5 Audiobooks I’m Reading While Training for My First Marathon

Last week, I started training for my first marathon.

My little sister and I are running the Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon together in June.

I ran cross country in middle and high school, so I’m used to racing 5Ks/3.1 miles. (Below is a picture of my high school cross country team from over 15 years ago. I’m in the green sweatshirt, and my little sister is the one beside me with the snacks.)

I started running again 5 or so years ago. I still remember the first week into my return, I couldn’t run a mile. I was equally disheartened and determined. The proudest moment since my return, though, was winning in my age group at the Corkscrew Racing LIVE BOLD 4 Miler. It’s been a long journey to even get to the point where I’m physically fit enough to train for a marathon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Morgan Vega (@bymorganvega)

The furthest I’ve run is 18 miles, and I walked a good portion of it. So I’ve got a lot of training ahead—20 more weeks of it. I’ll build up my mileage each week, and the furthest I’ll run at once before race day is 20 miles.

I’ve decided to listen to audiobooks during my long runs, because I’m first and foremost a reader. I can’t help but add in a reading goal to my goal of finishing a marathon.

Based on audiobook recommendations from my Instagram, Libro.fm’s Top 10 Audiobooks of 2024, and Barnes & Noble’s Best Full Cast Audiobooks to Listen to for an Immersive Reading Experience, I’ve put together my own audiobook TBR for my weekly long runs.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Morgan Vega (@bymorganvega)

Let me know what other audiobooks I should read, since I’m sure I’m going to read more than these!

1. The God of the Woods

By Liz Moore, Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

From the New York Times bestselling author of Long Bright River, an immersive, propulsive novel about a missing child whose disappearance sends equal shockwaves through three very different worlds — an opulent Adirondack summer estate, the rustic teen summer camp that operates in its shadow, and the blue-collar community that serves them both.

When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Losing a camper is a horrific tragedy under any circumstances, but Barbara isn’t just any camper; she’s the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp — as well as the opulent nearby estate and most of the land in sight. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region: Barbara’s older brother also went missing fourteen years ago, never to be found. How could this have happened yet again?

Out of this gripping beginning, Liz Moore weaves a richly textured drama, both emotionally nuanced and propelled by a double-barreled mystery. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded drama brings readers into the hearts of characters whose lives are forever changed by this eventful summer.

Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet, The God of the Woods is a story of love, inheritance, identity, and second chances, a thrillingly layered drama about the tensions between a family and a community, and a history of secrets that will not let any of them go.

2. Just for the Summer

By Abby Jimenez, Narrated by Christine Lakin, Zachary Webber & Abby Jimenez

To find their soulmates, all they need is four dates, a kiss and a breakup…

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea…and it just might work.

Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected – including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make listeners laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

3. No Two Persons: A Novel

By Erica Bauermeister, Narrated by Barrie Kreinik , Braden Wright , Carol Jacobanis , Cassandra Campbell , Gabra Zackman , George Newbern , Jesse Vilinsky , Max Meyers , Rachel L. Jacobs , Stephen Graybill

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”*

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think. 

4. Nimona

By ND Stevenson, Narrated by Rebecca Soler , Jonathan Davis , Marc Thompson, January LaVoy , Natalie Gold , Peter Bradbury , David Pittu

An original full cast audio adaptation of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel sensation from ND Stevenson, based on his beloved and critically acclaimed web comic.

Nemeses Dragons Science Symbolism All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from ND Stevenson. Adapted for audio, this brilliant production is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and graphic novel, and is sure to win Nate many new ones. This full cast audio edition is performed by Rebecca Soler, Jonathan Davis, Marc Thompson, January LaVoy, Natalie Gold, Peter Bradbury, and David Pittu, and features original music composed and produced by Loren Toolajian at Sandblast Productions.

Nimona is an impulsive young shape-shifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

5. The Rise of the Ultra Runners

By Adharanand Finn, Narrated by Ralph Lister

Once the reserve of only the most hardcore enthusiasts, ultra running is now a thriving global industry, with hundreds of thousands of competitors each year. But is the rise of this most brutal and challenging sport – with races that extend into hundreds of miles, often in extreme environments – an antidote to modern life, or is it a symptom of a modern illness?

In The Rise of the Ultra Runners, award-winning author Adharanand Finn travels to the heart of the sport to investigate the reasons behind its rise and discover what it takes to join the ranks of these ultra athletes. Through encounters with the extreme and colorful characters of the ultramarathon world, and his own experiences of running ultras everywhere from the deserts of Oman to the Rocky Mountains, Finn offers a fascinating account of people testing the boundaries of human endeavor.

Comment with your audiobook recommendations that I should read on my longs runs leading up to my first marathon!