We are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessaryWe are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessary to run at an average pace of 4 hours 34 seconds per mile. This book sets out to explore the likelihood of this happening and, if it were to happen, what the key levers would be that would enable this achievement.
OK, so maybe it’s one for running aficionados! But lots of people do run – not to anything remotely close to the standard required to approach this level of performance, but sufficient to be able to fully appreciate what a crazy pinnacle this really is. To put it into some context, the average finish time for over 38,000 runners in the 2014 London Marathon was around four and a half hours. A decent goal for a good high school runner would be to run a single mile in under 5 minutes.
The author delves into the history of the race and digs up some interesting facts about its origin and its growth into a mass participation event. It seems that just about every large city has its own marathon these days and having run in London, Berlin and Paris (amongst others) I certainly appreciate the appeal of these events. It’s an opportunity to participate (albeit distantly) in the same event as world class athletes. At the same time, it’s a chance to challenge yourself and often to raise money for a worthy cause.
But the main focus here is on the elite athletes as they chip away at the world record time and get ever closer to the two-hour mark. The current world record is 2:02:57. Not so far off then? Well, maybe not but some experts still suggest it is physiologically impossible for humans to achieve this goal. In this book the author takes a different stance and feels that the achievement is inevitable… eventually. The physiological, mental, environmental and training impediments are closely examined – often using outputs from serious scientific study. I found it all totally fascinating.
So that’s the history and the science, but the secondary element to this book – and the one that really grabbed me and hauled me through it in two sessions - is the account of top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai. Geoffrey comes from the Rift Valley area of Kenya and, in fact, originates from a tribe that produces most of the best marathon runners in the world. Like just about everyone he grew up with he didn’t wear a pair of shoes until his teenage years and his childhood and early adolescence were memorable mainly because of its general impoverishment and the sheer effort required just to get by, day to day. His story is interspersed with the scientific study and it works really well. It elevates what might have been considered a pretty dry academic text into something with much more depth and feeling.
I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d urge anyone interested in marathon running or even sport in general to take a look at it. I found it inspiring.
Merged review:
We are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessary to run at an average pace of 4 hours 34 seconds per mile. This book sets out to explore the likelihood of this happening and, if it were to happen, what the key levers would be that would enable this achievement.
OK, so maybe it’s one for running aficionados! But lots of people do run – not to anything remotely close to the standard required to approach this level of performance, but sufficient to be able to fully appreciate what a crazy pinnacle this really is. To put it into some context, the average finish time for over 38,000 runners in the 2014 London Marathon was around four and a half hours. A decent goal for a good high school runner would be to run a single mile in under 5 minutes.
The author delves into the history of the race and digs up some interesting facts about its origin and its growth into a mass participation event. It seems that just about every large city has its own marathon these days and having run in London, Berlin and Paris (amongst others) I certainly appreciate the appeal of these events. It’s an opportunity to participate (albeit distantly) in the same event as world class athletes. At the same time, it’s a chance to challenge yourself and often to raise money for a worthy cause.
But the main focus here is on the elite athletes as they chip away at the world record time and get ever closer to the two-hour mark. The current world record is 2:02:57. Not so far off then? Well, maybe not but some experts still suggest it is physiologically impossible for humans to achieve this goal. In this book the author takes a different stance and feels that the achievement is inevitable… eventually. The physiological, mental, environmental and training impediments are closely examined – often using outputs from serious scientific study. I found it all totally fascinating.
So that’s the history and the science, but the secondary element to this book – and the one that really grabbed me and hauled me through it in two sessions - is the account of top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai. Geoffrey comes from the Rift Valley area of Kenya and, in fact, originates from a tribe that produces most of the best marathon runners in the world. Like just about everyone he grew up with he didn’t wear a pair of shoes until his teenage years and his childhood and early adolescence were memorable mainly because of its general impoverishment and the sheer effort required just to get by, day to day. His story is interspersed with the scientific study and it works really well. It elevates what might have been considered a pretty dry academic text into something with much more depth and feeling.
