Lauren Fleshman

I've been a fan of Lauren Fleshman for a long time. I've read her blog, I've heard her on a lot of podcasts, I use her training journal, I've eaten a lot of Picky Bars, but even so I didn't really know much about her actual running career. I enjoyed reading this to get a view into running that wasn't marathoning and having just read Des Linden and Kara Goucher's books it was interesting to see the same events retold from different POV.

All that said, the running is the least interesting part of the book. Her feminist lens of everything surrounding women's sports was fascinating to read and somehow illuminating while at the same time being something I already understood just from existing in the world.

This adds more fuel to the Nike is THE WORST fire and also made me go spend $100 at Oiselle in the middle of a chapter. LOL

I also really really loved her description in the later chapters of how to define success around something other than winning or losing. Her story of the Olympic Trials at TrackTown made me cry. It really is amazing how everybody, even these incredibly talented people, feel so insecure.

I also think I probably hit a record for most passages highlighted in a single book.… (mehr)

Though specifically about specifically about professional running, a lot of the topics covered are a universal acknowledgement of how women live in a world designed by and for men.

It felt like a sunny take on her personal journey, whether she was just incredibly lucky and really did avoid most missteps or was unwilling to acknowledge hers while pointing out bigger issues I'm not sure. However, her discussion of how running as a sport (like most sports) was conceived of for men and then all the theories and principles were simply transitioned to women is enlightening. She discussions the negative impact this has on women in the sport and how our societal norms also impact women in the sport. From the simple coded language of telling another runner she looks "fit" to the differences in development between girls and boys and how that impacts this sport and others is impactful.

I kept thinking about the book "What Made Maddy Run" while reading this book and how Maddy was on the flip side of the coin in almost every way in the sport of running from Lauren.… (mehr)