This book… this book… The Inner Runner is a really really really good book!

The Inner Runner by Jason R. Karp, PhD is not a technique book. It’s not a training plan book. It’s not going to tell you how to run faster, longer, harder. What it does is tries to tap into the magic that is running and how it can benefit our lives in so many ways.

There are a lot of people who get into running because they want to lose weight, they want to get healthy, they want to achieve some goal on a to do list. But there are a whole host of mental reasons that it sticks for so many of us… I really do believe that it changes us. (As does the author.)

Before I was a runner, I exercised sometimes. Sometimes I didn’t. I didn’t feel particularly vehemently about either way. But when I started to run, and I mean really run (running regularly and scheduling it into my life), I started to feel better about things. It was something I did for myself, but it also connected me to my community more. It taught me that I was physically stronger than I thought and it could give me a euphoric high that nothing else could rival.

But running is powerful and it can bring me to really deep lows too. Injuries that prevent me from being able to run can bring on heartbreak. Since becoming a parent, the stress I feel about fitting things for me personally into my life is overwhelming. It probably means I need to include more of that self-care time, but in reality I’ve whittled it down to a bare minimum and the stress actually makes me so ill I can’t run at times, which then gives me more anxiety. Like I said, running has strength and power and that power can be used for good and evil.

There is a chapter called “Better Runs” that really resonated with me… basically it mentions all the different types of runs and why they are good for our soul/psyche/whatever. Indoor, outdoor, solo, group, morning, night… there is a run for everybody and everybody could benefit from switching up their normal routine to a different kind of run. I’ve been known to say I hate the “dreadmill”, but reading the portion on ways that can be good reminded me of the possibility in all areas.

This is the kind of book that you could probably just pick up off the shelf, randomly flip open and read a paragraph or two to feel some kind of inspiration. But not in a far-out mystical way, just solid good feelings. In fact, if you find the book on the shelves in a store… flip it open and read the very last paragraph. Maybe Dr. Karp should consider getting that paragraph styled into a poster to sell. I’d buy it to hang on the wall in my office.

I received this book for free to review on the site. I always write my own opinions. Following links in this post and then making a purchase will result in a few pennies coming my way as they are affiliate links, and if you do so I thank you.

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