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The Miles We Run: Lessons From the Arena of Resilience
"The doctor's words carved out a chasm between my past and my future. . . . My heart clenched at the unspoken Can I have more children? Her eyes met mine as she mouthed a single, earth-shattering No."
Uncover the layers of Alison Beder Solway's transformative journey in The Miles We Run. Her profoundly moving and candid memoir delves into the multifaceted world of surrogacy, where emotional and physical challenges tested the limits of her resilience through many failed attempts at having another baby.
In her heartfelt narrative, Alison confronts the complexities she faced on her path toward motherhood, beginning with the near-death experience that led her to surrogacy. Throughout, she parallels the unwavering discipline required to train for and complete the New York City Marathon, underscoring the extraordinary endurance of the human spirit. Her raw and relatable experiences inspire us to reflect on our own "miles," prompting introspection about the struggles we all face and the unseen fortitude they reveal.
The Miles We Run is a tribute to the ever-changing and splendid canvas of life, offering a reminder that hope, in its truest form, is a brave and deliberate decision.
Uncover the layers of Alison Beder Solway's transformative journey in The Miles We Run. Her profoundly moving and candid memoir delves into the multifaceted world of surrogacy, where emotional and physical challenges tested the limits of her resilience through many failed attempts at having another baby.
In her heartfelt narrative, Alison confronts the complexities she faced on her path toward motherhood, beginning with the near-death experience that led her to surrogacy. Throughout, she parallels the unwavering discipline required to train for and complete the New York City Marathon, underscoring the extraordinary endurance of the human spirit. Her raw and relatable experiences inspire us to reflect on our own "miles," prompting introspection about the struggles we all face and the unseen fortitude they reveal.
The Miles We Run is a tribute to the ever-changing and splendid canvas of life, offering a reminder that hope, in its truest form, is a brave and deliberate decision.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2024
4 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
Alison Beder Solway
1 book7 followersAlison Beder Solway is a debut author, fitness expert, and founder of ABS Fitness—an online platform dedicated to women's health. Holding a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Antioch New England Graduate School, she began her career in environmental engineering, developing corporate sustainable environmental programs. Alison combines her commitment to wellness with her passion for empowering women, advocating for a holistic mind-body
approach to well-being.
In her memoir, 'The Miles We Run,' she shares her personal journey to motherhood
through surrogacy—an experience that involved significant obstacles and taught
her the transformative power of hope, perseverance, and strength. Over 25 years
later, she drew upon these same qualities while training for and running the New
York City Marathon, demonstrating how discipline, patience, and resilience
continue to guide her in embracing new challenges and inspiring others.
When she's not training clients or creating content for ABS Fitness, Alison enjoys
running, cooking, reading, savoring a good cup of coffee, and most importantly,
spending time with her husband and their four children.
approach to well-being.
In her memoir, 'The Miles We Run,' she shares her personal journey to motherhood
through surrogacy—an experience that involved significant obstacles and taught
her the transformative power of hope, perseverance, and strength. Over 25 years
later, she drew upon these same qualities while training for and running the New
York City Marathon, demonstrating how discipline, patience, and resilience
continue to guide her in embracing new challenges and inspiring others.
When she's not training clients or creating content for ABS Fitness, Alison enjoys
running, cooking, reading, savoring a good cup of coffee, and most importantly,
spending time with her husband and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 11, 2024
Beder Solway has written a gripping memoir of her journey to be a mom of four - which involved a near death experience during her first delivery and need to use surrogates to deliver her next three children. Along the way, Beder Solway journaled her disappointments and successes and has turned these reflections along with the benefit of time and perspective into a compelling memoir of resilience and compassion.
March 18, 2025
*All memoirs are rated 5 stars*
This was a deeply personal story of the author's journey with pregnancy, surrogacy and dealing with medical regulations and structures between the US and Canada. Being a woman who does not want biological children, a lot of this story didn't resonate with me. However, I enjoyed understanding the desires of women who so desperately want children more. I think this book would be great for anyone going through pregnancy difficulties and surrogacy! I really enjoyed the open ended questions at the end of each chapter that allowed for a lot of personal reflection. The book was well written and did bring me to tears on more than one occasion!
This was a deeply personal story of the author's journey with pregnancy, surrogacy and dealing with medical regulations and structures between the US and Canada. Being a woman who does not want biological children, a lot of this story didn't resonate with me. However, I enjoyed understanding the desires of women who so desperately want children more. I think this book would be great for anyone going through pregnancy difficulties and surrogacy! I really enjoyed the open ended questions at the end of each chapter that allowed for a lot of personal reflection. The book was well written and did bring me to tears on more than one occasion!
