Sole Sisters...Stores of Women and Running by Jennifer Lin and Susan Warner

We all have reasons to run. Sole Sisters is a collection of some of these reasons. Using runners I have known as well as many other less known runners, Sole Sisters recounts their stories in a personal, flowing narrative.

Sole Sisters offers insight into why we run. Some run for companionship and support (Team Winsor, Jane's runners), some run to recognize the past (Cinnamon Spear) while others run to embrace the future (young Ty Ng). Many runners turn to racing, finding the speed exhilarating. For many of the older racers, such as Sr. Marion Irving and Greta Waiz, racing opened new doors for them. And when these racers recognized that racing was no longer fun, they could step away.

Sole Sisters are women runners who continue to run when racing, and hard training are no longer part of the plan. While many of us have found that dogs are great running companions, former triathalon great Colleen Cannon has found two horses to be unlikely substitutes. She says, "When you are in your zone, you start to click and you're flying. Horses lift your heart." Spirituality is a major thread in the story of why we continue to run. As Sr. Marion Irving says, "when I'm running, I feel in harmony with the whole human family. I'm sure I've had my purest prayer, my best communications with God, while running."

As women, we face struggles. Some of these struggles could envelope us with grief and despair, and many would lose the desire to go on. Running offered many of the women ways to deal with the terrible blows that life gives us, the terrible grief of losing someone, the inner demons which haunt us, and memories which will not go away. Especially compelling is the story of Sandy Oslosky, a regular runner on an ordinary run when her life changes, which in turn would change lives of so many others.

Sole Sisters offers insight into our souls, within the psyche of our female selves. Reading Sole Sisters will renew your love for the sport which you have embraced.

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