Running

“This is not your average handbook on running. It is far more incisive, far more tender, far more uncanny—and reading it will make you rethink what you know about an activity all of us at one time or another have pursued, resisted, witnessed, or even loved. Lindsey A. Freeman shows us that far from a solitary pursuit, running is about connecting to ourselves and each other. From the amateur to the Olympian and from the bodily to the transcendental, there is so much she both celebrates and scrutinizes. And in true handbook fashion, Hazel Meyer’s delightful, ludic illustrations provide the perfect running companion.” - Mark Yakich, author of Football

"You can fill a small library with books on running, but you won’t find many that touch on queerness and feminism in the sport. . . . [Freeman's] storytelling, along with her friend Hazel Meyer’s illustrations, chronicles Freeman’s lifelong relationship with running and illuminates the 'unexpected moments of connection and joy that we runners feel when we cover some distance together.'" - Becky Wade, Runners World

"I found Lindsay A. Freedman’s little queer book Running absolutely delightful and surprisingly validating, as I think many queer sportspersons will. In particular, Freedman talks about how running as a sport of individualism and triumph over one’s own fears or limitations has both mirrored and supported her journey in coming out as queer in ways that made me go 'Oh yes, that.'" - S. Bear Bergman, Xtra

"What makes this book stand out from others on running is that it was created with the queer, feminist reader in mind. Freeman’s ability to use her own running practice as a lens for viewing gender, compulsory heterosexuality, and body acceptance is bound to give new perspective on these dimensions of life that affect us all." - Melissa Gopp-Warner, Memoirs with Melissa blog

"What is beautiful throughout Running is the slow and tender movements through what it means to have a body, and what that body means in all the spaces in which it exists. . . . I hope queer people with an interest, active or passive, in running pick this book up, read through, and consider their own relationships to themselves and to a sport that is so easily made all too simple." - Niko Stratis, Autostraddle

"More poetic than practical, but intensely vivid and personal, Running bounces from pop-culture analysis to academic inquiry, from a catalogue of injuries (including those from a devastating incident in which a vehicle hit her) to an exploration of the elusive 'runner's high.' . . . Running is a worthwhile companion for people who want to be either—or both." - Katie Noah Gibson, Shelf Awareness

“Freeman serves fresh thinking as she applies the speculative energy of queer theory to her own lifelong running journey.” - Knox Robinson, Wall Street Journal

"Running is more than a study of the sport—it’s a fearless love letter to the core of what it means to be a runner. . . . Part-memoir, part-handbook, and part-critical theory, untangling identity, the body, queerness, feminism, friendships, the unknown, failure, pain, control, success, and beyond; the full spectrum of what it means to lace up our running shoes to return to a complicated, duplicitous, and ever-changing sport." - Ellie Jackson, Off

"As a researcher in gender, culture and recreational sports, as well as someone who enjoys an occasional run, I find Running truly inspirational, both in content, style and form. It is intelligent, interesting, and well-written. The small format also makes it the perfect companion for travelling or commuting. A good read altogether. I strongly recommend it." - Karin S. Lindelöf, Idrott's Forum

“Running is a lovely assortment of occasional pieces about the wide-ranging experience of being a runner. Runners will recognize their own practices in Freeman’s stories and reflections. And non-runners, I suspect, will come to appreciate what it is that draws us runners so steadily to this activity.” - Scott F. Parker, Sport Literate