I love to read about running. I love all running books–training, nutrition, mental game, history, inspiration, etc etc. I have become a student of the science and craft of running and a follower of running lifestyle. So I was primed to enjoy Emelie Forsberg’s book about her journey to be one of the world’s best and most accomplished mountain runners and ski mountaineers. Emelie is an athlete I already follow on Instagram and beyond because I always loved how happy she looked and how humble she seemed. In the Instagram world, you can tell pretty quickly which athletes truly love the spiritual flow of running, and which ones just love their own abs. I am not inspired by the half-naked ab chicks. I love the people who are moved by running and nature who I can feel a connection too. Yes, Emelie has tons of talent, but she’s always smiling and always looks so grateful to be in the mountains doing what she loves–even at mile 84. So I pressured my husband to buy me her book for Christmas and he complied 🙂

I enjoyed this book as a light read about Forsberg’s thoughts on her journey. She includes some recipes, some exercise ideas, some interval ideas, and a sun salutation progression as inserts among her story about her professional running journey. I really enjoyed the last section of the book about her attempt on Cho Oyu with Killian. As an armchair mountaineer, I quite like a good mountain climbing read. Additionally, I enjoyed this as a photo-journey. Killian provided all the photos and they are of professional quality (because of course–what can’t he do?)–it really is a picture book that will look nice on a coffee table or in a place of prominence on a bookshelf.

I would have to place this book firmly in the “inspiration” -only category of running books as it is not particularly informative. It’s more of a reflective piece on how Forsberg found herself becoming an elite athlete, making a living from running and skiing, and then some reflections on how she finds balance in making a living from her sports while also always finding joy and love there. Many ultra runners seem to have a hard time transitioning from normal life to full-time athlete and still maintaining that love and joy. She continues to reflect on the balance she needed to overcome an injury and surgery and then how she incorporates nutrition, farm living and yoga into her life to form a complete whole. There are some training tips but they are pretty hap-hazard. Either Forsberg does not want to or cannot share her true training strategies, or she really is a whimsical runner and can just go out and do whatever she feels like for the day. Mere mortals tend to need a bit more regimen to avoid injury. She has some nice ideas for how to incorporate some speed play and how to incorporate some intervals, but the advice is really, just, “so… do some of this sometimes if you want.” Even the strength training descriptions are so vague it is difficult to use as a tool to inform your training. Perhaps you could use some pieces here and there as a way to think about your own training, but you need to turn away if you expect to find a complete picture of what she does and how to do it too.

I think I will continue to use this book as an occasional flip-through when I want to feel a little inspired or when I need to remember to not take training so seriously. As an aging runner, I need to prioritize strength and pre-hab and relaxation. In other words, I need balance which is really the central theme of Forsberg’s thoughts. I’m glad I read it but I’m not particularly blown away. I would have preferred some more specifics so that the first half would not sound so repetitive. I wanted to learn something.

If you approach this book as Emelie’s story, you will be inspired. In the end, we all need to not take ourselves so seriously and find things we love as much as she loves mountain running.