I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d urge anyone interested in marathon running or even sport in general to take a look at it. I found it inspiring....more
About ten years ago, at a time I’d revived my own love of running, I worked my way through a couple of Dean’s early books. I really enjoyed reading abAbout ten years ago, at a time I’d revived my own love of running, I worked my way through a couple of Dean’s early books. I really enjoyed reading about the way he seemed to have reinvigorated his love of life through the act of running. Moreover, it wasn’t just any kind of running, his version was all about taking on extreme, long distance runs. I’d run a couple of marathons but this stuff was hardcore – I didn’t know there was a group of so-called ‘ultramarathon’ runners out there doing this stuff. So intrigued was I that I decided to dabble a bit myself and in due course I took on a couple of these races (at the lower end of the spectrum, I have to say). What an adventure it was, and I have Karno to thank for it.
But coming to this book I did wonder what else the man had to say about his chosen discipline – hadn’t he already said it, several times over. However, I’m pleased to say that he has found a new angle to explore: that of how a mature, seasoned (some might say grizzled) runner can still enjoy the physical and mental challenges of his chosen sport despite being of an age (he’s in his mid to late fifties) whereby he no longer has the legs that used to make him a contender to win such events.
Dean wants to run one more Western States 100 (miles, that is). The event takes place on a trail starting in Olympic Valley, California and finishing in Auburn, California. Competitors have 30 hours to complete the course, running day and night with minimal breaks along the way. It’s a truly gruelling course which climbs some 18,000 feet and descends nearly 23,000 feet. And Dean is somewhat late in making his decision to run, leaving him with precious little time to complete the necessary training for this race.
He takes us through, in some detail, his participation in a 50 mile warm up race and then the big one itself. It’s entertaining stuff as he truly struggles along each of the courses, and such is the level of each challenge that it’s far from certain that he’ll complete either of these runs. His commentary is funny and often self-deprecating as he brings alive the true horror (and I do think that’s the appropriate word) of these undertakings. We meet members of his family, who support him as ‘crew’, and quite a few fellow competitors and volunteers. I thought it was all really well pieced together: highly entertaining account which evoked the real atmosphere and pain of these unrelenting events.
Dean clearly loves running, he’s addicted to it and he’s built a life around it. This book is dripping with his enthusiasm for his chosen sport and reading it I couldn’t help occasionally glancing down at a pair of somewhat worn, and more recently under used, running shoes languishing in a dusty corner. Yes, I really must get out on a decent long run again soon.
Full disclosure: I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
I’m not sure when I became aware of Nike – maybe sometime around the millennium? Certainly not before that. I was therefore astounded to learn that thI’m not sure when I became aware of Nike – maybe sometime around the millennium? Certainly not before that. I was therefore astounded to learn that the company had been founded in the early 1970’s, with the aim of producing and selling sports shoes. In fact, the co-founder (and major driving force), Phil Knight, was a runner in college and his driving goal was to produce top class running shoes. We first catch up with Phil, a native of Oregon, in the late 60’s when he’d already secured an MBA at Stanford and had decided to travel the world. Off he went on his voyage of discovery – and what a journey it was. In listening to an audio version of this book I was pretty much captivated from the very start. This wasn’t at all the book I’d anticipated it to be - it was much more literary than the account I’d expected. The descriptions of time and place and people and events transported me directly there. I was stood beside him, drinking it all in.
When visiting Japan Phil came across the Tiger brand of running shoes and he decided to set up a business importing the shoes and selling them in America. His his old college running coach, Bill Bowerman, became a trusted adviser and then a partner. Along side this, Knight also took up a job in an accounting firm, eventually gaining a full accounting accreditation. In fact, these early days were a real struggle for his infant business, there were many challenges to overcome and it often seemed inevitable that the enterprise would fail. The author comes across as a bit of a romantic – he really wanted to produce the perfect shoe and worked tirelessly with Bowerman and his Japanese supplier to evolve their offering – but also as a workaholic, super-ambitious businessman not prepared to let any challenge stop him.
Eventually, however, the challenges of working with his supplier did wear him down and as it became inevitable that he’d lose the ability to import their shoes he decided to start producing his own. So was the company that became Nike born. The details of his struggles are compelling as are his descriptions of the people he met along the way. At one point he describes a tough looking businessman he’s just met thus: light seemed to bounce off him differently. No, rather light didn’t bounce off him - he absorbed it like a black hole.
