I was a bit surprised by this title, but couldn’t put it down once I got started. This is definitely a good book for beginning runners who are looking for reasons to run beyond basic health and wellness, but rather how you FEEL while you pursue running.

It has autobiographical elements to it, but Mipham’s story is told in bits and pieces as analogies to the lessons he imparts to the reader. He talks about his first marathon, his trickiest trails and how he prepared mentally to tackle difficult weather, terrain, and moments when he suddenly was in pain but continued on.

There is so much wisdom in these 200 pages, which incorporates some Shambhala meditation teachings and how the steps to achieving meditation correlate to states of your running and attitude toward it.

I’ve tried to tackle meditation myself and not been very successful, just too much contradictory info out there. But for someone who can’t sit still with a flighty mind (like myself), this book might have some good guidance for you if you wish to pursue meditation. I honestly feel very similar when going further and faster in my walks (going into runs) to what Mipham describes, and perhaps I’ve found that missing link to help me mentally with my goals and aspirations to improve my health.

This is definitely worth a read for anyone into running, training, meditation, marathons, true stories, and overall positive vibes.