Last week I completed a 12 week run plan and can now run for 30 minutes without stopping. For me, this feel quite an achievement , I'm a big girl and am certainly not the fastest, but I don't really care. I have loved the whole process from start to finish, its been a way of getting out of the house, when we are only allowed out once a day and its been truly wonderful being in nature and seeing it change from spring to summer as well as being constantly amazed that my body can run for that long. With this in mind, I've put together a list of books about running which I will hope will inspire.

The Runner by Markus Torgeby

This book is simply beautiful. Markus Torgeby was a talented runner destined for the Olympics, but could never excel at competition. So he took himself off for 4 years to live in the wilderness and dedicate himself to the craft of running. I adored this book which reminds us to be present in the moment.

A Life Without Limits by Chrissie Wellington

Anyone who has ever seen Chrissie Wellington interviewed cannot fail to be impressed by her sporting achievements (a 4 times Ironman Champion) and charmed by her infectious personality. Her autobiography details her childhood which, whilst being quite sporty never really excelled at it. Coming quite late to Triathlon/Ironman by chance, she discovered she had a passion for it and went on to be undefeated. Chrissie's infectious zest for life really comes through in this book and proves there is a sport for everyone.

Swim, Bike, Run by Alistair & Jonathan Brownlee with Tom Fordyce

I adore the Brownlees!! 2 down to earth brothers from Yorkshire and have been lucky enough to watch them compete many times in Triathlon. This book was written after Alistair won gold at the London 2012 Olympics and Jonny placed 3rd. It's a fascinating read about the psychology of competition and how 2 brothers came to dominate the world of Triathlon. It also has training and nutrition tips from the brothers for those competing in a Triathlon of their own. Inspiring and funny.

Just a Little Run Round the World by Rosie Swale Pope

After her beloved husband dies of cancer, 57 year old Rosie decides to raise money by running round the world, a journey that will take 5 years and 20,000 miles, running through Europe, Siberia, North America, Asia, before making the journey home. Rosie is inspirational, relatively inexperienced but what really came through for me was Rosie's belief in the goodness of people. This really shines and we learn about the kindness of strangers. Truly Inspirational.

I've loved being reminded of the running books I've enjoyed and been inspired by. If, like me, you are looking to get started into running, then I can recommend a couple of running blogs I follow devoutly. The first is runs for cookies written by Katie, a qualified run coach. I did her run plan which can be found here. The second blog I follow is the Hungry Runner Girl. Janae adores running and her passion for it does come through, we also learn snippets about her family life in Utah.

I hope there is something for you in this post. Have a great weekend!