Books I've Read

When not swimming, biking or running I like to read about swimming, biking and running. The following are a few of my most recent reads.

50/50 by Dean Karnazes
A personal account by Dean about his trek in 2006 to cover 50 marathons in 50 days, it is well written and easy to read with each chapter or day beginning with a summary of interesting facts. Dean Karnazes is an ultra runner; one whom I was under the impression was more inclined to run for the glory and fame but have learned through this book that this part of his running life is more about glory for the sport than himself. If you ever wondered what it takes to keep on going by putting one foot in front of the other...this is a must read. My favourite part of the entire book was the epilogue (I won?t give it away) and the attention to physiological details.

My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso
This is a quick read about the life and running adventures of Bart Yasso the inventor of the Yasso 800?s, the system of determining your marathon finishing time. Bart addresses this in the book along with running naked, with a donkey and away from a rhino. While the bulk of the book is essentially running candy as it is his story, he teaches you a few things along the way and finishes the book with schedules and training information.

The Extra Mile by Pam Reed
If you have never heard of her before, Pam is the first woman to ever win the Badwater Ultramarathon race, the 135 mile race from the lowest elevation in North America across Death Valley to the highest elevation in North America at Mt. Whitney in 2002. In 2003 she repeated the feat to prove it wasn?t fluke. Pam tells her story from childhood explaining the seeds that were planted that would eventually drive her to such physical feats as running the London Marathon hopping a plane to Boston, running the course backwards from Boston to Hopkinton and then starting with the official runners and running from Hopkinton back to Boston. Although seemingly a little self-absorbed, I enjoyed Pam?s story.

Out of Nowhere by Geoff Hollister
The entire story of the rise and slouch of running shoe giant NIKE. From humble beginnings on Bill Bowerman?s waffle iron (not the entire story), through grass roots growth in the first running boom on the feet of great s like Steve Prefontaine, Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit to corporate culture. Out of Nowhere tells readers about how Nike marketed the culture of running and so much more.

Sneaker Wars by Barbara Smit
In case you didn?t know ADIDAS (pronounced adee-das) and PUMA were started by two brothers; Adi and Rudi Dassler who fractured and spent their lives, the lives of their children and then some fighting over business. This is an interesting if not protracted read, more interesting that either company is still in business.