December 8, 2024
Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Races

Read any good Running books recently?

“Baby, we were ‘Born to Run'”.  That line from the Bruce Springsteen song rings in my ears when I think about one of my favorite books on running, ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher MacDougall. It tells the incredible story of the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon region of Mexico who are able to run incredible distances in rugged and inhospitable terrain.  It’s about ultra distance running and works on the theory that human evolution speeded-up so to speak because although not the fastest, our endurance means we can ‘out last’ pretty much every other animal on the planet.  It’s not a dry read and has some really interesting even odd characters including Caballo Blanco.  You’ll have to read it to find out.

Recently I just picked up ‘Running on Empty‘ by Ultramaratnoner Marshall Ulrich with a foreword by Christopher McDougall.  This book tells Marshall’s life including his personal tragedies and the levels he has pushed himself physically and mentally.  Who hasn’t had the feeling of running on empty?  I know I have. I’m just getting into ‘Running on Empty’ and it’s a page turner.

Here are some other popular reads including these on Amazon:  The Best Running Books:

  • Pre:  The Story of American’s Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine by Tom Jordan.  Prefontaine was impossible to beat for a 5 year stretch at any distance over a mile.  His tragic death at age 24 ended his career prematurely.
  • Duel in the Sun by John Brant.  This is the riviting story of the 1982 Boston Marathon when Champion Alberto Salazar’s dueled with undergog Dick Beardley for 2 hours and 9 minutes.
  • Running and Being:  The Total Experience by the late Dr. George Sheehan.  With a focus on ‘play’, it tells the story of Dr. Sheehan’s return to running and competition…it’s never too late to start running…and the physical and mental benefits of running.

Do you have any favorites?

Until next time…

Reggae Marathon RunninGuy (aks Sugar ‘Tuff Gong’ Bong)

++++++

For more information check the Reggae Marathon Web Site.

Click here for more details on Reggae Marathon’s Abe Issa Award for Excellence

instagram
facebook
twitter
youtube