Book Review: A Runner’s High

Book Review: A Runner’s High

by | Jul 13, 2021 | Book Review

By Dean Karnazes
Reviewed by: Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 Since the unexpected success of his first book, Ultramarathon Man, back in March 2005, Dean Karnnzes has become a running celebrity. His superhuman feats of endurance and adventure have inspired thousands of ex-runners to lace up their shoes once again, and new ones to start pounding the asphalt for the very first time.

A Runner's High

This book is a good investment in time and money

In “A Runners High”, Karnazes tells a variety of running stories interlaced with his preparation and participation in the 2019 edition of the Western States Endurance Run. This is a 100-Mile race that has become the Boston Marathon equivalent of the ultrarunning world. It takes place in the California Sierra Nevada during the last weekend of June. It ran for the first time in 1977.

The narrative starts with Karnazes preparing to run the Bishop High Sierra Ultramarathon, a 100K race in preparation for his eventual participation in the Western States, where the narration culminates. In the meantime, there are many first-person accounts and running stories that, even if many runners can’t relate, they are told in such a quotidian, non-technical, well described and no aggrandizing way, that if you have run for a few years, you will be able to visualize, identify and even feel the glory and the suffering of the storyteller.

The author also delves into the dynamics of his family and their intersection with his demanding running career and life. His son Nicholas and his parents, as well as their interactions, become important figures in the narration. As a runner, son, and father, I can definitely identify with many of those situations. His wife and daughter also made important appearances, but to a lesser degree.

As the weeks pass by and events take course during the span of a few months, some of Karnazes latest running adventures, the ones that haven’t made it to his previous books, make an appearance. His running of the Silk Road through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is the story I liked the best. It shows how running can become part of US diplomacy. It also takes you through some of the roads least traveled by every-day US citizens. His interaction with the locals and their customs is well told though very illustrative anecdotes.

A Runner's High

“We discover who we are through the movement of our bodies” – Dean Karnazes

Then, of course, it comes Western States, where the whole gamut of human emotions show up at one point or another.  From euphoria to misery, and everything in between, take their turn as part of the racing experience. Through these emotions, he masterfully takes the reader through the understanding of the peaks and valleys of ultrarunning, even if he/she has never ventured beyond the thin line that separated “regular” running from ultrarunning.

Not sure if it was the vivid description of the misery he went through or that I don’t feel like the Western States are in my future, but the one thing I can say about this Karnazes book when comparted to his previous ones (which I’ve read them all), is that after finishing this one I didn’t feel the rush to lace up my shoes and go for a long run. Somehow, this experience was not relatable to me, while his other ones, while are not in my future either, were. But that is not a judgment on the book’s value, just a personal assessment.

As usual, Karnazes comes up sometimes with marvelous nuggets of running wisdom that become some of the most quoted in running. This one is the one that blew my mind; thus, I share:

“Running is a conversation, and education, a revolution, an awakening. We discover who we are through the movement of our bodies, and there are lessons to be learned in running alone much as there are in running large races”.

This is a good running book that most runners will enjoy and somehow relate. Entertaining, well-written, funny at times and deep at others without leaving you gloomy or mentally exhausted. A good investment of time and money.

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Book Review – Today We Die A Little

Book Review – Today We Die A Little

by | May 18, 2021 | Book Review

Written by Richard Askwith
Reviewed by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro 

While the running heroes of the latest generations may be Usain Bolt, Ryan Hall or Eliud Kipchoge, to their grandparents, most likely, there was no greater running hero than Czechoslovakian Emil Zatopek. If you know anything beyond just his name, is that he is the only person in Olympic history to win the 5,000, 10,000 and Marathon, and he did it all in the same games: Helsinki 1952.

Today We Die A Little“Today We Die a Little” is a comprehensive biography published in 2016 by author, Richard Askwith, who has also published a few other sports books, most of them on running. A self-confessed Zatopek admirer, he delves into a quest to find as much first-hand information on his subject so he can figure out how to separate the man from the myth.  During the narrative he explains his process and his sources, so it becomes easier to establish what and how much goes beyond mythology.

What I liked from this book is that it establishes Emil as a real person, beyond the accolades and the world records. It spends plenty of time on his family background and the political situation that surrounded his childhood, which eventually becomes an inescapable part of his personal history. His first steps into foot racing happen as a teenager and little by little, defeat by defeat, he starts figuring out his talent until he becomes the Emil Zatopek we know. It is then that the Czechoslovakian communist regime figures out they have a propaganda tool at their disposal and begin to exploit it in every possible way.

