Research

In an earlier post I talked about my reputation for jumping in with 2 feet without really knowing what I'm getting myself into. That's actually only half true.

The two-feet-all-in part is definitely true. It's rare that you won't be able to find something that I'm super uber passionate about right now. Those new to these passionate exclamations though, can sometimes be surprised to learn that just because I was fully dedicated heart and soul to an idea yesterday does not mean that I will be tomorrow (or sometimes an hour later).

The part that isn't true is that I don't know what I'm getting myself into. Once something catches my fancy, the very first thing I do is buy at least 4 books about it. Books on the following topics can all be found on my bookshelves; how to negotiate, how to motivate, how to meditate, how to pick a dog breed, how to buy a dog, how to care for a puppy when you first bring him home (we haven't actually got a dog but if we ever make the decision to get one, I'll know what to do), how to knit (something that I actually stuck with), travel books for every place I've ever visited, how to pass your GMAT, how to apply to MBA schools ( I never did this either), how to lead teams, how to hack (of course), lots and lots of cookbooks and many many more.

You won't be surprised to learn that all of these books have just been joined by a few books on running. I focused initially on books targeted at women who like to run. I chose to run rather than do another sport because I won't have to compete against anyone other than myself. I find that books targeted to women focus less on the speed and the winning so decided to start there.

The first book I'd like to mention is the Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running. The author is a would-be professional runner, which I initially found a little off-putting. She regrets not quite making the 2 hour 50 minute time needed to get her into the Olympic trials and that's not exactly something I can relate to. However, once I got past the introduction and starting reading the content (yes I'm the person who reads the foreword, the introduction and the acknowledgements in every book) I really got a lot from this book. She has a chapter for beginners, for intermediate runners and for serious runners. And just reading through all 3 made me think I could actually make it from 'beginner' to 'intermediate.' I especially like the chapter on what makes someone a 'runner' rather than a 'jogger'. She says it has nothing to do with speed (now you see why I like this woman) and is all about why you run. It's a feeling you get, when you realize that you're not lacing up your running shoes because your schedule says you should, but because you really want to run. I'm not quite there yet, but I really want to be and I don't think it's too far away in my future.

The other book I want to recommend is The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training. I can't say enough good things about this book. The author is a 25 year old self confessed couch potato. She has a wicked sense of humor and approaches the training with a huge dose of cynicism and reluctance. I flew through the book, stopping several times to read passages out loud to Sean. I am training with a group that is so whole hearted and chipper sometimes I want to slink away and cringe, so I really enjoyed Dawn's acknowledgment of the pain, self questioning and general lack of enthusiasm for moving that is also a part of this training. Her description of her marathon itself is pretty miserable though so I'm really hoping I manage to train without getting injured. I don't fancy walking the second 13 miles with shooting pain through my feet, calves, knees and IT band. With all that she still found the humor in the sign on the back of one runner that passed her. It said, "Please God, Let there be someone behind me to read this." I know exactly how she feels.