realiTEE

Hey, and welcome (back) to realiTEE, the blog dedicated to the reality of finding balance in a busy world. If you saw my recent post setting out my October Wellness Challenge. In that case, you’ll know that part of that is reading every day; this is something I try and do but don’t always hit, but one thing I have been big on for years is audiobooks. There’s one book specifically that is part of the reason I got into running. I found in 2020 that I could sit and read fiction books all day (quite literally), but I still struggled to read non-fiction books. I realised I love listening to podcasts while on a walk, so why not try audiobooks, I found myself so hooked on books that I wanted to be outside more, walking and eventually running just so I could listen to my book.

So, in this post, I thought I’d share my top audiobooks to listen to while running because I found these to be some of the most motivational books, especially when the runs are getting tougher.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight;
I noticed a lot of high achievers on Instagram, and TikTok has recommended this book. I downloaded it ages ago but only recently listened to it. It’s the story of Phil Knight, the man behind Nike, this is widely talked about as a business memoir, but there is a strong running theme throughout the book. I really enjoyed hearing about Phil’s personal running journey along with the journey of Nike from the early days. The book is about forging your own path and the lessons Knight learnt along the way. It certainly wasn’t easy, but the ongoing theme of running means this 13-hour audiobook will help you tick those miles off without even realising.

Female Bible:
I came across this one by chance and loved it so much that I brought a hard copy to re-read and highlight the hell out of it. Written by the women at WellHQ, this book focuses on female health and dives deep into what happens to our bodies during and after exercise. It breaks down all the different types of exercise, why it’s all important, and how to aid recovery; there’s even a chapter dedicated to bras, which I very much welcomed, not to mention a chapter on exercising on your period, how hormones impact your training at different stages and how the pill impacts your body. Although not entirely focused on running, this is a must-list for any woman who moves her body.

Born to run by Christopher McDougall:
I feel like I could have sat and read this as it felt very much like a story; it’s an emotional journey that has as many ups and downs as a long run. It focuses on barefoot running (still not enough to convince me it’s a good idea) and touches on the natural instinct to run. What I loved most about this audiobook is the community aspect of running, how people come together to run just for fun and how liberating it is, the journey that all the characters you pick up along the way go through and how when you think it’s all about to fall apart people turn up just to run. If you’re falling a little out of love with running, this one is definitely for you.

I can run by Amy Lane
Much shorter than the others in this list at 6h 45m, this audiobook builds on Lane’s podcast Well Far. Again, it mainly focused on women’s health. I enjoyed how Lane talked about her journey with fitness and struggles with eating while bringing in other women’s stories. This gives a 360-degree view of all the different elements of being a runner all the way to the starting line. (I particularly like the advice about having a sandwich in your marathon bag because it can take some time to find your people after the race, and you’ll be starving).

Jog on by Bella Mackie:
This is a book that changed my life. Not only by getting me into running and going out on walks just so I could listen to the next chapter, but I honestly think this may be one of my favourite books of all time. I loved that this is a story about how running helped to save one woman from the depths of anxiety and depression while simultaneously being an educational book on mental health, all the different types, what they actually look like and how they affect real people. The chapter on eating disorders is frightening, and the chapter on OCD is eye-opening. This is also the shortest book on this list at 6h, 34m and trust me when I say time flies with this one.

Books on my to read/listen to:
How she did it: A collection of stories and advice from fifty legendary female long-distance runners.
Solo: the true story of Jenny Tough’s challenging adventures running alone through mountain ranges on six continents; if that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.
Why we swim: If 2023 was the year I embraced running, I’m hopeful 2024 will be the year I become a swimmer. As I’ve gotten back into swimming these last few months, I’m interested to hear swimmers’ stories, journeys, and lessons they’ve learnt from time in the water. This book covers a history of swimming around the globe, facts, and insights into our watery obsession.

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you do listen to any of these I would love to hear your thoughts.

Love Tee, xo