Run Like a Girl, by Mina Samuels, has “How Strong Women Make Happy Lives” as its subtitle. Although the title is catchy, it’s the subtitle that gives you the essence of the book in just six words.

The author writes from a woman’s perspective about running and other sports. She shares insightful stories about exercise and sports from nearly a hundred women. For example, Rebecca Yzquierdo, whose review of my book Gratitude Power for Runners and Walkers appears in its pages, is featured eight times in Run Like a Girl.

And, although the title may imply that this book by Ms. Samuels is only for female runners, I recommend it to female and male runners (and walkers!) alike. Here are five reasons …

Inspiration

If you are a woman, Run Like a Girl will inspire you to (a) get off the couch and hit the road or trail, (b) stay off the couch, or (c) return to the road or trail after getting sidelined by injury.

If you are a man, this book will inspire you to see from a richer perspective how important running, walking, and other forms of exercise and sport can be to the women in your life.

Education

Run Like a Girl is filled not only with stories of female athletes but also with reports about research that points to the power of running and other sports to transform one’s life.

For example, Samuels cites the excellent book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, which I highly recommend.

Humor

Run Like a Girl is as humorous as it is inspirational and educational. For example, “Chicking the Boys” is the title of chapter 6. And Samuels quotes one female athlete as having said, “I fell in love with the first boy who could run as fast as me on the playground.”

 Here’s another gem:

 ”Where have you had road rash?” is cycling code for, “How serious a rider are you?”

Good Stories

When I reflect on why I enjoyed Run Like a Girl as much as I did, I realized that “good stories” was the core reason.

1. The author has a beautiful fluidity to her writing. So, as I read Run Like a Girl, I felt as if she were talking directly to me.
2. Mina Samuels is an accomplished athlete in her own right, so she knows her subject well — and is passionate about it!
3. Ms. Samuels shares scores of stories from other female athletes, and each story is interesting by itself.

Because of the high quality of the stories in the book, I found myself picking it up, savoring a few stories, and then putting it back down, certain that more good stories were waiting for me later.

Happiness

Finally, Run Like a Girl at its essence is about how running and other sports support one’s happiness, which is near and dear to my heart.

Your Turn

Have you read this book? What did you like about it? What resonated with you? Please share by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

Stephen Covey‘s The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, first published in 1990, is now a classic book in the world of business and self-help. The seven habits are:

• Be Proactive
• Begin with the End in Mind
• Put First Things First
• Think Win/Win
• Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
• Synergize
• Sharpen the Saw

These habits are worthy of consideration for your life as a runner or walker, too. Here are my examples of how to apply these seven habits to your workouts and races.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

• If you are going on a group training run or walk, do not assume that the coaches will have the directions. Print and carry your own directions and map.
• If you see a hazard along your group’s training route, let someone such as a coach know about it. Or protect your fellow trainees from the hazard until everyone has passed.
• If you discover in a training schedule that you should complete a particular kind of workout, then take time to learn why and how you should complete it.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

• Know the chip-time that you want to get when you cross the finish line in an upcoming race.
• Know your flexibility goals for the coming year.
• Know your strength goals for the coming year.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

• Take care of injuries before you take care of improving your performance.
• Take care of form before you take care of improving your performance.
• Take care of your flexibility and core strength before you take care of improving your performance.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

• Encourage fellow runners and walkers as much as you encourage yourself.
• Train to improve others’ running or walking performances in your group training program as much as you train to improve your own performance.
• Race with others as much as you race against yourself.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

• Listen emphatically to others during a training run or walk before sharing your own challenges.
• Make a friend with someone struggling during each race by asking how he or she is doing and inviting him or her to run or walk with you.
• Focus on others’ running or walking challenges posted online before posting your own.

Habit 6: Synergize

• Ask fellow runners or walkers what running or walking tricks they use during workouts.
• Ask fellow racers what they say to themselves to make it to the next intersection or mile marker.
• Share your own tricks with other trainees or racers.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

• Cross-train.
• Have heavy and light running or walking days.
• Focus as much on the mental aspects of running or walking as on the physical aspects.

What would you list under each of these habits? Leave a comment. Thanks!

The head coach for my group-training program made me remember this expression last weekend.

We were about to embark on our final run of the training season prior to an upcoming marathon. And she advised us not to try to cram any last-minute speed work into that run or into weekday outings before the race. Her point was that there was nothing that we could do a week before such a race to significantly improve our chip-times. And she warned us that we could instead hurt ourselves at the last minute by cramming speed work into the end of the training schedule.

I found this to be great advice, and it reminded me of the title of this blog post.

Spelled out, this means that the event is not the true test of a runner or walker but instead that the true test is the “marathon” of preparation that must be pursued prior to the race.

Here are three areas of preparation, the first letters of which spell C-A-N — as in “You CAN do it!”

Cross-training

The marathon is the weeks of cross-training prior to the race. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Am I stretching sufficiently and correctly?”
• “Are my core workouts giving me the strong torso that I need?”
• “Is my weight training building the leg and arm strength that I need?”
• “Are my off-day sports activities complementing my running or walking?”

Apparel

The marathon is the weeks of adjusting what to wear during endurance walks or runs. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Are my shoes the right ones for my gait?”
• “Are my shoes the right size for my feet?”
• “Am I lacing my shoes appropriately?”
• “Are my socks keeping my feet blister-free?”
• “Are my shorts or tights chafing me?”
• “Is my top right for me in terms of fabric and fit?”
• “Is my cap or headband keeping sweat out of my eyes?”

Nutrition

The marathon is the weeks of adjusting what to eat and drink before, during, and after endurance runs or walks. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Can I handle any eating or drinking before my endurance run or walk?”
• “If so, what specifically, and how much, should I eat or drink before my endurance walk or run?”
• “How soon into my endurance run or walk should I start drinking?”
• “How soon into my endurance walk or run should I start eating?”
• “What should I eat and drink during my endurance run or walk?”
• “How much and often should I eat or drink during my endurance walk or run?”
• “Am I sufficiently hydrating while on my endurance runs or walks?”
• “What should I eat and drink after my endurance walk or run?”

What is your marathon before race day? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!