Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner
by Dean Karnazes
"If you can't run, then walk. And if you can't walk, then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, ever give up."
by Dean Karnazes
"If you can't run, then walk. And if you can't walk, then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, ever give up."
Why I read this book: I should mention that this is my third reread of this book. It just never gets old to me... but the very first time I read this book? It was over the summer and I was in the habit of walking into Borders and buying the first book that that made me tilt my head sideways. I would proceed to sit on the porch with the summer breeze blowing and engulf whatever book it was that I had bought. Some of them turned out great and some of them were so bad I couldn't even finish. This would has ended up as one of my favorite books of all time.
What's the story?: It's basically a partial autobiography. Dean Karnazes was a runner as a child and in high school, but ultimately gave it up due to a coach that he didn't get along with. Later on his thirtieth birthday, experiencing something of a midlife crisis, he goes out for a run and runs all night. His passion is reborn and he starts to look for challenges in his sport. He runs a 5o mile race, then a 100 mile race, a marathon to the South Pole, an ultramarathon in the desert, and ultimately (within the book, anyway) a 199 mile relay race all by himself.
What did I think about it?: I'm not a runner yet. I would like to be. And Dean makes you feel like you can be. This sounds rediculous; a guy who can run 199 miles in one go has to be above the rest of us, right? Just because he can do it doesn't mean we can. The thing is, (whether it's him being humble or not) he makes it sound like he doesn't have any natural talent- he just works REALLY hard. He keeps reiterating that he doesn't have natural talent; he's just willing to work harder than anyone else. Well, you say, he probably has all the time in the world. He probably has no day job and just trains all day every day. Nope. At the time that this book was written, Dean had a full time corporate job and a family with two kids that he has a strong relationship with. It's just inspirational stuff. The more you hear from him, the more you find the guy is just uber-likeable.
Would I recommend it?: Yes. To everyone. Athlete or inspiring athete or not. The guy has a good message.
What's the story?: It's basically a partial autobiography. Dean Karnazes was a runner as a child and in high school, but ultimately gave it up due to a coach that he didn't get along with. Later on his thirtieth birthday, experiencing something of a midlife crisis, he goes out for a run and runs all night. His passion is reborn and he starts to look for challenges in his sport. He runs a 5o mile race, then a 100 mile race, a marathon to the South Pole, an ultramarathon in the desert, and ultimately (within the book, anyway) a 199 mile relay race all by himself.
What did I think about it?: I'm not a runner yet. I would like to be. And Dean makes you feel like you can be. This sounds rediculous; a guy who can run 199 miles in one go has to be above the rest of us, right? Just because he can do it doesn't mean we can. The thing is, (whether it's him being humble or not) he makes it sound like he doesn't have any natural talent- he just works REALLY hard. He keeps reiterating that he doesn't have natural talent; he's just willing to work harder than anyone else. Well, you say, he probably has all the time in the world. He probably has no day job and just trains all day every day. Nope. At the time that this book was written, Dean had a full time corporate job and a family with two kids that he has a strong relationship with. It's just inspirational stuff. The more you hear from him, the more you find the guy is just uber-likeable.
Would I recommend it?: Yes. To everyone. Athlete or inspiring athete or not. The guy has a good message.
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