Pages that go the distance

It's a time of year when we sometimes get more time to read so I thought I'd share a few books that have kept me company over the past few months. Thanks to the people who recommended or gifted them to me, I’m simply passing on their wisdom and good taste! 

Some are about running, some about health and longevity, and others have nothing obvious to do with sport at all. But almost all of them end up influencing the way I coach, treat clients and think.

For the love of moving

Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running has become something of a modern running classic, and for good reason. It's less about training plans and personal bests than about the quiet discipline of showing up day after day. It reminds us that running doesn't always need to be exciting to be worthwhile.

Jamie Doward's And So I Run explores what running can mean during difficult periods of life. It's a reminder that running isn't always about performance; sometimes it's simply about finding a way forward. And also how obsessive marathons can become.

Jen Benson's The Path She Runs celebrates women's experiences of running and the role it can play through different stages of life. Her frustrations and setbacks on her journey to her goal felt so relatable and are a reminder that when we see amazing things being done, the path there has often not been an easy one.

Walking deserves more credit

Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews tells the stories .of how waking was fundamental to the lives and creativity of some amazing women.

As runners, we can sometimes dismiss walking as something we do only on recovery days or when we're injured. Yet this fascinating history shows walking as an act of exploration, independence, creativity and resilience.

It's a useful reminder that movement isn't only valuable when it's fast. Whether you're recovering from injury, building fitness or simply taking a break from structured training, walking has enormous physical and mental benefits.

Running... and continuing to run

Damien Hall's Run Forever asks how do we keep enjoying running for decades? His recommendations will sound familiar —strength work, consistency, sensible recovery, staying adaptable and remembering why you started running in the first place. None of it is revolutionary, but that's rather the point. Longevity is usually built on doing the simple things well.

Hall references the work of Venki Ramakrishnan's, whose Why We Die is a fascinating read as well. Although it's about ageing and the biology of longevity rather than sport, it offers an explanation of how and why our bodies change as we get older. Even better, it separates evidence from hype. There may not be a magic anti-ageing solution, but there is plenty we can do to stay healthier for longer—and regular exercise sits firmly on that list.

Food isn't just fuel

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's High Fibre Heroes celebrates “humble” veg (the ones that are cheap and easily available like carrots and frozen peas) and shows what a huge role they can play in creating easy, tasty and healthy meals. 

It offers simple and appealing ways (“Pea-Ella”)  to eat a wider variety of plants and support long-term health, as it seems increasingly clear that looking after our gut health has benefits that extend well beyond digestion.

Looking outside the running world

Two books on my list aren't about running at all, but they've probably influenced my thinking just as much.

David Epstein's Range argues that broad experiences often produce better problem-solvers than narrow specialisation. I think that's true in coaching too. Some of the best ideas come from outside the running "bubble".

Matthew Syed's Black Box Thinking explores how we learn from mistakes. Whether you're training for your first 10K or your tenth marathon, setbacks aren't failures—they're information. Every niggle, missed race, pacing mistake or training block teaches us something useful if we're willing to reflect rather than simply move on.

Is there a common thread?

Very few of these books are about running faster.

Instead they're about staying curious. Looking after our bodies. Learning from experience. Building habits we can sustain. Finding joy in movement. Understanding that health is bigger than mileage.

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If you've read any books recently that you'd recommend—running-related or otherwise—I'd genuinely love to hear about them. I'm always looking for the next addition to my reading pile!