Some great news: I had my first meeting with my publisher since This is Running was released in April, and I got the news that I’ve sold almost 3,000 copies.
As a first-time author, working in a niche category, who put out only the most difficult format of book, it was incredible news. For context, 90% of non-fiction books sell less than 2,000 copies in their lifetime. I’ve hit that milestone in two months!
Thanks so much for buying a copy, asking your library to stock my book, reviewing, and recommending it. Everything. There’s been no mainstream coverage of This is Running, I’m not a social media influencer, and this is a pretty small newsletter in the grand scheme of things, so this is truly a word-of-mouth success story – something to be proud of, and something to build upon.
Get your copy of This is Running
USA - Bookshop US | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Signed copy
UK - Bookshop UK | Amazon UK | Waterstones
Incidentally, I’ve had requests for a paperback or audiobook but I believe that the hardcover is essential to the very purposeful experience of this book, but more on that later.
Flying up to TrailCon
Next week, I’ll be appearing on a panel about independent media in (trail) running at TrailCon, the USA’s premier trail running conference/festival. Let me know if you will be attending. Maybe we’ll go for a run or have a cuppa.
Running Sucks running socks
I’m sad / happy to say that the small socks sold out really quickly. There are still a few pairs of large-size Running Sucks running socks remaining. Get ‘em while you can.
O is for Offline
There was a(nother) little backlash against influencers and the digital world in general this week, and it’s one that only seems to be increasing.
We want the social media that we have to be valuable. We don’t want to be sold something worthless at every waking moment, and we want the big players to know what they’re talking about. I would rather open Instagram and see the photos of my friends’ dogs and kids than how a pair of shoes is sooo much better than the last pair, which were also sooo much better than… ad infinitum.
At some point, it starts to feel disingenuous, and with the ongoing cost of living crisis, more and more people are taking the time to carefully choose where they spend their money and time.
The easy solution to being constantly connected to an ecosystem of running apparel pyramid schemes is to do more things that are offline. You have a very distinct number of hours in your day. If you use them for something purposeful that makes you feel good, you simply won’t have time to be on your phone or computer.
It’s like if you eat a lot of vegetables and whole foods, you don’t have space in your belly to overeat highly-processed foods. Start with a positive act and you will organically live better. Leave a little space for a chicken nugget, of course.
This week, for instance, I went to a World Cup match after 32 years of watching the tournament on television. I attended the New Zealand vs Iran match, and it was the best game of the tournament thus far. On Saturday morning, I took my eldest for a run with some friends in Chinatown, and the next day we attended the Los Angeles Grand Prix, where I had hoped to see Josh Kerr crush another 800m attempt. He didn’t, but it was nice to see it play out IRL.
All these events (as well as my son being off school for the summer, so we’re watching every World Cup match together) has meant that I haven’t had much time to sit down and write. I’m writing this between Czechia vs South Africa and Switzerland vs Bosnia. I’m taking my moments away from screens. Kinda. I am on my laptop right now, after all.
While loud voices are talking about how AI is a great shortcut, think about why your maths teachers insisted that you show your working. You don’t learn much of anything via a shortcut. You don’t get a good VO2 max rating if someone else runs your marathon for you. You don’t become stronger if someone else is lifting your weights in the gym.
The moments of difficulty are essential to being more human and we’re in danger of the digital world rounding off all our edges, even the ones in our brains.
It’s a large part of what Running Sucks means, in that we still love to do it despite the difficulty. It’s a concept that I outline in the introduction of This is Running. I state that both running and reading are radical acts. You aren’t the same person at the end of a run or at the end of a book. You’ll have new knowledge to take forward into your life. I struggle to say the same thing after a doom-scrolling session.
So go pick up your take-out order instead of getting it delivered via an app. Host a dinner party. Go for run. Join a run club. Read a magazine for 5 mins instead of checking social media. Leave a book in the bathroom. (For reading in the bath, and nowhere else.) Be in real life, even if just for 5 minutes at a time. If it’s an improvement of your current situation, dive into the difficulty.
The reason it’s a hardcover only is because I wanted my book to be thoughtful and purposeful. You already have this newsletter if you want to read my work on your phone.
This is Running… I want it to be more. I want there to be a decision to have something beautiful live in your homes. I knew that would mean fewer people would be able to own it, let alone want to, but that was my vision. I wanted it to silently signal your love for running as strongly as you feel about it while reading my work. That’s the goal, anyway!
So yes: selling 2,500 copies is a really big deal for me. Maybe it sounds soppy, but it makes me believe in the world a little bit more.
Get your copy of This is Running
USA - Bookshop US | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Signed copy
UK - Bookshop UK | Amazon UK | Waterstones
Tempted to call me a hypocrite for suggesting that you buy my book? Fine! You’ll also remember that I’ve been asking you to get This is Running into your local libraries. Many of you have, and I’m very grateful for that. Like everything that I’ve outlined above, it takes a bit of effort, but I also believe the rewards are greater.
Incidentally, I’m half-way through reading Matt Fitzgerald’s forthcoming book, Dying to Run. I hope to never have the kind of first-hand knowledge needed to write a book like this. It’s about Matt’s journey through suffering from Long Covid to running the Javelina Jundred — a topic that’ll wow some and put others off immediately.
Either way, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s run. No music, no podcasts, no headphones. That’s my guaranteed hour of being truly offline, and I can’t wait. The day is always a little brighter afterwards.
Thanks for reading
Raz xx
Don't know if you follow David Epstein, but his new book is called “inside the box” and talks about how constraints make us better. Similar thought to opting in to difficulty.
The part about going offline really resonated with me! So similarly, I've been finding a lot more peace just from the act of reading books instead of doom scrolling. Having a job where I read and write so much I thought all my energy for reading was sapped but it turns out I just needed to lower my expectations and stop focusing on reading dense non-fiction. That said, 100% support the recommendation to just read anything, books, Running Sucks, magazines.