"I laughed, I cried and I was 100% re-inspired to stick with my own personal fitness goals" Running Outside the Comfort Zone uncovers the brash, bold, and very human sides of running, and along the way Susan Lacke rekindles her own crush on America's favorite all-comers sport. Running offers much more than road racing! After a decade of writing about running, sports columnist Susan Lacke found herself in a serious running rut. The runners around her seemed to be thriving, setting goals, and having fun, but her own interest in running was lackluster. Seeking to reengage with the sport she once loved, Lacke spends a year exploring running in its many shapes and forms, taking on running challenges that scare her, push her, and downright embarrass her. From races with giant cheese wheels to a regional wife-carrying competition, a naked 5K to climbing the dark stairwells of the Empire State Building, Lacke's brave forays and misadventures are chronicled in wondrous and funny stories.

Susan and Carlos were unlikely friends. She was a young, overweight college professor and a bit of a trainwreck—juggling a divorce, a pack-a-day habit, and hiding empty boxes of wine under her bed. He was her boss, an Ironman triathlete, with life figured out. She was a whiner, he was a hard-ass. He had his shit together, she most assuredly did not. Trash-talking workouts, breakdowns, a devastating diagnosis—this heartwarming story of training buddies reveals a deep and abiding friendship that traversed life, sport, and everything in between. Their journey reveals the inspiring power of sports and friendship to change lives forever. Amusing and poignant, Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow is about running and triathlon, growth and heartbreak, and an epic friendship that went the distance.