Running with a police escort : tales from the back of the pack / Jill Grunenwald.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In the fall of 2012, quirky and cat-loving Cleveland librarian Jill Grunenwald got an alarming email from her younger sister: her sister was very concerned with Jill's weight and her overall mental and physical health. Having always struggled with her weight, Jill was currently hitting the scales at more than three hundred pounds. Right then, Jill looked in the mirror and decided that she needed to make a life-style change, pronto. She enrolled in Weight Watchers and did something else that she--the girl who avoided gym class like the plague in high school--never thought she'd do; Jill started running. And believe it or not, it wasn't that bad. Actually, it was kind of fun.

Three months later, Jill did the previously unthinkable and ran her very first 5k at the Cleveland Metropolitan Zoo. Battling the infamous hills of the course, Jill conquered her fears and finished--but in dead last. Yep, the police were reopening the streets behind her. But Jill didn't let that get her down--because when you run for your health and happiness, your only real competition is yourself.

Six years and more than one hundred pounds lost later, Jill is still running and racing regularly, and she is a proud member of the back of the pack in every race that she has entered. In Running with a Police Escort , Jill chronicles her racing adventures, proving that being a slow runner takes just as much guts and heart as being an Olympic champion. At turns heartbreaking and hilarious, Running with a Police Escort is for every runner who has never won a race but still loves the sport.

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Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Grunenwald, a librarian and podcast host, shares her life in fitness, from her middle school days avoiding gym class to the present, in which she is an enthusiastic slow runner of races. She often finishes last as the police reopen the streets, hence the title. She also documents her journey from being in denial about her unhealthy lifestyle to acknowledging it and taking action via Weight Watchers and, eventually, running. The story leads up to her first runs in Cleveland, where she lives, to her first race, her first destination race, and many other races. The author is open about her physical pains as a 311-lb. runner, her food cravings, and the mental hurdles she overcomes throughout her races and runs. No matter the challenge, readers witness her walking and finishing last with dignity. Readers can count on Grunenwald to be honest about herself and others, and sprinkled in the chapters are fun references to writers such as Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King (she is a librarian, after all). This autobiography will appeal to and inspire those struggling to get healthy. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Cleveland librarian Grunenwald's closest connection to exercise was an occasional interest in the weight-loss show The Biggest Loser when she received a wake-up e-mail from her sister, who was worrying about her health. Then over 300 pounds, Grunenwald started dieting and running on her apartment complex's dreadmill. Soon, Grunenwald, who blogs and records a podcast about her experiences, could hardly believe that she, never before an athlete and still vividly remembering the traumas of childhood PE, was suddenly enjoying running. Her first 5K race became several, before she started running 10K races and half marathons. Whether she's writing about setting goals, finding the best sports bra (Strap. That. Shit. Down), or getting out of a running slump, self-proclaimed slow runner Grunenwald's chatty, confessional style will entertain readers and perhaps even inspire them to lace up, too. (Clevelanders especially will appreciate her detailed descriptions of race routes and the local running scene.) Readers will find that the author's unique perspective from the back of the pack challenges preconceived notions as it encourages stepping outside of one's comfort zones.--Bostrom, Annie Copyright 2016 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jill Grunenwald is the author of the blog The Year of the Phoenix and the host of the Kickstarter-funded podcast "Running with a Police Escort." Looking to change her lifestyle, she began running in 2012 and since has finished more than two dozen races. She lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio.