I must begin this review with a confession - I am really, really biased. I think Alexandra Heminsley is great. Not in a creepy stalkerish way, I hasten to add. I follow her on Twitter and I love her warm book recommendations and funny style. So when she started tweeting about a book she'd written about running, I knew I'd want to read it.
Running Like A Girl is that book. As a person who has completed some 10ks before (not a runner, I don't think, really), the subject matter was obviously interesting for me. The first thing I'll say is that I really wish I'd had this book before I did my first ever run, which was a horrific experience I undertook with a hangover the day after my 21st birthday out of some vague impulse towards purging myself. I purged myself so much I had to sit down on a park bench after five minutes to stop myself from throwing up everywhere. Had I read Running Like A Girl, I definitely wouldn't have gone out with a hangover and I wouldn't have expected an unrealistically zen experience from my first run.
This book is perfect for the novice runner. Alexandra's warm, chatty and funny voice eases you through your worries and reassures you that these worries are both normal and nothing to worry about in reality. The second half of the book contains very useful practical tips about running and about buying kit which again I would have loved to have read before starting to run. It would have saved my toenails for a start which, like Alexandra's, fell off because my first pair of running shoes were far too small.
The first half or so of the book is almost like a running autobiography. Alexandra tells the story of her own path to becoming a runner, from the first painful run to her marathon highs and lows. It's like hearing your best friend tell you their story - her voice is a reassuring guide through the challenges of running and its rewards. It seemed like she wanted everyone to know that running isn't easy, but it's achievable. And it'll make you feel better about yourself.
I found the first hald of the book particularly moving. Alexandra begins with the story of an emotionally draining half marathon and then takes us through her journey to achieving success as a runner. In that journey she learns so much about herself, her family and her friends. It isn't easy - there are challenges and setbacks on the way, but she keeps going. In fact, as she says, she learns that the secret to surviving a run, as well as lots of the things life throws at you, is to just keep going.
The test of the power of this book is that it made me feel simultaneously guilty that I hadn't been running in ages and keen to get my trainers out again. It's a well-informed, personal guide to running that is also a funny and inspiring true story. I'd recommend it to all runners, novice and experienced.
Running Like A Girl is published on 4 April. I received a review copy of this book via Net Galley.
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