I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-31 11:11:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brendan Leonard
- ISBN：1579659888
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Summary
BRENDAN LEONARD HATES RUNNING。 He hates it so much that he once logged fifty-two marathon-length runs in fifty-two weeks。 Now he’s sharing everything he’s learned about the sport so that you can hate it too。
Packed with wisdom， humor， attitude， tips， and quotes—and more than sixty illuminating charts—I Hate Running and You Can Too delivers a powerful message of motivation from a truly relatable mentor。
Leonard nails the love-hate relationship most runners have with the sport。 He knows the difficulty of getting off the couch， teaches us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable， embraces the mix of running with walking。 And he shares all that he’s learned—celebrating the mantra of “Easy， light， smooth， and fast，” observing that any body that runs is a runner’s body。
Plus Leonard knows all the practical stuff， from training methods to advice for when you hit a setback or get injured。 Even the answer to that big question a lot of runners occasionally ask: Why？ Easy: Running helps us understand commitment， develop patience， discover self-discipline， find mental toughness， and prove to ourselves that we can do something demanding。 And， of course， burn off that extra serving of nachos。
Packed with wisdom， humor， attitude， tips， and quotes—and more than sixty illuminating charts—I Hate Running and You Can Too delivers a powerful message of motivation from a truly relatable mentor。
Leonard nails the love-hate relationship most runners have with the sport。 He knows the difficulty of getting off the couch， teaches us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable， embraces the mix of running with walking。 And he shares all that he’s learned—celebrating the mantra of “Easy， light， smooth， and fast，” observing that any body that runs is a runner’s body。
Plus Leonard knows all the practical stuff， from training methods to advice for when you hit a setback or get injured。 Even the answer to that big question a lot of runners occasionally ask: Why？ Easy: Running helps us understand commitment， develop patience， discover self-discipline， find mental toughness， and prove to ourselves that we can do something demanding。 And， of course， burn off that extra serving of nachos。
Reviews
Stefan Gluszek
，
Waste of money， luckily it was very short， so not much time wasted。
Mandy Davis
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I’ve been running competitively for a decade （D1 NCAA cross country） and this book re-taught me how to think about running。 There’s definitely something in here for everyone whether you’ve never run a step or take running very seriously。 I will be rereading this from time to time。 I’m also a total nerd for running and charts so it’s no surprise I loved a combination of the two。
Jasmine
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I love this guys comic。 I’m a runner， but I’m not a very good runner in 2021。 I ran 50k several times in 2020。 Currently I’m mostly running 2 miles。 I’m trying to be chill about that。 This book helped。
Ross Poulton
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Easy to read， approachable， light hearted， and most importantly it nails why us runners often have a love/hate relationship with our chosen pastime。 I’ve long been a reader of Brendan Leonard’s blog at semi-rad。com and was eager to read this book once he announced it。 In true Semi-Rad style it’s kinda about running but not really。 It highlights our human flaws and shines a light on what really goes on in our heads。 The charts illustrate our often silly perspective on life without being condescen Easy to read， approachable， light hearted， and most importantly it nails why us runners often have a love/hate relationship with our chosen pastime。 I’ve long been a reader of Brendan Leonard’s blog at semi-rad。com and was eager to read this book once he announced it。 In true Semi-Rad style it’s kinda about running but not really。 It highlights our human flaws and shines a light on what really goes on in our heads。 The charts illustrate our often silly perspective on life without being condescending。 If you or a loved one are afflicted with a desire to run， especially if it’s for an irrational distance， this will be a fun down to earth read。 。。。more
Emmy
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Brendan Leonard has to be one of my favourite authors now。 This book was funny， realistic and put into words a lot of the feelings I have about running。
Stephen Topp
，
