Wow, Intense.
Just like with the first book, the first half was a bit slow and maybe not SO running related, but still a good read. Now, once I got to chapter 21, my head exploded. It was intense. And the the fireworks kept going til the end. So, so intense.
Quenton is now a lawyer in Florida, and the first half of the book gives you a good picture of his life at the law firm, his colleges, his fishing trips, his usual pranks, his runs... nothing out of the ordinary. Until he decides he misses the training and embarka on another quixotic quest... Then the fun starts!
Without saying one more word about what the book is about I have to admit that I liked this book better than Once a Runner, if that is even possible to conceive.
What he talks about (distance, not track!!) is a lot closer to what I know and it was so easy to relate to. And it was so beautiful and precise. I reread every chapter as soon as I finished it, memorizing it, reliving it, and making the book last longer!
Chapter 27 is Pure Glory. It talks about why he needs to go back to training. Just running is not doing it for him anymore...
"...when you are a competitive runner in training you are constantly in a process of ascending... It's not something most human beings would give a moment of consideration to, that it is actually possible to be living for years in a state of betterment... That if you are doing it right you are an organism constantly evolving toward some agreed-upon approximating of excellence. Wouldn't that be at least one definition of a spiritual state?"
He talks about the Two Mile Rule, about how other people's sports look silly to everyone else, how training really feels like you are getting sick, how you eat like a shipwreck survivor, and how we are all totally crazy and "self-selecting for manic depression (which is like an occupational hazard, and that what we are essentially doing is self-medicating with endorphins and such)."
I am giving it a week and reading it again.
Just like with the first book, the first half was a bit slow and maybe not SO running related, but still a good read. Now, once I got to chapter 21, my head exploded. It was intense. And the the fireworks kept going til the end. So, so intense.
Quenton is now a lawyer in Florida, and the first half of the book gives you a good picture of his life at the law firm, his colleges, his fishing trips, his usual pranks, his runs... nothing out of the ordinary. Until he decides he misses the training and embarka on another quixotic quest... Then the fun starts!
Without saying one more word about what the book is about I have to admit that I liked this book better than Once a Runner, if that is even possible to conceive.
What he talks about (distance, not track!!) is a lot closer to what I know and it was so easy to relate to. And it was so beautiful and precise. I reread every chapter as soon as I finished it, memorizing it, reliving it, and making the book last longer!
Chapter 27 is Pure Glory. It talks about why he needs to go back to training. Just running is not doing it for him anymore...
"...when you are a competitive runner in training you are constantly in a process of ascending... It's not something most human beings would give a moment of consideration to, that it is actually possible to be living for years in a state of betterment... That if you are doing it right you are an organism constantly evolving toward some agreed-upon approximating of excellence. Wouldn't that be at least one definition of a spiritual state?"
He talks about the Two Mile Rule, about how other people's sports look silly to everyone else, how training really feels like you are getting sick, how you eat like a shipwreck survivor, and how we are all totally crazy and "self-selecting for manic depression (which is like an occupational hazard, and that what we are essentially doing is self-medicating with endorphins and such)."
I am giving it a week and reading it again.
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