Rachel Toor's Personal Record

I was recommending books on running to someone who asked for recos and as an afterthought mentioned this book I had but hadn't read simply because I knew nothing about the author to persuade me to do so. However since that lingered in my mind and since the book was less than 200 pages, I figured I could knock it off in 3-4 hours and did exactly that. The author is a self-confessed sort of mean person who started running only in her 30s. However she has done over 40 marathons incl. several ultras. The book is an ok read, sort of like the movie you would watch when you were in some town for the first time and you saw a movie on sports and saw it for the simple reason that you are a sports buff.

However the author despite her confession endeared herself to me not just for being a runner, but also because she discusses a runner's universe - obsessing over timings, running magazines, crewing for other people, pacing, qualifying for Boston, coaching other runners, etc most of which I have experienced in a rush in the last year.

And while the author is a woman, she says herself that she prefers the company of men. Despite that the book is a decent book on running, even for women starting out to run, especially in their 30s.