Running Home: Big-League Wife, Small-Town Story

by Alisha Perkins

[A] poignant meditation on the steps that hold us back, and those that push us forward “Running Home is a beautiful book that, on the surface, is about running, but is actually about so much more. It is about dealing with anxiety, finding balance in life, and remembering to run toward something and not away from anything.” —Joe Posnanski, New York Times bestselling author and national columnist for NBC Sports As the wife of a professional baseball player, Alisha Perkins has long struggled to find an identity of her own—a struggle made worse by an anxiety disorder that has plagued her since childhood. One afternoon during spring training, Alisha, eager for a few minutes to herself, decides to take a short run around the neighborhood. What she discovers is her first taste of the elusive runner’s high, a release of her pent-up anxiety, and a chance to find her voice. As Alisha progresses from shorter distances to full marathons—eventually organizing charity races of her own—she is able to let go of the nagging sense that she is “competent but not complete,” even as the demands of training compete with those of family and baseball. A memoir that will resonate with anyone who has struggled with self-doubt, Running Home is a poignant meditation on the steps that hold us back, and those that push us forward. “A brutally honest and engrossing story about a woman’s struggles with clinical anxiety. . . . Her life is extraordinary, but her humble and frank approach makes her struggle and story relevant for all too many of us.” —Karl Hoagland, publisher of Ultrarunning Magazine “Alisha Perkins has gone to dark places, haunted by demons that threatened her very existence. But she chose to fight back, and found solace and freedom through running. Hers is a story of triumph over tragedy, and in her book she speaks honestly and openly about crawling from the depths to find the light.” —Dean Karnazes, ultramarathoner and New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Nonfiction

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2016

About the author

ALISHA NICOLE WEBER PERKINS.

writer. author. TEDX speaker.

Mom to two girls, wife to Glen Perkins (3 time All-Star Minnesota Twins pitcher) and owner to our dogs Harry Potter and Raymond.

Best selling author in both fiction (Not That Girl) and non-fiction (Running Home).

Other writing has appeared in Women's Running, Huffington Post, Like the Wind Magazine, Fitness Most Magazine, Scary Mommy, Another Mother Runner, The Red Current, Minneapolis Running, Star Tribune, Girls with Sole, and Minnesota Twins Magazine.

I have spoken about my struggles with anxiety and depression openly, honestly, and hopefully a little humorously for several years. I try not to take myself too seriously but I also want to be taken seriously. I am complicated, contradictory, illogical, and ironic, but at the end of the day I am just me. I try to be honest and authentic but I am also a wimp who doesn't want to offend. I walk the line.

Gave my first TEDX talk entitled "How Many Celebrities Does it Take to Change a Stigma" in May 2019, centering around breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness in our society.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book when I had the privilege of hearing Alisha Perkins speak at a banquet I attended. Her speech was funny, personal, and inspiring. She quoted Dumbledore from Harry Potter. I knew if her writing was anything like her speaking, I would enjoy Running Home.

Alisha's book did not disappoint. I appreciate her transparency and honesty about her feelings about baseball, her struggle with anxiety, and her setbacks in her running. Reading her book, you feel like you're sitting over coffee and chatting with a good running buddy. Be careful, though, because her humor just might have you spewing coffee out your nose!

As a Minnesota runner myself, I especially appreciate that we were at several of the same races. She grew up in an area that I used to live in. These things made her feel even more like a friend. However, if you aren't a Minnesotan, I feel like you'll connect to Alisha and her story anyway.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Alisha writes so beautifully and open that is inspires you to be more vulnerable in your own life. She combines humor with raw truth in a way that is so relatable and fun to read. This is different from other running books that portray runners who found their talent early and found immediate success. Alisha found her talent and niche later in life and went through the same trials all of us experience; success, struggles, and setbacks. It will inspire you to push through any insecurities or self-doubt to achieve your goals and dreams. This book made me love Alisha Perkins even more :)

[Mavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to get this book because I too am a runner. I enjoyed it very much because I knew what the author was talking about. A big difference is our personalities. While she is a self-proclaimed Type A personality, I am a busy, but lazy person. I liked how she broke the chapters up into the races she ran with a small side story about her life and what she learned about herself on the run. She felt accessible and relatable. This was a fast and easy read that could probably read in 1 day, but like I said, I'm busy and lazy.

[The Not Boring Book Show · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alisha Perkins has written an incredible book. A frank and honest discussion of anxiety and dealing with mental illness. We interviewed Alisha on the show. If you listen you'll understand why this book is so amazing:

http://www.thenotboringbookshow.com/2...

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! As a fellow runner in Minnesota it was fun to read about races I'm familiar with and Alisha's humor in the book was refreshing! Highly recommend!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relatable as I'm a runner and had 'marathon' on my bucket list at one time too. It is a great way to relieve stress especially as a stay home mom. My husband is related by distance to Glen so it was insightful to hear about her life and how she copes with everyday stresses of being in the sideline sharing the life of a professional athlete. Easy writing style. Hopefully she's back to training for another marathon and writing lots.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perkins's anxiety is very like mine, which made this a valuable read.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm local to the Twin Cities running scene and a Twins fan, so I know about the author (and her blog), the running store and cousins she mentions, many of the races...- hence the interest! Overall, I appreciated her candor with anxiety and also empathized with how running (or whatever exercise floats your boat) can be an important tool in life! And I think we don't often appreciate the strange world it can be when you are a professional sports star's wife.

I will say -- I think a lot of the content reads like it came from blog posts, so .. inherently suffers a bit from a need for more editing. Some thoughts are occasionally repeated in a "wait? didn't I just read that?" kind of way. ((Some thoughts skirt the issue of privilege -- I'm sure this life is a tough one, but it's also the one that was chosen and comes with some pretty big perks, so there's a built in limit for anyone not related for sympathy, I think)). Also, I'm not sure the content supports the through-line that running gave Alisha her voice (I think it probably did do so in reality ... but with this book the actual "chapters" read more like race report-type blog posts [that I sometimes got lost in because of tangents and asides] than a cohesive story being told throughout the entire book).

Your mileage may vary, as I think this will appeal more to local runner types.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the mental health angle, not because of the running aspect of the book. In fact, I have never gone for a run. It was interesting to hear how running influenced her life and helped beat her anxiety. My biggest annoyance is that she seems to advocate for running to be within everyone's reach, but come on, this chic is a millionaire. She can afford to do 1-2 races every month, have her own trainer, buy expensive gear, and travel all over the U.S. and Canada for races with ease. It's hard for the average Joe to relate to that.

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worse than a bad run

Unfortunately the author is quite simply not an engaging or interesting writer. At about the 4th chapter, I realized I was essentially reading the same chapter repeatedly. They all follow the same path and cadence: here's the race I trained for, here are a couple of cheesy memories (like how many green tea lemonades I drank!), God is great, running is a necessary release, I love my husband, my life is great, this was my race time. Over and over again.

[Andrea]

#popsugarreadingchallenge
category: read in one day

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read my review on my blog: http://www.takinglongwayhome.com/2016...

[Sharon Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

This book is relatable to those that joined the sport for the enjoyment of it. The author's personal journey speaks volumes to anyone trying to juggle multiple things.