National Network for Equitable Library Service

Over 35 million people will go running this year in the United States alone. For some of us, it's more than just a hobby-over 11 million of us are runaholics. Runners and addicts. Addicts and runners. The two hardly seem to go together . . . unless you're one of those people who periodically put a couple of miles on your running shoes and then think things like, Boy, this feels good. I could go all day long. Then you do. Or at least try to. Running and addiction — as in running addiction — do indeed go together like chocolate and peanut butter, as Wired to Run makes so perfectly clear. Written by Scoop Skupien, a habitual runner for the past 30 years and the founder of Runaholics Anonymous, Wired to Run is a humorous trip through the world of runaholics and a host of issues that the running obsessed can't quite leave in their dust. It's a good-natured satire of healing groups that will keep readers — whether they're runners or run enablers--laughing page after breathless page. Central to the book and the whole online Runaholics Anonymous organization is Skupien's 12-Step program for recognizing and dealing with this mental and very physical disorder. From, "We admit that we are powerless over running," to, "We reach the Pinnacle: the ability to run in moderation," the self-help style mixes laughs with actual training tips and other helpful advice. The combination-along with hilarious analysis of six different running types that encompass just about anyone who's ever broken a sweat--pokes great fun at runners, their odd habits and their running rituals. It's definitely fun on the run!