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Last week I had jury duty… I knew I’d have a lot of time to just sit around, so I took a book. I didn’t know I’d have SO MUCH time to sit around due to the court having “technical issues” that I would read an ENTIRE book, plus I would read the book belonging to the man next to me as well. I had two days at the justice center, finally culminating in NOT being selected to serve on the jury. It was an interesting experience, and you know I think I probably wouldn’t mind serving on a jury some day in the future… when I’m not coughing the whole time (probably what eventually got me excused!) and when I don’t have a little kid at home. So… when she goes to college, I will happily obligated-ly and resigned-ly serve on a jury.

Meanwhile… since I knew my phone battery was flaky, I didn’t want to count on reading a book on my phone. Plus, I had this book sitting around in paperback for the past several months and hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet, so it was the perfect opportunity.

Run the World by Becky Wade is a book that follows a professional runner (uh… Becky Wade, the author) on a trip around the world. So after completing college, for a year she took the time to live in several different countries to explore running culture and see how people compare/contrast in this great sport worldwide.

Becky visited Great Britain, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Australia, Japan, Sweden/Finland. She stayed in each location for a while to immerse herself in the local running, living, eating, etc. She made friends with locals and tried to say yes to as many opportunities as she could. She hung out with some of the world’s most elite runners, but also people who are everyday runners like any of us.

I liked how she included a recipe at the end of each chapter for a dish that she picked up in that country. A stew with ugali from Ethiopia, brown soda brad from Ireland, ozoni soup from Japan, Scandinavian pancakes… a lot of different flavor profiles all used to fuel running worldwide.

Run the World is easy to read and it’s interesting to gain a little bit of an “insider’s” glance at different cultures. While I can’t relate to being able to take off and do this amazing adventure (that time has long since sailed, I have too many grown up responsibilities now!) I respected that she did this journey and that it is shared with the public in the book. It’s worth reading since it will entertain you and pass the time. Plus, who knows what little hints could provide useful insight to your running. I thought it was interesting when she talked about how an acupuncturist in Japan taught her a little trick/stretch/move to realign her hips. I wish she would record a video and post it in YouTube so I know for sure if I’m doing it right, but her visit to this man made me want to see an acupuncturist some time!