Passions: Words to give you wings: five books by runners for runners

Track and marathon legend Paula Radcliffe is the author of How to Run. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

In at number five is an entry level book which is by no means a criticism. It you’re not sure running is for you Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley will inspire, encourage and educate you. From good intel about the importance of a well fitting sports bra to the reality of the unpleasantness of your early forays, it’s also beautifully written and a lot of fun.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami is a slim volume dedicated to the novelist’s passion for long distance running. He muses on why he needs it, whether it ever gets any easier, and why he pushes himself to take on ever more challenging endurance events. And he delivers the ultimate truism on running as far as I am concerned: The only thing worse than running is not running.

Paula Radcliffe is my heroine so I have to include her book, How to Run, which introduced me to some of the idiosyncrasies of one the greatest long distance runners of all time. She used to chant her daughter’s name, “Is-la, Isl-la”, repeatedly to maintain her pace in big events and she liked a glass of champagne and some ice cream after winning races. I met her at an international cross country event in Stirling (I was doing the fun run, she was commentating). I was tongue tied and almost cried. She was as kind and regally elegant as you might imagine.

In at number two is Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth by Adharanand Finn. No running slouch himself Finn undertakes an epic personal quest to discover the remarkable secrets of the world’s greatest runners taking himself off to train with the best in the world for six months. Through his eyes we learn about the town of Iten and why so many champions are from there.

My top pick is American author and journalist Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, which has sold over three million copies. The 2009 bestseller follows what happens when the little known Tarahumara tribe take on athletes from the West. It’s simultaneously a fascinating history of our evolution as runners and an addictively pacy thriller.

Alison Gray is Assistant Editor of The Scotsman