Zatopek was a household name before Helsinki 1952. These Olympics were just the summit of his career. After doubling in the 5 and 10 thousand, he decided on a whim to give the marathon a shot, which he had never run. Not only did he win, but he also established his third Olympic Record of the games.

Emil is well known for the fierceness of his training. The book spends a good portion digging into his method and the reason behind it, which was more art than science based. He would run full-out 400-meter repeats relentlessly, almost every day. It is said that he would run up to 50 of them on a single session. Emil was big on recovery and took walks or easy runs around the woods, many times with his wife, Olympic champion Dana Zatopkova. But the constant hammering of his body and the frequency of his racing was too much, even for the most gifted of athletes, so his career fizzled out way sooner than if he had managed it with contemporary methods of rest and recovery.

Today We Die A LittleAs stated earlier, Zatopek’s life went beyond the track, and given his notoriety and propaganda value for the communist regime in his country, he became an army officer with way more privileges than the norm. Even though at times he was outspoken and fought for what he thought right; his position was never undisputed. He took all the advantages and privileges he could from the regime, until he no longer was useful to them.

Emil had to work an impossible balance act to please both his admirers and his government. There were the ones that wanted him to be the face of the oppressive regime and the ones who needed his celebrity to speak against it. Such an act was so difficult to pull off that he paid for it dearly. At the author well puts it: “It is not as if Emil went un-judged in his lifetime, either: by the Communist who thought he had betrayed them and by the anti-Communists who thought he had betrayed them”.

In his sundown years, he was still an Olympic hero and was invited to many events and sports meets as a goodwill ambassador. At home he was ostracized and hidden from public view, but overseas the government still displayed him as a national treasure, while surrounding him with chaperones that made sure he did not say anything inappropriate while his wife stayed home as a hostage, making sure he didn’t defect.

I really enjoyed this book. Very well researched, very well written and a story very well told. Beyond Emil Zatopek’s life, this story takes you to a period in the history of our planet that most of us in the western world, 70 o 80 years later, may have already forgotten. This is a good read which I recommend to any runner interested in learning about one of the biggest glories of our sport.

 
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Book Review – 26 Marathons

Book Review – 26 Marathons

by | Feb 9, 2021 | Book Review, Opinion

By Meb Keflezighi (With Scott Douglas)
Reviewed by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 When we talk about the top US marathoners in the United States during the first fifth of the 20th Century, the name of Meb Keflezighi automatically jumps to the forefront. If you don’t consider him at the top of the list, which you are entitled to, it seems difficult he won’t be on your Top-3 or Top-5. He is the only runner to ever win Boston, New York and earn an Olympic medal. And even though he only won 3 of his 26 career marathons (hence the name of the book), his personality, constant top-level performances and contagious smile, made him an icon on the world stage between 2002-2017.

26 Marathons


A good book, well written and worth the time and the money

In his latest book, Keflezighi goes into detail about each one his 26 marathons. How he trained, what were his life challenges at the time, how he performed and the sports and life lessons he took from each one of them. He enjoys and doesn’t shy away from the glory of his successes, yet at the same time makes himself vulnerable by taking us through his failures and how to deal with them when you are expected to perform at a certain level and you just can’t.

This is a short book, about 250 pages, and a very pleasant read. Succinct chapters allow you to soak in a marathon or two in each sitting, without being overwhelmed by excessive details.

At times it becomes difficult to relate to Meb’s running experiences because 99.9% of runners will never need to ponder if we are ready to respond to Eliud Kipchoge’s surge in the Olympics or how to prepare for what may come to us in the last 10K of the New York City Marathon when you enter First Avenue as part of the leading pack. But that doesn’t matter. We read books about great baseball or football players though we will never be on the field with them at the next World Series or Super Bowl. Meb’s tales from the front are well told and through his words, he does bring us with him to that place we will only see when we are watching a race on TV.

The book is geared towards life lessons on planning, patience, adjustment to goals, change of expectations made on the fly and many other subjects that mean something to us when they come from first-hand experiences from a world-class athlete who has been there not one, but many times.

A leitmotif for Meb’s career was his spouse’s support. He doesn’t hide that his wife, Yordanos, was the family’s backbone that permitted him to achieve his goals. As runners, we all need the support of our wives, husbands or significant-others to achieve what we are looking for, and the Keflezighis show us how.

