12 months of running and audiobooks - Documenting my progress in 2023
• • #personal
I have so many books on my reading list, yet I barely manage to read more than 20 pages per week. That's why I decided to give audiobooks a try and combine it with running.
This year, I want to "read" 12 (audio) books in 12 months while running. I want to document my running journey and keep track of the books in this article.
I also want to significantly increase my running distance this year. In 2022 I ran 159 km (99 miles).
The goal for 2023 is: Run 1000 km (621,4 miles) and listen to 12 audiobooks.
This means, on average I have to run 83,4 km per month (52 miles). Since I'm just beginning to increase the training again, I will take it slow in the first couple of months, but I hope to have multiple >100km months later this year.
Progress:
- January: 75 km | Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- February: 58,4 km | All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- March: 76 km | Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- April: 72,9 km | Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
January: 75 km | Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
#Running: 75 km (46,6 miles)
Getting back into running. After one year of very inconsistent running, I managed to do consistent training with 3-4 runs per week. Mostly 5 km and the longest one was 10 km. The average pace was 6:25 min/km (10:20 min/mile).
(4km were not tracked in the app).
Book (finished): Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
Review: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Fascinating story of Nike’s history and profoundly inspiring.
February: 58,4 km | All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
#Running: 58,4 km (36,3 miles)
Funny enough, the average tempo is the exact same as in January. Unfortunately, I am currently slightly sick so I could not reach the goal of 80 km. Hopefully, in March I can catch up 💪 .
Book (finished): All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Review: 4,5/5: I really liked it. For my taste, there could have been a bit more tension building, and I could not fully concentrate and appreciate the beautiful language when listening to the audiobook during my runs. But overall it was a fantastic book.
March: 76 km | Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
#Running: 76 km (47,2 miles)
Pretty solid month. I increased the average pace slightly to 6:19 min/km (10:10 min/mile). The next step I want to do is to increase the long runs.
Book (finished): Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Review: 3/5: I liked the idea, but it was never really gripping and got a bit stupid in the end. Overall it was a solid thriller, though.
April: 72,9 km | Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
#Running: 72,9 km (45,3 miles)
My average pace decreased. The reason was that I spent the month in Thailand and it was extremely hot🔥. Still happy with the results:
Book (finished): Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Review: 4.5/5: The story is about a robot with outstanding observational qualities (almost AGI) who befriends and observes the humans around it. It's a very quiet novel that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator. Great read!
May:
#To be continued...
If you have book recommendations, let me know on Twitter under this tweet.🙏
Hope you enjoyed the read!

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