November 12, 2024
A deeply personal and vulnerable story about resilience and perseverance that seeks to bring the same qualities out of the reader. It may be about a marathon but it’s a sprint to read. Extremely engrossing, the pages fly by but the message will last for a long time.
May 30, 2025
it was definitely good. well written in the way that it was easy to read but invoked thought. heart wrenching at times but showed resilience throughout. really interesting going through that experience with her as reading it. admittedly i don't know if i could've continued had i not known she had at least 2 sons (who i met in indigo) so i knew there was a happy ending :)
June 1, 2025
This book honestly changed my life!! Its a MUST read!!
September 29, 2025
I stumbled upon this gem completely by chance while browsing Indigo at Eglinton and Yonge. Out of nowhere, a boy approached me and offered me a copy of this book, his mom’s book. That alone had me intrigued. Then I had the unexpected joy of meeting the author herself, Alison Beder Solway, who signed my copy with the words: "We can do hard things."
That message stuck with me and after reading her story, it resonates even more deeply. The Miles We Run is raw, inspiring, and beautifully written. It’s a powerful reflection on resilience, motherhood, heartbreak, healing, and the strength we discover within ourselves when we need it most. I adored Alison’s honesty, her courage, and the quiet strength in her storytelling.
And here’s the part that truly hit me after I finished the book: I realized that the boy who handed me this story so casually, so kindly, is actually the miracle that Alison and her husband wished and prayed for. 🙏🏻💕 It gave the entire experience a full-circle moment that I’ll never forget.
Reading this reminded me that no matter what we face, there’s strength in simply showing up and continuing forward. Truly, we can do hard things. ❤️
That message stuck with me and after reading her story, it resonates even more deeply. The Miles We Run is raw, inspiring, and beautifully written. It’s a powerful reflection on resilience, motherhood, heartbreak, healing, and the strength we discover within ourselves when we need it most. I adored Alison’s honesty, her courage, and the quiet strength in her storytelling.
And here’s the part that truly hit me after I finished the book: I realized that the boy who handed me this story so casually, so kindly, is actually the miracle that Alison and her husband wished and prayed for. 🙏🏻💕 It gave the entire experience a full-circle moment that I’ll never forget.
Reading this reminded me that no matter what we face, there’s strength in simply showing up and continuing forward. Truly, we can do hard things. ❤️
July 28, 2025
This memoir follows Alison's path to becoming a mother through surrogacy while connecting those challenges to a similarly difficult path she took training for the NYC marathon. Each chapter is another mile and she reflects on both journeys, making it easy to relate to even if readers are tackling very different challenges of their own.
Despite being about the NYC marathon, the author is Canadian, which I think is great for this award. I appreciated her honesty and vulnerability throughout the story. As a 34 year old who is still not entirely sure how my journey to motherhood will go, I was drawn in to the storyline around surrogacy. I think many readers can take something away from reading the story.
I was not a huge fan of the way that the author ended each chapter, with a little conversation with her "dearest reader", encouraging them to reflect on their own journeys. I understand why the author chose to include this, but for me it felt a bit weird. Memoirs are about connecting with someone else's life story. I don't think explicitly asking the reader to think about a time they faced something similar is really necessary and interrupted the flow of the story, in my opinion. I think the author could have chosen to include these questions as a discussion or reflection section at the end of the book, which would have had less of an impact on the pacing and transitions.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story! Thanks to the author and the Canadian book club awards for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
Despite being about the NYC marathon, the author is Canadian, which I think is great for this award. I appreciated her honesty and vulnerability throughout the story. As a 34 year old who is still not entirely sure how my journey to motherhood will go, I was drawn in to the storyline around surrogacy. I think many readers can take something away from reading the story.
I was not a huge fan of the way that the author ended each chapter, with a little conversation with her "dearest reader", encouraging them to reflect on their own journeys. I understand why the author chose to include this, but for me it felt a bit weird. Memoirs are about connecting with someone else's life story. I don't think explicitly asking the reader to think about a time they faced something similar is really necessary and interrupted the flow of the story, in my opinion. I think the author could have chosen to include these questions as a discussion or reflection section at the end of the book, which would have had less of an impact on the pacing and transitions.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story! Thanks to the author and the Canadian book club awards for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
November 30, 2025
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews