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On Saturday, August 9, bibliophiles across the United States will celebrate National Book Lovers Day with an old favorite or a new narrative. To celebrate, Brooks Running took to Twitter to announce the day with a running-themed reading poll.
Hey Runners, It's Book Lovers Day! Tell us: when you're resting your legs, what book inspires you to get back out and run?
— Brooks Running (@brooksrunning) August 4, 2014
Social media being the beast it is, some of Brooks Running's Twitter followers (the author included) decided to pitch in with a few options. Most answered the question as posed.
@brooksrunning Born to Run
— Kayla (@kayla_kayys) August 4, 2014
@brooksrunning The Science of Running by @stevemagness
— Parker Truax (@ptrutru) August 4, 2014
@brooksrunning @harukimurakami_ what I talk about when I talk about running
— We Happy Few (@Wehappyfewmusic) August 4, 2014
Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run," Steve Magness's "The Science of Running" and Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" are all wonderful books about running. Each tackles different aspects of endurance training and racing with wit and insight.
Others offered alternative readings for runners in need of inspiration.
@brooksrunning World War Z #OutrunZombies
— Stefano M. Fontana (@StefanoMFontana) August 4, 2014
.@brooksrunning The Road.
— Andrew Husband (@AndrewHusband) August 4, 2014
@brooksrunning Right now I am re-reading two of my FAV books: Cheryl Strayed 'Wild' and Neil Gaimans 'Stardust' #runhappy #readhappy
— TinaFab (@crantina) August 4, 2014
In truth, outrunning zombies and apocalypse-crazed cannibals are both very good sources of inspiration. What better reason to pile on the miles than to keep your brains and flesh intact?
But the one-two combination of Cheryl Strayhed's "Wild" and Neil Gaiman's "Stardust"? Interesting choices for sure, but both books (as well as "World War Z" and "The Road") offer readers narratives about arduous journeys. And maybe that's exactly the kind of story runners need to get by.
So if you're a runner who's a reader and you need a motivational muse, then look no further than your own bookshelf, the bins at your local bookstore or the shelves of the nearest library.
What book inspires you to get back out there? Let us know.