Have Fun Out There Or Not: The Semi-Rad Running Essays

by Brendan Leonard

When Brendan Leonard decided to get serious about running in 2015, it only lasted a few weeks—the “getting serious” part, not the running part. Since running his first-ever ultramarathon race that year, he's logged thousands of miles on roads and on trails, completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons, and spent a lot of time thinking about why we do what we do when we put on running shoes—whether we're qualifying for the Boston Marathon or finishing an ultra-distance trail race a minute before the final cutoff. And it’s not always that serious. The 25 essays, race reports, illustrated stories, and goofy lists in this book pull from a wide range of The high-decibel chaos of running the New York City Marathon with 53,000 other people, shuffling through the night on lonely trails in the mountains of Colorado and North Carolina, digging for the mental fortitude to finish a 100-mile race, and the admission that we all have procrastinated a 5-mile easy run on a weekday for longer than it takes to do the actual running—often while wearing our running clothes. Have Fun Out There Or Not will, according to a good friend who’s probably biased to say nice things about Brendan’s work anyway, leave you laughing and shaking your head saying, “Me too,” or “Been there, done that,” or “OK, that’s kind of gross.” Also, possibly, “Why would you think that was a good idea?” or “What did you expect, after you ate all that pizza?” or “The person who wrote this should really find another hobby, like, I don’t know, golf or something.” There are no real training tips in this book, except maybe the one on page 60 about how to go No. 2 in the woods and keep your hands 100 percent clean while doing it.

235 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Brendan Leonard is the creator of Semi-Rad.com and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Outside, CNN.com, Adventure Journal, Alpinist, Climbing, High Country News, Adventure Cyclist, and dozens of other publications. He lives in Missoula, Montana.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun set of essays about running that often made me laugh. I especially enjoyed reading his review of running rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon. He also reviews the Hellbender 100, which made me happy.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This contains all the hilarity and despair I require in my reading, especially about running. After I Hate Running and You Can Too and this book, I feel totally seen, even if I only run a fraction of what Leonard accomplishes. Can't wait to read more of his books.

I'm seriously considering making shirts to say, "Brendan Leonard says it's OK to walk," which is now what I think during every run.

[Scott Kummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best little storybook about running I have read in a long time. Great little funny stories that make you think and check your perspective. I would highly recommend this for the runner in your life. I am kicking myself for letting it sit on my nightstand for so long. Bravo.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

K I just really liked this, alright?