Book Review: Choosing to Run by Des Linden

I just recently competed in the first Jersey City Marathon (no, I didn't win it...this time). In the run-up to the event, I wanted to pick a book to read to motivate me. Learning that Boston Marathon winner Des Linden was coming out with a memoir, I decided to check out her book.

Linden talks about her father stoking her competitive nature as a kid, her appraisal as a great running prospect in high school, and her college years at Arizona State on the cross country team. She did well, but not exactly world-class well, and took an opportunity with a Brooks-related track team, where the coaches pushed her towards the marathon.

She rose quickly in the ranks, and finished a very close second at the 2011 Boston Marathon. She made both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games and had respectable showings in both. But the signature win eluded her. In the 2012 Olympics, several of the top finishers were later shown to have failed drug tests; however they were allowed to keep their medals. And the 2016 Olympic marathon was the first one in which carbon-plate shoes (for non-runners, these are shoes that allow you to go much faster) started to show up.

As Linden's career progressed, there were two other challenges she faced. First, she felt herself grow more tired and cold. She eventually went to the doctor and found out she had hypothyroidism - had she not gone in when she did, she could very well have fallen into a coma from the disease. Linden was very wary of the diagnosis, and especially the medical treatment - she had been against drugs/supplements in racing her whole life, and felt like she was betraying herself by treating her condition. Luckily, she listened to reason and was able to manage her condition.

Linden's resistance to pharmaceuticals was bolstered by what came out of the country's premiere running group, the Nike Oregon Project. There had been rumors for years about verbal abuse and drug misuse in the club, and it all exploded in features in mainstream media. The club disbanded, but one of the former members ended up joining Linden's Brooks group. Linden was furious, and didn't know how to approach her coaches about her frustration about having to run under the same banner as a potential cheater. This drove her away from her coaches and into a place where she felt lost.

But not everyone gave up on her. Brooks let her know they would sponsor her with or without her inclusion on their running team. And the athlete coordinator for the Boston Marathon kept her on as a paid athlete despite lacking signature wins. In a better place physically and mentally, Linden entered the 2018 Boston Marathon. In a freezing downpour, in a race she was intending to drop out of, in a run where she actually waited for another runner to use a port-o-potty so they could run together, Linden ended up winning the marathon, the last American winner of the race.

The way the book is structured, chronological chapters alternate with chapters about the 2018 win, really diving deep into what a difficult race it was, and what the athlete's mindset is. It also offers lots of foreshadowing - she mentions that her coaches may be rooting against her in a 2018 chapter way before the first rumblings of dissention spring up in a chronological chapter. It makes the story much more gripping.

One additional note: While Linden made the marathon team for the 2012 Olympics, she was injured and knew there was no chance she would actually finish the race. She struggled with whether to go or not, and faced some criticism for not giving up her place to the fourth-place American qualifier. She decided to go anyway, and a veteran Olympian encouraged her to embrace the moment, as there was no guarantee that she would ever be able to get back to that place.

While I was running through the streets of Jersey City this past weekend, after a downpour for the first 10 miles and bright sunshine for the last 6.2, I kept reminding myself to embrace the moment, as despite the pain and despite the fatigue there was no guarantee I would ever be able to run in another marathon with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

This was a motivating read overall - seven out of ten hot dogs!