When I bought and started this book， I had in mind that it was going to be a humorous book by a runner。 Tales of all the miseries that we go through training and racing。Instead， it's a book for people who lace up for the first time， get ten steps out the door， and ask themselves "why am I doing this？" A little bit of friendly mindset-shifting for the beginner。I guess it's okay。 There is some humour there， we all need to be reminded of these things from time to time， and it's both short and easil When I bought and started this book， I had in mind that it was going to be a humorous book by a runner。 Tales of all the miseries that we go through training and racing。Instead， it's a book for people who lace up for the first time， get ten steps out the door， and ask themselves "why am I doing this？" A little bit of friendly mindset-shifting for the beginner。I guess it's okay。 There is some humour there， we all need to be reminded of these things from time to time， and it's both short and easily digestible。 But don't expect anything deep and meaningful， or laugh-out-loud funny。 。。。more
Amanda Pettit
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Funny， inspiring。 Makes me feel like I’m not alone in my running journey。
Robby A
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Would say 4 because it feels short。。。。 But because of that short feeling， I know I will pick it up and lend it out again and again for motivation
Alicia
，
I loved this little book！ Encouraging， accessible， and funny。 It's not a book that will tell you exactly what to eat or how to run the farthest or fastest - which is perfect， because I don't really care about that。 Instead， Brendan encourages you to just start， and keep with it - however you can。 Mixing walking with running？ All good。 Eating？ Whatever works for you。 How far should you go？ Whatever distance will keep you doing it， rather than overwhelming you。 And if you find that you kind of hat I loved this little book！ Encouraging， accessible， and funny。 It's not a book that will tell you exactly what to eat or how to run the farthest or fastest - which is perfect， because I don't really care about that。 Instead， Brendan encourages you to just start， and keep with it - however you can。 Mixing walking with running？ All good。 Eating？ Whatever works for you。 How far should you go？ Whatever distance will keep you doing it， rather than overwhelming you。 And if you find that you kind of hate but also kind of love running。。。welcome to the club。P。S。 Possibly my favorite part of this book is that there is only one line about weight loss （"burning off that plate of nachos"） in the whole thing， which makes it one of those very， very rare exercise/motivation books that are safe for the disordered/eating disorder recovery community。 。。。more
Hannah Jansen
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As usual， Brendan Leonard is funny and perfectly relatable。
Summer Serpas
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I adored this book。 It captured everything I feel as an emerging runner and gave me the confidence to keep going on my terms。 Every runner should read this book！
Reid Belew
，
Per usual， Brendan is able to corral us all into a lighthearted， no sweat type of attitude that leads to a healthy relationship with （insert outdoor activity he is talking about）。 I love his perspective。 Running is a peculiar sport。 It’s easy to really beat yourself up for not going fast enough， not looking like a runner， walking during a run， or only running one time in a week。 This book is a great way to realize what actually matters with running， and it’s nice and charming to boot。
Ryan Fisher
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Spot on and hilarious。
Ed "samaki
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Like a great friendly conversation。。。。。。about the sport many pf is perversely love， but do not always like。 After enjoying “Bears Don't Care About Your Problems: More Funny Shit in the Woods，” I pre-ordered this book and read it in one sitting。 Like a great friendly conversation。。。。。。about the sport many pf is perversely love， but do not always like。 After enjoying “Bears Don't Care About Your Problems: More Funny Shit in the Woods，” I pre-ordered this book and read it in one sitting。 。。。more
Helena Kõrge
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Light-hearted and witty。 A reminder that all of us （casual runners， professional athletes， ultramarathoners） sometimes feel the same way about running - we like having run， we don't like running。 The book is not about running techniques or tips but does a good job in convincing you that anyone can become a runner or find that mental toughness to pick it up again。 Light-hearted and witty。 A reminder that all of us （casual runners， professional athletes， ultramarathoners） sometimes feel the same way about running - we like having run， we don't like running。 The book is not about running techniques or tips but does a good job in convincing you that anyone can become a runner or find that mental toughness to pick it up again。 。。。more
Sandy Reilly
，
