Way back in 2001 I trained for a marathon.  I was going to run the marathon in Dublin, Ireland, but when the US invaded Afghanistan the trip was canceled. And so was my training. I was so burned out I didn’t even plan to run in another race. I haven’t run more than a couple of miles at a time since then, and I absolutely don’t run on a regular basis.  Then, last week, I decided to train for a half-marathon. What does all this have to do with books? Or better question, have I lost my mind? I am 45 ½ years old after all.

Well the thing I’d forgotten was how many wonderful books I’d listened to while running. I only wish that Overdrive online library of audiobooks (www.overdrive.com) had been available back then. Heck, maybe it was and I didn’t know. Audible.com is great for audiobooks, but Overdrive lets you “checkout” 2 books a week! Check their website to see if your local library has a connection. They have eBooks too. And since I have two different library cards I could actually get four a week. Many are unabridged. With a DSL connection the books take only minutes to download and can be played on any MP3 player and most on iPods too. It’s a great way to use your local library without leaving your home.

I promise not to bore you with a long list of books I’ve “read.” But I will provide you with a running link just in case you’ve been a couch potato and would like to start running. I always start with a gradual progression to actually running any distance, and www.coolrunning.com has a great beginner program.