Running Home

[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

Alisha Perkins is mom to two girls, wife to three-time All-Star Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins, and owner to a dog, Harry Potter. She is a born and raised Minnesotan.

Alisha and Glen host Fifteen’s 5k, an annual race held in Minneapolis that has benefitted the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the past and looks to expand charities in the future.

Alisha’s writing has appeared in publications including Women’s Running, Huffington Post, Ultrarunning, Like the Wind, Red Current, Minneapolis Running, Most, Star Tribune, Girls with Sole, Twins magazine, and others.

Running Home is her first book. You can visit her online at alishaperkins.com.