I can totally relate to this book！ I've always played sports and been active， but I just jumped into the sport of running in the last two years。 Now， at the age of almost-39， I am in the best shape of my life， my stamina is the highest its ever been， and I have muscles in places I've never seen muscles。 But -- and I tell this to everyone I know who says they are impressed with my progress -- running sucks。 Seriously， it does。 It can be really hard to do and it can also be really taxing on your b I can totally relate to this book！ I've always played sports and been active， but I just jumped into the sport of running in the last two years。 Now， at the age of almost-39， I am in the best shape of my life， my stamina is the highest its ever been， and I have muscles in places I've never seen muscles。 But -- and I tell this to everyone I know who says they are impressed with my progress -- running sucks。 Seriously， it does。 It can be really hard to do and it can also be really taxing on your body。 There are many times where I procrastinate changing into my running gear because I just don't know if I'm up for the task that day。 That said， there are so many positives that I can't even mention them here。 The main reason I keep doing it， though？ Running is free therapy。 But enough about me， let's talk about this awesome book！Brendan Leonard is pretty much my spirit animal with this book。 He says everything I've been thinking about running and then gives me advice and inspiration to keep doing what I'm doing。 He offers some great LOL moments and a lot of practical tips that just about every runner can appreciate。 For example， I honestly had no idea that many marathon runners actually walk a portion of the race！ Mind = Blown！ His wit is what kept me （virtually） turning pages， though。 Like this fun line: "If running were a person I was dating， I would definitely have broken up with that person long ago。 But running is more like a weird friend I keep hanging out with and who is good for me in a really strange way - despite being pretty unlikable most of the time。" Nailed it！ It's like he can see into my soul。I would highly recommend this to any runner， but especially us "reluctant runners" and to anyone who thinks they'd never lace up a pair of running sneakers。**Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。** 。。。more
Roopa
，
This was an informative read that included quotes and references from other running authorities。 It was organized well and provided interesting perspectives for the would-be or just starting runner。 This book is wry and self-deprecating， making me laugh at how we sometimes perceive ourselves or the effort of running。 I particularly enjoyed the graphic images and charts that were added。 Read this book and it will make you want to lace up your shoes to go for that run！I would like to thank #Netgal This was an informative read that included quotes and references from other running authorities。 It was organized well and provided interesting perspectives for the would-be or just starting runner。 This book is wry and self-deprecating， making me laugh at how we sometimes perceive ourselves or the effort of running。 I particularly enjoyed the graphic images and charts that were added。 Read this book and it will make you want to lace up your shoes to go for that run！I would like to thank #Netgalley and the publisher， Artisan Books， for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Cheryl
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A fun， irreverent guide to running from someone who doesn't really hate to run。 It's packed with informal advice and personal experience， as well as stats and graphics， and I did write down a lot of helpful tips。 This is probably one of the more engaging books about running that I've come across （although I've still yet to leave the sofa。。。well， he didn't say it was a magic book！）Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher， who provided me with a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 A fun， irreverent guide to running from someone who doesn't really hate to run。 It's packed with informal advice and personal experience， as well as stats and graphics， and I did write down a lot of helpful tips。 This is probably one of the more engaging books about running that I've come across （although I've still yet to leave the sofa。。。well， he didn't say it was a magic book！）Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher， who provided me with a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sarah
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As a former/sometimes runner I really appreciated this book。 It made me chuckle out loud a few times and I made sure to have my notebook nearby when reading so I could track some of the motivational and endearing statements that resonated with me。It's not a how-to book and it's not a complaining book。 It's more of a "Hey！ You can totally do this。 There's no wrong way and you can make it your own" style book。 A lot of what I wrote down could be put towards anything where you're just starting out As a former/sometimes runner I really appreciated this book。 It made me chuckle out loud a few times and I made sure to have my notebook nearby when reading so I could track some of the motivational and endearing statements that resonated with me。