Inspiring Reads

I read a couple of really inspiring running books this winter break. The first was Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes. Dean is an uber-athlete who tackles the toughest physical challenges. He is well-known in the running world for his prolific success at long-distance races (50 miles or more).

In this book, he talks about what led him to start running, and he details his experiences in some of his first ultramarathons. His story about his first Western States 100 race is incredible - it is an unbelievable testament to what the human body can endure.

Despite his phenomenal success and athletic prowess, Dean ultimately credits sheer perseverance and hard work for his performance, rather than any innate traits. Basically, he is just telling his reader to get out there and run and you never know what your body can do. While he can sometimes come across as a little pompous, his book definitely motivated me to add more mileage to my weekly totals.

Another running book that I dove into this winter break was Strides: Running Through History with an Unlikely Athlete by Benjamin Cheever. Unlike Karnazes, Cheever is more of a casual runner, though "casual" is a relative term as he has run numerous marathons.

In this book, he explores his passion for running by delving into his own experiences as well as chronicling some of the history of marathoning. The accounts I found particularly engaging were his tales of running the Medoc marathon in France where the runners stopped every few miles to indulge themselves in a glass of wine, and his stories about running a race in Baghdad and discussing the culture of running in the military.

Both of these books express the unique joy and feeling of freedom that running inspires. Each author makes me feel, even though I have only been running for a few months, that the sky is the limit and that I can accomplish anything. Since reading these books, I have been contemplating training for a longer race ... something that I didn't envision myself until further in the future. We'll see about that. In the meantime, check these books out for an entertaining and inspiring read!

Today's workout:
35 min. run (4.12 mi)
30 min. resistance training
75 min. primary series yoga