Book Review: Still Running After All These Tears – A Runner’s Journey Through Grief by Lisa Jackson

Still Running After All These Tears is a deeply moving, honest and life-affirming book about love, loss, grief and the slow, often messy process of learning how to live again. It is not an easy book to read — but it is an important one.

This is a difficult book to review, not because of the writing (which is warm, open and engaging), but because of the subject matter.

The book deals head-on with death, grief and the aftermath of losing those you love. There were moments where it made me cry — not because it’s written to provoke emotion, but because it tells the truth. It is, at times, a brutally sad book.

What struck me most was how realistic Lisa is about grief. There’s no neat resolution, no “right way” to process loss. Grief simply becomes something you learn to live alongside.

Reading this, I was constantly reminded that grief is not a linear journey, and that survival sometimes looks like just getting through the day.

Despite the sadness, this is not a hopeless book. There are moments of warmth, humour and lightness woven throughout. At different points it made me smile, laugh, feel frustrated, angry and — unexpectedly — scared. Scared because it made me think about my own life and the fact that, while my immediate family are still here, loss is something I will one day have to face too. Perhaps that’s empathy, or perhaps it’s the mark of a book that allows you to truly step into someone else’s experience.

I found myself unsure who I would recommend this book to — which I think speaks to its depth rather than any weakness. If you are currently grieving, this book could feel painfully close to home. Equally, it could offer comfort in knowing you are not alone. What it unquestionably provides is honesty and permission to feel whatever you feel.

After speaking with Lisa on the Tough Girl Podcast, I know what a thoughtful, compassionate and genuine person she is, and that comes through clearly on every page.

This book may be just as valuable for those who are not grieving. It teaches empathy. It shows how to stay present when conversations get uncomfortable, how not to turn away from friends when things get hard, and how to show up when someone is experiencing loss. Death and dying are topics we often avoid, yet this book gently invites us to face them.

Running sits quietly but powerfully at the heart of the book.

For runners, the themes will resonate deeply — the value of getting outside, moving your body, and finding solace in routine and rhythm. But this book is not about pace or finishing times. It’s about showing up. And if you’re not a runner, the message still holds: movement can be walking, run-walking, or simply stepping outside for fresh air.

In many ways, this book also acts as a gentle survival guide.

It offers insight into living with serious illness, navigating medical systems, handling overwhelming emotions, palliative care, planning a good death, and learning how to live with grief rather than trying to outrun it. These are lessons that stay with you long after the final page.

Still Running After All These Tears is ultimately a book about life — how fragile it is, how painful it can be, and how meaningful and joyful it still has the potential to be. It is a book that lingers, challenges, and quietly encourages you to think about how you want to live.

Buy the book here: Still Running After All These Tears: A Runner's Journey Through Grief

*** Lisa will be sharing her story on the Tough Girl Podcast on the 14th April 2026 ***