It's not a how-to book and it's not a complaining book。 It's more of a "Hey！ You can totally do this。 There's no wrong way and you can make it your own" style book。 A lot of what I wrote down could be put towards anything where you're just starting out or anything you're working towards or dealing with in your life。The graphs， charts， and drawings were a welcome sight。 They broke up the text and helped illustrate the more important points。Overall I would recommend to anyone who has run， wants to run， stopped running， thinks about running， or who likes motivational books。 （also - feel free to replace "run" and "running" with any other sport or activity and the book is good for any person who does that thing， too）Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for access to the e-ARC of the book for review purposes。 。。。more
Ashley
，
I will fully admit that I wanted to read this book because I hate running and I was hoping to commiserate on my sediments of the activity。 But instead by the end of the book， I was signing up for a virtual race。 Do I think it will be something I love？ No。 But do I think I can do it， yes。 This book just helped me realized I don’t need to be a crazy fast runner to be considered a “runner” and that I can just do it at my own pace and eventually I might enjoy it。 It really good confidence boost for I will fully admit that I wanted to read this book because I hate running and I was hoping to commiserate on my sediments of the activity。 But instead by the end of the book， I was signing up for a virtual race。 Do I think it will be something I love？ No。 But do I think I can do it， yes。 This book just helped me realized I don’t need to be a crazy fast runner to be considered a “runner” and that I can just do it at my own pace and eventually I might enjoy it。 It really good confidence boost for those looking to start running。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Jenna
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A fun， lighthearted essay book about running。 Don't come here for technical advice or "hacks"--the author is very straightforward about the fact that this book is not about that。 I enjoyed it as a casual runner myself。 A fun， lighthearted essay book about running。 Don't come here for technical advice or "hacks"--the author is very straightforward about the fact that this book is not about that。 I enjoyed it as a casual runner myself。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Thank you to Netgalley and Artisan Books for this ARC in exchange for my review。 I Hate Running and You Can Too takes a humorous look at running: why choose running， how to get started， how to keep going， and why running just sucks a lot of the time。 This book definitely grasped what running is like for most people。 As a no-more-than-average runner myself， I absolutely related to the content and found myself frequently nodding and laughing in agreement。 The use of charts and graphs complimented Thank you to Netgalley and Artisan Books for this ARC in exchange for my review。 I Hate Running and You Can Too takes a humorous look at running: why choose running， how to get started， how to keep going， and why running just sucks a lot of the time。 This book definitely grasped what running is like for most people。 As a no-more-than-average runner myself， I absolutely related to the content and found myself frequently nodding and laughing in agreement。 The use of charts and graphs complimented each chapter， and they were often just downright hilarious。 I would recommend this book for a new runner， a runner who needs some lighthearted motivation to keep training， or anyone that just needs a good laugh。 。。。more
Tara Weiss
，
Next to me is a page of notes that have nothing to do with running， but everything to do with successful outcomes。 Every piece of sage advice I scrawled on this torn sheet of paper is from I Hate Running and You Can Too， which， by the way， is the most approachable book on running I've encountered。 Because of the wisdom imparted by Brendan Leonard， I stayed on the treadmill longer， went for the extra mile， and mentally challenged myself to quit my whining and complete the task because we are all Next to me is a page of notes that have nothing to do with running， but everything to do with successful outcomes。 Every piece of sage advice I scrawled on this torn sheet of paper is from I Hate Running and You Can Too， which， by the way， is the most approachable book on running I've encountered。 Because of the wisdom imparted by Brendan Leonard， I stayed on the treadmill longer， went for the extra mile， and mentally challenged myself to quit my whining and complete the task because we are all our own worst enemies。 If we don't admit that， we don't break the cycle。 The witty realism of Leonard's style is like having your best friend in your ear。 The tone is encouraging， but also， he's not about to take your BS。 What's especially nice are the "hang on the wall" quotes like "The pursuit of passion matters more than the passion itself" and "You have to be the person you don't let down"。 This is the kind of book you keep and re-read when you need to reboot and find your rhythm again。 It is printed motivation that should be displayed， gifted， and pushed upon anyone who needs to get themselves started。 Look， I may be laying it on thick here， but reading this book has the potential to be life-altering。 And I'm going to go for a run now because I'm out of excuses and maybe， just maybe， I don't hate running as much as I thought。 。。。more