26 Marathons

Only athlete ever to win Boston, New York and an Olympic medal

I loved Meb’s conclusion about his career as a marathoner. We may not be able to relate to some of his tales from the leading pack, but everyone who has completed multiple marathons, somehow will see himself/herself in this:

“I did twenty-six marathons over fifteen years, one for each mile of the race. I learned that the marathon can hate you or love you. It can make you go though misery or experience great joy. I learned that no matter what it happens, eventually you’ll look back and think, ‘That was a beautiful thing. I’m glad I did it.”

If you want to know more about Meb’s personal life, his childhood in Eritrea, move to the United States, life and career, “Run to Win” is your book. “26 marathons” is a good book, well written and worth the time and the money you will spend on it. But I do think it is important to understand what the book is and what it is not, before you tackle it, so you can be in the right frame of mind when you read it and thus, get the most out of it.

If anyone knows or has access to Meb, please thank him on my behalf for both books and for being an inspiration to the running community throughout his long career. His name is up there with Alberto Salazar, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Ryan Hall, Clarence De Mar, etc. in the pantheon of great US runners of all time.

 

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20 Book Recommendations for Runners (Part 2)

20 Book Recommendations for Runners (Part 2)

by | Dec 8, 2020 | Book Review, Coaching, Personal

By Adolfo Salgueiro

As a compliment of last week’s post, today I conclude my list of 20 book recommendations for runners. If you haven’t read Part 1 of this blogpost, please click here to do so. This way you won’t miss half of this list.

 

Book recommendationsIt is important to note that this is a very person list and at no time I am claiming it to be a comprehensive. I  have not read everything there is to read about running and I am aware there are very important books, such as Kathrine Switzer’s Marathon Woman, or The Lore of Running, by Tim Noakes, which is still on my “to read” list.

But if you are looking to learn more about our sport, its history, how to get better, and its most relevant figures and events, this list could be a good tool to get you started.

My 11 through 20 recommendations are as follows:

11 – Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes – The classic book that launched Karnazes celebrity runner career. You will finish the book inspired to lace up and run 100 miles into the horizon.

12 – Duel in the Sun, by John Brant: A detailed recap of the phenomenal 1982 Boston Marathon, where Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley fought step-by-step until the final yard.

13 – My Marathon, by Frank Shorter: The inspirational autobiography of a running icon, how he became an Olympic champion and the inspiration for the first running boom.

14 – A Race Like No Other, by Liz Robins: A must read for anyone about to run the New York City Marathon or even if you already ran it. The best book on the subject.

15 – Marathon Man, by Bill Rodgers: An autobiography of one of the most influential runners in history. His triumphs, defeats, personal struggles and legacy, told in a first-person detailed account.

16 – 4:09:23, by Hal Higdon: a blow-by-blow account of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, the perpetrators, the runners, the heroes, the scarring and redemption from a tragedy.

17 – What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami: A successful and world-renowned writer tells us about his relationship with running and how it has influenced his life.

18 – First Marathons, by Gail Waesche Kislevitz: A collection of accounts of runners facing the 26.2 monster for the very first time. Inspiring reading even if you are a veteran of the distance.

19 – The Maffetone Method, by Phil Maffetone: The quintessential book to understand the concept of running slow so you can run fast.

20 – Yoga for Runners, by Christine Felstead: I firmly believe in the benefits of yoga for all runners, thus, the title states everything else you need to know.

 
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20 Book Recommendations for Runners (Part 1)

20 Book Recommendations for Runners (Part 1)

by | Dec 1, 2020 | Book Review, Coaching

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

We all run because we love it. If not, we would be doing something else. But there is always a secondary reason why we do so, which is usually as powerful as the aforementioned “because we love it”. It could be health, weight control, self-improvement, social interaction, test against yourself, getting away from a chaotic life, not murdering your boss, etc.

Book RecommendationsRunning is as simple as it gets: one foot in front of the other… Go! But in order to realize that secondary reason, an inquisitive and relentless mind should be always on the lookout for additional knowledge. Information that will allow for understanding of what is happening within the body, the story of those who came before us, the newest training techniques, the latest gear improvements, etc. Even if you have a coach to guide you through the process, it is always good to be prepared, to be inquisitive and ask the right questions. Problem solved: grab a book.

Through my years as an avid reader I have consumed scores of running books. I am aware I haven’t read everything and still have important books that are still in my “to read” pile.

I compiled a list of 20 running books that I have read, and, in no particular order, I recommend to my readers. Here are the first ten. The remaining 10 will be published next week. Click here to check them out.

1 – Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall: An indispensable read for anyone interested in understanding how the human body was built to run, told through superb storytelling.

2 – Kings of the Road, By Cameron Stracher: How the first running boom came to be after Frank Shorter’s Olympic gold medal in 1972 and the birth of the New York City Marathon as we know it.