Nike started to grow steadily, but Phil was in the habit of spending every last cent the company could raise on producing more stock. He knew this was a dangerous strategy but he was convinced it was the only way to ensure growth. He operated very close to the edge – in fact sometimes way over the edge - but still he continued to do things his way. It brought him perilously close to ruin, but (as we know) the business survived and went on to become the leviathan it is today. If it was fiction it’d be a great story, but as non-fiction it comprises a tale of almost unbelievable tenacity in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.
The account of his business adventures is wound up at the point the company is floated (at the same time as Apple) in 1980, by which point Nike had attained a 50% market share in the American athletic shoe market. The final section of the book comprises Knight’s reflections on his life and updates on the key figures featured in the book.
What I like most about this book is the way the story is told. The author gives much credit for his successes to others – people he worked with through the years – and he explains not just what he did but also his motivations for taking the actions he did. Sometimes these seemed counterintuitive, and he acknowledges this, but he took them all the same. He is humble and self-deprecating in his portrayal of himself throughout. I grew to like him a lot. I can’t recall when I’ve enjoyed a memoir as much – maybe I never have. It was a joy and an inspiration to spend time with Phil Knight and to learn his story.
NB: I was running in the early 70's when the leading brand of shoe in the UK seemed to be New Balance (the shoes I wore). I then played many other sports (soccer, tennis, badminton) again never wearing Nike but trying out Puma and Addidas amongst others. Later I ran again, this time buying Asics, Mizuno, Brooks and Hoka. Just as as was despairing of the fact that I'd never bought a pair of Nike shoes I spotted my current golf shoes in the garage - yes, you've guessed....more
Ed was asleep when it started, still feeling the effects of a drink it two too many, and by the time he worked out what was going on it was already alEd was asleep when it started, still feeling the effects of a drink it two too many, and by the time he worked out what was going on it was already almost too late. Grabbing the only shelter he could think of he secreted his family (he, wife and their two children) away into their cellar while asteroids worked their horrors.
I must admit that I was drawn to this book by its title: apocalyptic events and running had ticked a couple of boxes before I got to page one. I also liked the fact that it was set in the UK. I've read quite a few books in this genre, but none set on these shores. Alas, from the start this one provided a somewhat rocky ride (apologies for the pun). The early events were well written but didn't convince. Would it really happen like this? I didn't think so. Then the account of the initial aftermath for Ed and his crew hit a few false notes for me too – the behaviours just didn't feel quite right.
I don't wish to give too much away so I’ll be a bit sketchy from here. At some point after the asteroid strikes, Ed finds himself part of a small, dysfunctional group which included:
- A huge man who moaned and shouted a good deal and clearly disliked Ed. - A small military woman who the huge bloke also disliked, though not half as much as she disliked him. - An Aussie who claimed to have once run the breadth of Australia. Needless to say, the big guy didn't believe a word of it. - A posh-boy ex-banker. I don't need to tell you what the moaner thought about him.
Events from this point seem to lurch from one set-piece to another, with dull interludes breaking up the action. At times I thought it read like a cheap television series, full of scenes that didn't quite fit together and full of characters I struggled to feel any empathy for. There were very few nice or helpful people here, instead the world now seemed to be populated by buffoon caricatures, weird cult groups and vicious gangs. Where did all the normal people go?
Then I had a couple more specific grumbles:
1. There is some running here but the detail wasn't quite right. Some long distances were covered but there was little to no reference to the struggles and strains of such an endeavour, over and above some general complaints regarding tiredness. What about the blisters and muscle strains? What about looking for some helpful footwear to make life a bit easier? I know this is delving into the micro detail, but any book purporting to cover long distance running should at least attempt to nod it's head to some basic associated issues.
2. Moany Man’s constant shouting got right on my wick! It might have been bearable if it were on a printed page but on audio I was forever being assaulted by the narrators voice hollering in my ear! Be forewarned if you decide to go this route.
On the upside, towards the end I did start to care a little about a couple of the survivors. But really only a smidgen. In summary, I found this to be over-long and poorly conceived. If you're a fan of this type of tale then take it from me, there’s much better stuff out there. About two and a half stars but rounded down due to the hollering.
Ultramarathon running is pretty extreme. I tried it once; it nearly killed me. But I went back for another go. Is it addictive? Maybe, but then runninUltramarathon running is pretty extreme. I tried it once; it nearly killed me. But I went back for another go. Is it addictive? Maybe, but then running is like that.
