Hey guys, just thought I’d set aside some time to talk about some running books I’ve read that I think are really helpful for any burgeoning runner, either from a technical perspective, or even just plain ol’ inspiration. For this first installment, I thought I’d go with the book I’m reading now: 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days , by Ultramarathon poster boy Dean Karnazes.
Karnazes is an interesting guy, the first real crossover “celebrity” of the Ultramarathon scene. As such he’s drawn a good deal of criticism from other endurance athletes from being a bit of a self-promoter. But regardless of his notoreity, he really has done some impressive feats, from multiple finishes of the Western States 100 miler, to running over 200 miles at a stretch. This book is pretty well entirely devoted to his re-donkulous feat of running 50 marathons in 50 days, one in each state in the union.
From the perspective of a crazy person like me, this is really a great aspirational tale, as who wouldn’t want to put themselves through that kind of ridiculous abuse, right? Right? But it’s actually chock full of regular person training bits and bites, focusing mainly on marathon training, but applicable for runners of all skill levels. From diet and training tips to suggestions about finding the right marathon to run for your first time, it’s just a great resource.
So go, check it out, even if you’re not keen to train for 24 hour endurance runs. It’s an easy read, has plenty of fun little stories of people joining this madman on his adventure, and has some seriously deep info for any runners out there.
But, you don’t have to take my word for it.
Man, that was a shameless reference. Sorry Levar! And later, guys!
StaufenRunning 