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Running Outside the Comfort Zone

An Explorer's Guide to the Edges of Running

Published by VeloPress
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

★★★★★ "I laughed, I cried and I was 100% re-inspired to stick with my own personal fitness goals"

Running Outside the Comfort Zone uncovers the brash, bold, and very human sides of running, and along the way Susan Lacke rekindles her own crush on America’s favorite all-comers sport.

Running offers much more than road racing! After a decade of writing about running, sports columnist Susan Lacke found herself in a serious running rut. The runners around her seemed to be thriving, setting goals, and having fun, but her own interest in running was lackluster.

Seeking to reengage with the sport she once loved, Lacke spends a year exploring running in its many shapes and forms, taking on running challenges that scare her, push her, and downright embarrass her. From races with giant cheese wheels to a regional wife-carrying competition, a naked 5K to climbing the dark stairwells of the Empire State Building, Lacke’s brave forays and misadventures are chronicled in wondrous and funny stories.

About The Author

Susan Lacke is a writer, college professor, and adventure junkie. She holds a doctorate in health education and a M.S. in family and community wellness. Her writing has appeared in many national and regional publications including Triathlete, Women’s Running, Competitor, and Salt Lake magazine. She is the author of Life’s Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow and has finished multiple Ironman and marathon races.

Product Details

  • Publisher: VeloPress (March 27, 2019)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781937715847

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Raves and Reviews

“Read Running Outside the Comfort Zone for a fascinating look into the ‘edges of running.’ Susan rekindles her own crush on the sport of running and just might challenge readers to seek out their own exciting running challenges.”

Women’s Running

“Each chapter of Running Outside the Comfort Zone is a self-contained adventure, written in a witty, often hilariously understated style that reveals, in a no-holds-barred fashion, the author’s self-examination of her weaknesses, foibles, and strengths.”

American Trail Running Association (ATRA)

“In Running Outside the Comfort Zone, some races are straight up ridiculous asshattery; some are literally life-changing. And at every event, Susan remains on the lookoutfor her love of running to return, for her limits to be tested, and for the secret password that would let her join the ranks of ‘real runners.’”

Fit Bottomed Girls

“If you love running, you’ll love this romp through the weird and wacky side of the sport.”

No Meat Athlete

“With humor and brutal honesty, Lacke draws you in to a touching story that's refreshingly free of affected ‘inspirational crap.’ It made me laugh, gave me pause to reflect on my own fallable inner voice, and to rejoice over relationships strengthened through sport. Brilliant!”

Heather Wurtele, professional triathlete

Praise for Susan Lacke's debut book, Life's Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow

“Susan Lacke is not only a great writer but also one of the most hilarious people around...And her book? It’s all that and more…It’s poignant. It’s vulnerable. It’s real. It’s inspiring. It’s funny. It’s deeply personal and reflective. It’s the kind of story that makes you look within...that makes you want to call up your best friend in the middle of the night and say ‘thank you from the bottom of my heart’. It’s the kind of read that makes you want to write a bucket list and start checking things off of it now… This book is SO F*CKING beautiful.”

Fit Bottomed Girls

“With humor and brutal honesty, Lacke draws you in to a touching story that's refreshingly free of affected ‘inspirational crap.’ It made me laugh, gave me pause to reflect on my own fallable inner voice, and to rejoice over relationships strengthened through sport. Brilliant!”

Heather Wurtele, professional triathlete

“I really loved Susan Lacke’s book. Her friendship with Carlos made me laugh and cry. More than anything, Life’s Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow is a reminder that sport is so much more than fitness: Sports are about friendship and the power to change the course of our lives.”

Rachel Joyce, professional triathlete

“A witty and honest story of an endearing friendship. Susan always keeps it real.”

Kelly Williamson, professional triathlete

“A relatively quick read about running, triathlon and friendship that will make you laugh, cry and reflect on what’s really important in your own life. Susan Lacke might not be a household name (yet, anyway) but she’s a hell of a writer and has a knack for using humor to tell stories that resonate on a deeply personal level… I can’t recommend [her book] enough.”

Mario Fraioli, The Morning Shakeout

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