3 – The Pedestriennes, by Harry Hall: Before the Boston Marathon and ultrarunning, long distance walking was the craze. This book captures the uniqueness of this story.

4 – Pre, by Tom Jordan: A basic biography of the amazing Steve Prefontaine and his short, yet intense life. Not the definitive biography but a good one for getting to know the man behind the legend.

5 – Run to Overcome, by Meb Keflezighi: Meb’s first autobiography guides you from his early life in Eritrea though his Olympic medal and other triumphs. It doesn’t include the latter portion of his career.

6 – My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso: An autobiography of one of the most influential runners of the last 50 years. Lots of cool and weird stories from a running icon.

7 – 26.2, by John Bryant: The story of the London 1908 Olympic Games, its protagonist and how the marathon distance was finally established.

8 – Rebound, by Carrie Jackson Cheadle & Cindy Kuzma: Eventually, most runners get injured. This book is an important read both before or during and injury.

9 – 14 Minutes, By Alberto Salazar: Regardless of what you may think of him after his suspension, his place in running history is undeniable and his story of life, death and life again is amazing.

10: The Science of Running, by Steve Magness: If you want to geek out and dig deep into the science of what happens inside your body when you train, this is the book for you.

 

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Book Review – Running in Literature

Book Review – Running in Literature

by | Oct 20, 2020 | Book Review, Opinion

Written by Roger Robinson
Reviewed by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

As explained in detail in Born to Run, the 2011 masterpiece by Christopher McDougall, the human body was designed to run. Not for sport, not for pleasure but for survival of the species. So it can’t be a surprise when we find out that the concept of running has been a leitmotif of the written word since human beings started recording themselves for posterity.

Running in Literature

Roger Robinson

From the eldest classics in Greek literature through the publishing of Born to Run and beyond, we can taste the influence of our favorite sport in the daily life of all civilizations, all races, all social strata, in all continents and through every delimited period of humanity.

The sub-title of this book is “A Guide for Scholars, Readers, Joggers, and Dreamers”. It was published in 2003. The author is Roger Robinson, a former world-class runner for over 30 years. An essayist, critic, editor and academic who has held teaching positions at Victoria University in New Zealand. His writing as a literary critic has appeared in significant journals and anthologies and he is an avid sportswriter for magazines and book. He is also married to Kathrine Switzer.

In the early chapters, Robinson goes through Greek and Roman literature and how running was an important part of classics such as The Odyssey and The Iliad as well as how philosophers and writers like Plato and Pindar boarded the subject. And who can forget the classic Aesop fable of The Tortoise and the Hare? The author also spends an entire chapter on the running references in The Bible. Christian runners may be familiar with Paul’s references in 1 Corinthians 9, but there are many more, such as in 2 Samuel, Jeremiah, and Psalms.

I was amazed to learn that until Henry VI, by William Shakespeare, there was a 1500-year gap on mentions of running as a competitive sport in Literature. The last one was the Paul in 1 Corinthians reference.  But the developments in technology, such as the printing press and the streamlining of the processes to manufacture paper, made the written word affordable and widespread, so literature, including running literature, started its grown spurt towards what it is today.

Running in Literature

This is a jewel that any book-loving and/or history-loving runner should read

As the sport of pedestrianism developed during the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, we see the publishing of the first running book, in 1813. The author was Walter Thom. As titles of old books usually go, this one, with 32 words on it, is very comprehensive: “Pedestrianism, or an Account of the Performance of Celebrated Pedestrians During the Last and Present Century; With a Full Narrative of Captain Barclay’s Public and Private Matches and an Essay on Training”. Quite a mouthful.

As we approach our times, and especially the Post WWII years when the access to literature and affordability of books became common, and as the first and second running booms arrived, a wide array of novels, poems, magazines and books came to market, some with much success, enough to become cult classics. Later, as the running scene exploded, more and more runners wanted to delve into de minutiae of the sport, its history, its science and the insight only the highest performers could offer through their memoires, so non-fiction and history books started showing up on the shelves.

The author dedicates chapters to the best fiction and non-fiction running books, and offers a short, personal review on each one of his selections. These are good recommendations for anyone wanting to dig deeper into the history and/or literature of our sport.

This is a very comprehensive book that covers over 3000 years of literature, so it is full of references and a collection of rotating protagonists that makes it very dense. This is not a pejorative reference on the book, just a warning so you will take your time to read it and digest it properly. This way you can get the most enjoyment and benefit from your time with this jewel that any book-loving and/or history-loving runner should read.

 

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