Title: Choosing To Run by Des Linden

Why: It’s a running book and who isn’t inspired by Des Linden?

Review: This autobiography was a page turner that I read during a car ride back from Florida. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving). I’m a sucker for running books and this was a great one, mostly because Des Linden is so down-to-earth that you just want to root for her through every obstacle. I also love what a vivid, detailed memory she has of her races. It allowed me to go back to watch the 2018 Boston marathon videos, in particular, and feel like I was in her mind, and in the mind of the runners around her.

I was a bit confused initially by the alternating chapter approach, but it build up suspense about her 2018 performance, which I guess was the point. As a doctor, I was frustrated with her for ignoring the straightforward medical advice that she was getting, though it is understandable given her situation, and her concerns about doping in sports. And to her credit, she researched her conditions thoroughly and made the right decisions. As I was reading her symptoms I immediately wondered if she was hypothyroid, and now I wonder if she actually had burned-out Graves, with her mild exopthalmos. Anyway, enough pop-diagnosis. The book is excellent and I would read more by her if she ever writes another book.

Favorite quote from the book:

“The grind” meant something positive to me: a challenge to embrace repetition and approach it creatively. It annoyed me when I heard “the grind” used in a pejorative way. Sure, it could be tedious, but it was a choice. Go off and do something else if you hate it.

Preach!