Taking Life in Stride Book (Soft Cover)

Written in a style that might parallel Stuart McLean having a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (for the Soul) with Jim Fixx, Taking Life in Stride is a collection of short memoirs that explore forty years of unique experience from the vantage of a runner.

As a sub-four minute miler, member of Canada’s national track and field team, coach, and personal trainer, running has permeated all aspects of author Harvey Mitro’s life. He presents thirty themes which explore one’s strongest attachments, greatest fears, and deepest regrets, while sharing moments of warmth, thrill, humour, and horror.

An awkward teen is unexpectedly paired with a talented blind runner, acting as his eyes while he attempts to win the Provincial Championship. With no preparation, their divergent worlds are thrown together with athletic dreams and reputations on the line.

Escaping violent war in the Congo, a young athlete defects to Canada. With the support of a found ‘running family,’ he rises to the heights of Canadian marathon racing, only to die at the peak of his career. His story does not end, as a mysterious spiritual connection seeks to help heal the grief of a loved one left behind.

A thin, sad dog reaches his paw through the bars of a shelter cage to capture the heart of a man. With the spirit of a racer and the mind of a rascal, the mischievous hound leads the man on a series of hilarious and heart-warming adventures.

Although it is an ideal read for an audience interested in running and sport, works from this collection have been published by literary periodicals including Existere Magazine, Blank Spaces Journal, the Insight CNIB Newsletter, and Canadian Running Magazine,  showing that Taking Life in Stride will appeal to all readers who cherish the emotional context provided by both daily and exceptional circumstance.