Book Review - Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days

I just finished reading Dean Karnaze's book, 50/50 - Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 days.  Dean has published one other book (Ultramarathon Man) that I have not read, but he does have a quote that is one of my all-time favorites, which is "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up."  I like that, because it can not only be applied to running, but life in general.  Anyhow, this book is a fairly quick read that chronicles his 50/50 challenge that he did back in 2007 (I believe).  I'm somewhat sad that wasn't into running back then, as I think it would have been fun to follow the challenge in real time.

Overall, the book is quite interesting, providing a day-by-day journal of what he was feeling, where he was at, and the logistics behind how hard it is to actually do something like this.  Interspersed, you'll find Dean's various tidbits of running wisdom, on a wide-ranging variety of running topics.  The book was a good book, but not one that I think I would need to own, although he did have a few additional quotes that might be worth underlining to reference again in the future.

If you get a chance, give it a read.  If nothing else, you'll glimpse only a small bit of what it's like to be an ultra runner, and will realize how crazy this just might be.

Born to Run, A Book Review

I recently read the book, "Born to Run" by Christopher Mcdougall.  This was recommended by a guest speaker at an Omaha Running Club meeting back at the end of the summer.  It's a book about a somewhat-hidden tribe of Mexican Indians that live in the remote mountains of central Mexico, and the author's quest to eventually find them.  The Tarahumara Indians are supposedly elite athletes that are amazing runners that can run what seems like forever, and the author wanted to learn more about them and the races they run.  The book chronicles the journey deep into the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in central Mexico, spans a couple of years and provides some storied adventures for the author and his companions. I can't decide if this is a running book, or an adventure novel, but perhaps it's a mixture of both. It's a quick read, and I did learn a few things that I didn't know before (about barefoot running for example, about the history of how man was born to run, etc), but otherwise, it's also a book that I wouldn't want or need to own.  For what it was, it is an interesting read nonetheless!