LitHub / Why Do We Run? On the Art of the Marathon Memoir

While enduring the absence of anything resembling joy, Nita Sweeney informs readers, “My mind was trying to kill me again,” in the opening line of Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink. Self-proclaimed couch potato, Sweeney details her journey from being unable to jog for more than a few minutes to finishing the Columbus Marathon. Even though there are days when she feels so badly about herself she can’t get out of bed, she finds the will to leash her dog and run. Her primary objective is to inspire her readers. Over and over again, Sweeney reminds her audience the lies her mind tells her about what her body is capable of doing. Her running routine, the friends she finds, and the races she completes all contribute to sweating away the doubts and self-loathing from her pores. “If I, an overweight 50-year-old with chronic depression, manic episodes, anxiety, hypochondria, and a wonky ankle could do it, anyone could.”

Full article found here: https://lithub.com/why-do-we-run-on-the-art-of-the-marathon-memoir/