Annetherese Biesiada
，
Finally a running book with which I can agree。 I hate running。 I always felt less of a runner because of it。 Even when I was a triathlete，I hated running。 Now I know why， because I made it hard。 This author gets it， we can overwhelm ourselves with time， pace， effort，and comparisons。 We forget to have fun， relax， honor our bodies and experience freedom。 You decide on your pace and comfort and report to no one。 That’s what running should be。 No expectation。 It’s okay to hate it。 What matters is yo Finally a running book with which I can agree。 I hate running。 I always felt less of a runner because of it。 Even when I was a triathlete，I hated running。 Now I know why， because I made it hard。 This author gets it， we can overwhelm ourselves with time， pace， effort，and comparisons。 We forget to have fun， relax， honor our bodies and experience freedom。 You decide on your pace and comfort and report to no one。 That’s what running should be。 No expectation。 It’s okay to hate it。 What matters is you keep moving and keep trying。 Running is running， fast or slow， long or short。“Slow is eventually fast。” “Put in the miles so you can put in the miles。” 。。。more
Wendy
，
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a PRC of I Hate Running and You Can Too。 The author of this little book doesn't really hate running。 As a long time runner， he has a love/hate relationship with running， like so many of us。 This is a fun， breezy read for anyone who runs or wants to run。。。or should be running。 The author is a seasoned runner who knows his subject well。 The book is illustrated with fun graphics that help emphasize his points。 This is probably one of the most enjoyable book Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a PRC of I Hate Running and You Can Too。 The author of this little book doesn't really hate running。 As a long time runner， he has a love/hate relationship with running， like so many of us。 This is a fun， breezy read for anyone who runs or wants to run。。。or should be running。 The author is a seasoned runner who knows his subject well。 The book is illustrated with fun graphics that help emphasize his points。 This is probably one of the most enjoyable books about running that I've ever read！ 。。。more
Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。Running is serious exercise， but it shouldn't necessarily be serious business that turns you off before you even get out the door。 Leonard mixes humor with some sage running advice in this quick， light read that is applicable to new and advanced runners alike。 I personally identified with the procrastination graphic。 We all do it， don't we？ There are some definite lessons I'll try to implement as I train ahead of the hopeful return of races Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。Running is serious exercise， but it shouldn't necessarily be serious business that turns you off before you even get out the door。 Leonard mixes humor with some sage running advice in this quick， light read that is applicable to new and advanced runners alike。 I personally identified with the procrastination graphic。 We all do it， don't we？ There are some definite lessons I'll try to implement as I train ahead of the hopeful return of races this year。 。。。more
Katherine
，
This book was just what I needed in my life。 I also have a love/ hate relationship with running （and exercise for that matter）。 Leonard's simple writing and incredibly simple and colorful charts were an extra touch of entertainment that I loved about this story。 I can't wait to purchase it for my permanent collection。 This book was just what I needed in my life。 I also have a love/ hate relationship with running （and exercise for that matter）。 Leonard's simple writing and incredibly simple and colorful charts were an extra touch of entertainment that I loved about this story。 I can't wait to purchase it for my permanent collection。 。。。more
Rachael
，
I hugely enjoyed this very short little book on running。 This is perfect for people who think they aren't runners but want to run， and it's also great for people who used too run and need a little motivation to get back to it （me！）。 （Advance copy courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher。） I hugely enjoyed this very short little book on running。 This is perfect for people who think they aren't runners but want to run， and it's also great for people who used too run and need a little motivation to get back to it （me！）。 （Advance copy courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher。） 。。。more
May
，