an ultra, any race, really, is not unlike reading a long novel.
You start fresh, brimming with energy, and the first miles fly by. Somewhere in the middle, the pace settles, the chatter in your head grows louder, and it takes effort to keep going. If you make it to the final stretch, there’s a strange mix of exhaustion and clarity, a sense that you’ve been changed in ways that only make sense to you.
Books, like runs, change your perspective.
A great story can put you inside someone else’s life, letting you see the world through different eyes. That shift isn’t just a gift for life off the trails, it’s fuel for running too. It builds empathy for fellow runners, patience with yourself, and a sense that no moment is wasted, even when the miles get slow.
As runners, we train our legs, lungs, and heart. But the mind decides what the body can endure. The best training plans don’t just build fitness, they build the mental habits to face doubt, discomfort, and the unknown.
Reading does exactly that. It slows you down in a world that wants you to rush. It makes you sit with unanswered questions. It teaches you that the middle part, the messy part, is worth staying in. Because that’s where the story changes. That’s just as true in a race as it is on the page.
And that’s why the stories we choose matter. Some of the books that have influenced me most aren’t even about running. They’ve taught me discipline, helped me reframe failure, and reminded me why it’s worth chasing something difficult in the first place.
In my next post, I’ll share five of them — books that have carried me through training blocks, race days, and the quiet miles in between.
Until then, think of your bookshelf as another piece of running kit. The right book won’t replace the miles, but it might just change how you run them.
Let's talk about the books you've read...
The books that have stayed with you, the ones you carry into a run without even meaning to....I’d like to know which stories have found their way into your miles.
