I love the long runs. The runs where you lace up, pack a water bottle or hydration pack and set on your way to conquer miles, and miles. They make me feel like a bit of a badass, when I tell people how far I’ve run that day, ‘oh just the 16 mile training run’, or ‘yes I have 20 miles to run this weekend’. These are distances that seemed impossible to me a few years ago, and yet now they are part and parcel of my marathon training cycles.

However, when you have to do the same or similar routes over and over, alone, it can get a bit monotonous.

When I lived in Chiswick, I used to run along the Thames tow path, the perfect long run location. You could increase the mileage to 20+ all without cars, traffic lights or too many other pedestrians, especially if you head out first thing, or are completing your training runs throughout the winter.

Now that we’re in Henley-on-Thames, we are still on the river – exactly one mile door to tow path, as we were in Chiswick (a happy coincidence). However the path doesn’t follow the river fully, and you can find yourself on a small trail in the middle of a field with no-one in sight, pretty incredible. Slightly lonely at times….

That’s where podcasts and my long run fave, audiobooks come in handy.

I have a membership to Audible where I get credits for audiobooks each month. I save them up while I’m not marathon training so that I can buy loads when I am without spending a fortune. I’ve also recently got into wireless headphones so that I don’t get tangled up in the wire or accidentally pull them out when I swing my arms/take a turn too tightly and run into a bush.

I was sent some Motorola Verve Life pairs for my Instagram takeover on their account and after testing them all out, some more successfully than others, I’ve settled on the Verve loop, they have a wire loop that goes around the back of your head with a volume control, plus a microphone for when you’ve finished your run and fancy a bit of a chat on your walk home (or is that just me that does this?!)

In terms of running headphones, it’s crucial that they’re water and sweat proof, which these are, and that they are light and don’t irritate you as you run, which these don’t. Winning.

5 Audiobooks I’m Loving For Long Runs 

Amy Schumer – Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo 

I literally had to stop on a run the other day to laugh out loud, I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I really enjoyed parts of this book, however there are parts that I thought were slightly bad taste. Overall, I’d recommend it as a very lighthearted book, which is easy to dip in and out, perfect for picking up every week for your long run. Plus if you zone out a touch while you run (me), or forget to stop it when you arrive home/Starbucks for your post run coffee (me) then you aren’t going to miss crucial bits of the storyline.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh 

I love a good plot twist, and this definitely delivers. It’s funny, sad and heartwarming all at once. This is one that you’ll want to pay a little more attention to as you run, however it’s definitely worth a listen.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

If I’d read even a little about what this was about before downloading it after it was recommended on another blog, I probably wouldn’t have started listening to it. The broad topic is about someone trying to end their life (definitely not something I find lighthearted) but surprisingly this book is humorous, touching and easy listening.

How Bad Do You Want It by Matt Fitzgerald

Some audiobooks should not be read by the author, and this is one of them. I don’t know if it is the hardcore Brit in me, but I found his accent very hard to take. However once I started concentrating on what Matt had to say, rather than the way he was saying it, I really appreciated the book. I know a lot of runners have read this book and loved it, and I was keen to give it a go. I haven’t listened to much yet, however I do know that I along with a number of other athletes need to work on their mental strength. This book looks at  the idea that strong mental fitness helps us push our boundaries and achieve extreme goals – just what I need for my BQ attempts and marathon training in the future.

After You by Jojo Moyes

I didn’t love this anywhere near as much as ‘Me Before You’ (I also recently watched the film and loved it) however it grew on me. There’s so much hype around a sequel as hotly anticipated as this, and it falls a bit flat…until the love interest comes along – obviously. This fun audiobook is good company for dark, wet miles, and for the more pleasant weather too.