In spring, summer and fall, we meet on Thursday nights for our #ptownrunclub, in partnership with lululemon athletica Polaris.  Last season we met May through October, but hope to begin in March or April in 2015.  We miss our Thursday runs!

Once it started getting too dark (and cold, wet, etc) to run at night, we tapered off, took a holiday break in November and have decided to implement a reading component for the winter months.  We’ll meet one Thursday per month and choose a book that somehow relates to fitness, wellness and/or the benefits of both (strength, mental clarity & toughness, overcoming adversity or pain, etc).

We had our first annual Living Fit Holiday Gathering last night, as well as the kickoff to our book club component!

The food included a mix of healthy ~ veggies, hummus, and appetizers from Food Faith Fitness ~ and not-so-healthy ~ vino, baked goodies and several cheese options.  And of course, lots of water because its double-point water week in our Living Fit Winter Challenge!  We chatted, wined & dined and took a few photos (duh!) 🙂

We all suggested book titles, discussed each one and then informally voted on a ‘main’ book last night.  Today a few of us decided to add a ‘side’ book, in case people have already read the main one, love to read and have time to read both or perhaps aren’t so interested in the first selection.  Both books have to do with adversity, something we’ve all encountered in both life and/or in our fitness journeys via injury, getting back into shape, gaining or losing weight and muscle, or struggling with our healthy diet.

Our main book.. Unbroken [hailed as the top non-fiction book of the year]

UNBROKEN Synopsis:  In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Our side/second book.. The Running Dream [Fiction, categorized as ‘young adult,’ but has won several awards and comes highly recommended!]  This was a close second on our choices last night and can be discussed at our January meeting, or February if people need more time to complete!

THE RUNNING DREAM Synopsis:  Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She’s not comforted by the news that she’ll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?  As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don’t know what to say, act like she’s not there. Which she could handle better if she weren’t now keenly aware that she’d done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she’s missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.  With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that’s not enough for her now. She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

Ideas for choosing the ‘book of the month’ in your own book club:

• Host suggests the next book or suggests a few and members vote or draw (out of hat).
• All members suggest one book and members vote or draw.
• Choosing a theme (fitness, wellness, teaching, photography, whatever fits your group!) or genre (fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction) can be fun ~ book title must fall into that category.
• Stuck for ideas?  Check the best seller lists and places like the Huffington Post.  Also books that were made into major motion pictures generally have a good plot.  Add another event to your book club and go see the movie together!
• Think of your favorite book and suggest it.  The best ones can be read again and again!

Living Fit Columbus Book Club gathering dates…

• Thursday, Dec 18th
• Thursday, Jan 22nd ~ discuss Unbroken [and Running Dream if people have finished it]
• Thursday, Feb 26th
• Thursday, March 26th

Dates are subject to change, so stay tuned.  Hosting is voluntary so claim your date. 🙂  By April/May we’ll be back to our Thursday runs and can decide if we keep reading or start focusing on training.  Feel free to bring your book, discussion questions and of course a dish or drink to share!

Have a fabulous Friday and hope to see you at yoga this weekend.