The story of Tom Foreman’s decent into madness (it’s a fair description, believe me) so seemed to mirror my own that I just had to read this book. A marathon runner at twenty something and then life takes over and before you know it you’re fifty and someone suggests you have another go. Then one thing leads to another.
In truth, Tom’s experience is more extreme than my own – he ran 2000 miles in his first year as a Quinquagenarian which included a bunch of half-marathons, several full marathons and an ultramarathon of over 50 miles. It took me about five years to graduate to an ultramarathon, and mine was much less demanding than the race he entered.
Anyway, there’s a good deal of humour here as Tom relates his story – maybe too much, at times. There is also an underlying tale of him attempting to forge a closer relationship with his daughter, who had suggested he return to marathon running and agreed to join him in this venture. The initial idea and the training for the marathon takes up the first half of the book and it’s a little bit dull, to be honest. It’s the tale of lots of men (and women) who decide to take on a new challenge at a time they are growing tired of the stress of work and a quick look in the mirror suggests they’d better do something to liven up their lives now or it’ll be too late. But then the idea of an ultramarathon run comes up and the whole thing steps up a rung or two.
Tom realises he’ll have to intensify his training significantly – to double the number of miles he runs each week, essentially. This is hard-core and starts to have a significant impact on his life: the number of hours he’s out on the trail means he’s got precious little time for anything else other than sleep and work. This section of the book is fascinating and the accounts of some of his training runs in the early hours of a cold dark morning, battling wind and snow amongst terrain barely fit for a Bear Grylls episode were terrifying. And yet there is worse (or for the reader, better) to come. The description of the ultramarathon run itself is epic stuff and I found myself willing him to succeed, praying he’d get to the finish line.
I’ve read a couple of other books that feature ultramarathon running. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by author Haruki Murakami, in which he tells of his exploits running massive distances in Japan. In Ultramarathon Man - Confessions of an All-Night Runner, a legend of the sport, Dean Karnazes, recounts how he was introduced to this sport. Both are rather more serious accounts. In this book, Tom uses a good deal of humour to demonstrate the slightly demented path he’s chosen and he paints a lucid picture of how running helped him to draw some balance into his life, even if this was tough to achieve and at times he stepped perilously close to over cooking it. After a slow start, I found it to be an inspiring and thought provoking story.
My thanks to Blue Rider Press and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I read this book some years ago but didn’t get around to capturing my thoughts on it. At the time I was deep into my midlife crisis period which, for I read this book some years ago but didn’t get around to capturing my thoughts on it. At the time I was deep into my midlife crisis period which, for me, included a desire to prove that I could still compete with the younger generations at something – for this enterprise I chose long distance running. I’d run the London Marathon in 1982 (the second year it was held) and I’d pretty much not run since, albeit I’d been active playing football, tennis and just about everything else through the remainder of my 20’s and into my early 30’s. Then a punctured lung one Sunday morning, during a football kick around, put an end to that sport, and pretty much all others - I turned chicken! - for too many years. Then, as I reached the age of 50 I decided it was time to get a little fitter. I jogged a little and found it tough, but stuck with it. It took some time but eventually I got to a point that I thought I’d give another marathon a go.
So London 2009 it was. A hot day – too hot really – and I managed to complete the course. Just! But I didn’t achieve the time I’d targeted (sub 4 hours), missing it by a few minutes. That spurred me on and over the next eight or nine years I ran more marathons: in Edinburgh, Paris, Berlin and quite a few other spots. I even ran a couple of ultramarathons – but events low on the scale compared to those described by Murakami in this book.
So back to the book. I’d read, and enjoyed, a couple of Murakami’s novels and spotting this one seemed prophetic in some way. The title is a play on Carver’s short story collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (a book I also much enjoyed) and it’s a series of reflections about the author’s life but significantly the part running has played in it. And he was certainly a serious runner, competing well over 20 marathons and one-off events of up to 62 miles! His reflections are interesting, informative, thought provoking and, ultimately, inspiring. I really loved the accounts of his long, long runs but also the insight into the man himself – the deeper thoughts on what inspired him and what fed this obsession (I think distance running has to be an obsession). It’s really a truncated autobiography and as such it’s a wonderful read. I’d really urge anybody interested in the man to take a look at it....more
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