Total Page : 304
Publisher : Tarcher
Publication Date : 2006 03 02
>> Great Exposure to the Sport for Non Runners
My sister gave me this book as a quick read and I will admit it managed to keep my attention for the better part of the day
I think without going into too much detail it would be best to divide the book into two sections Pt 1 the Author s Background and First Exposure to the sport of Ultramarathons Pt 2 Subsequent life for the Author since then
Part I is what basically hooked me Often as a runner it is quite hard to explain to others why I do what I do sometimes running in the rain ultra races trudging through snow to complete my 5miles for the day etc And I believe in this book the author does a great job at capturing his personal reasons for picking up the sport As he states off hand several times everyone has their own reasons for running and perhaps that is what captivated me reading one person s story and experiences all the ups and downs What I best loved about this section was the attention to details somewhat in what it is like to run extreme distances The pain the discomfort the bodily functions the joy the walls and the myriad of emotions in between As much as I would like to say it is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other the author here does a great job at showing it is that but also soo much more The time required the early and late night runs to maintain levels the diets the cramps and the strong desire at time to just say screw this and walk away His description up through his first 100mile race is worth checking this book out
Pt II however this is where I agree with other reviews it becomes apparent he is trying to market himself and promote this how I would describe it sense of superficial humility He is not the first to do all of what he has done nor is he the last The dialogues he has with friends and family often come across as completely fabricated in his defense it keeps the story flowing and I would have done without them It is here that I had to force myself to finish the book He blazes through the rest of his races without much detail other than self promotion for his belief of following his heart What he does not describe is the reality of the situations as he captured so well in the first half The author must be financially secure and then some for very few of the ultra runners I know can even afford to do what he does Trips across the country in a RV entry fees transpo all the while keeping his family in tow are costly and he makes it sound as though us mere normal runners do not do the runs he does because we are lazy WHen in fact the simple truth is one can not afford it Everything has its price and he glosses over this fact while rubbing in the readers faces that not only does he have a Mercedes a lucrative job with liberal leave but also an RV to bring his team along I am not trying to discredit the man he IS very good at what he does and he IS inspirational I was just disappointed because I thought the first half did an OUTSTANDING job at encouraging people and non active folks to get up and at least try
All in all I gave this a 4 star review It is a pretty quick read and if you re not tempted to run at the end you read it too fast I would recommend this book for the first half alone and say if you want to read the rest great but the first half is what I believe will capture and inspire the mundane person into challenging themselves for something great a pursuit of pleasure through a course of pain
Shoot inspired me to do my 50mile race in June 2010
>> Great Inspiration
I purchased this book for my husband who has been running for several years and is looking to go to the next level and compete He read it in ONE DAY It is written in a comprehensive and entertaining dialogue that makes you feel like you know this guy Our 14 year old son who is also a runner is reading it now Great book
>> Exceptionally Motivating
I m one of those guys who tends to fluctuate in weight as well as fitness level and inherently my level of motivation determines both of those A former college athlete I was always in very good physical shape and could basically eat anything and be alright As the years have gone on heck I m only 28 I find myself having one poor eating day and gaining five pounds and finding it incredibly difficult to maintain my exercising motivation I have a 2 year old daughter a 7 month pregnant wife work all day play the role of husband and daddy all evening and in the winter months yes even in Arizona it s just so cold and difficult to become motivated at 4am
Enter Ultramarathon Man A good friend of mine plays the part of my motivator He s in excellent shape is incredibly disciplined in every aspect of his life Before heading out to Mexico last summer he dropped this book off at my door and said read it and enjoy Two days later I had read the book front cover to back and I did thoroughly enjoy reading the book I read it again and now 6 months later coming out of a rut I ll be reading it yet again
Why It s an enjoyable read that is incredibly uplifting and inspirational on several levels this superhuman that is Dean Karnazes is so humbled and down to earth about his accomplishments that you feel as though you re reading a book by your best pal or by your biggest fan He wants you to read his story and then create your own off of that I m not saying that he advocates someone 50lbs overweight to go out and run Badwater I m saying that he makes you want to challenge yourself to reach beyond what you believe you are capable of doing That s why I love the book As each chapter progresses I want to set it down lace up my shoes and head to the mountains for a run no matter what hour of day it is At the same time the book is so fast paced and enjoyable it s difficult to set down so you just keep reading
Will it go down in history as a literary masterpiece No But it s about as motivating as it gets
To the people who say Dean s not even the best ultrarunner out there but the book makes people think he is get over it The guy wrote the book and did a damn good job at that
