Pat's Running Book Reports

Books I want to Read

2010-01-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Zen and the art of Archery
Walden

My 48 Book Challenge

2008-11-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

1. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore.
2. Adios to Tears by Seiichi Higashide and C. Harvey Gardiner.
3. Body for Life by Bill Phillips
4. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
5. Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
6. Wisdom of Our Fathers by Tim Russert.
7. Where the Game Matters Most: A Last Championship Season in Indiana High School Basketball Tag: In..by William Gildea
8. 50 Things I Love About Japan
9. Everything I've Learned.
10. Home and Away: Memoir of a Fanby Scott Simon
11. The Complete Persepolisby Marjane Satrapi
12. Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Businessby Danny Meyer
13. Rabbit, Run by John Updike.
14. Rabbit Redux by John Updike
15. The Yankee Years by Joe Torre.
16. Chic: The Extraordinary Rise of Ohio State Football and the Tragic Schoolboy Athlete Who Made It Happenby Bob Hunter, John Baskin (Editor)
17. What I Talk About When I Talk About Runningby Haruki Murakami
18. Running Until You're 100by Jeff Galloway
19. It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Lifeby Lance Armstrong
20. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
21. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
22. Together on Top of the World: The Remarkable Story of the First Couple to Climb the Fabled Seven Summits by Phil & Susan Erschler
23. Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul: Inspirational Stories of Baseball, Big-League Dreams and the Game of Lifeby Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Mark Donnelly
24. Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers
25. Esquire The Meaning of Life: Wit, Wisdom, and Wonder from 65 Extraordinary People
26. Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson.
27. Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountainsby Jon Krakauer
28. Marathon, A Novel by Hal Higdon
29. The Associate by John Grisham.
30. Harrowing Ascent of Half Dome by Mike Graf
31. Are You Kidding Me?: The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle with Tiger Woods at the US Open by John Feinstien
32. Travels by Michael Crichton
33. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
34. Boots on the Ground by Dusk: The Life and Death of Pat Tillman by Mary Tillman
35. Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks.
36. The Bible on the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine and Jacob Waltz: A Pioneer History of the Gold Rush by Helen Corbin
37.Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen's American Visionby Louis P. Masur
38. Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stephan Fatsis
39. Christmas Jars by Jason Wright
40. To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance by Kirk Johnson
41. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
42. Believe It, Be It: How Being the Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life by Ali Vincent.
43. 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker
44. Zen in the Art of Archeryby Eugen Herrigel
45. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
46. Master my Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
47. The Routes of Man by Ted Conover
48. Palestine Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter

The Challenge was started on November 7th, 2008. The goal was to be done by November 7th, 2009. I finished reading book #48 on March 25, 2010.

Paul Tergat - Running to the Limit

2007-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Read about one of the great Kenyan runners. This book is not only a biography, but it contains running tips for everyone and lots of photos.

The back cover of the book says, " 'Running to the Limit' illustrates Tergat's way from an average boy who grew up in poverty in a tiny village in Kenya to the Marathon World Record holder and dollar-millionaire. It shows the triumphs and disappointments that formed him as a human being. Today, the man they call 'the gentleman' is admired because of his achievements as an athlete, as well as because of his role as a UN Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger."

Author: Jurg Wirz

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport

PRE- America's Greatest Running Legend

2007-06-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is the biography of Steve Prefontaine, the great runner from Oregon that died early in life in a one car accident. Pre, as he was called, has reached cult status and many runners count him as their favorite all time runner.

Here's a quote from Pre:

"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."

written by: Tom Jordan

Published: Rodale Press

copywrite: 1997

Running with the Legends

2007-06-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

by Michael Sandrock

A really thick book detailing the training and races of 21 world class runners. I enjoyed reading about Bill Rodgers, Emil Zatopek, Frank Shorter, Grete Waitz, Toshihiko Seko and Joan Benoit. There's so much to read, I couldn't read it all. Since, I got it from the library I can borrow it later to read about the rest.

Publisher: Human Kinetics

Posted by: Pat Monahan

First Marathons

2006-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

A great book about 37 first marathons. You'll read first person accounts of great runs, bad runs and everything in between. Some of the marathoners you'll know like Grete Waitz, Bill Rodgers and Paul Mbugua and some runners you've never heard of. Some will inspire you to run a marathon and some will give you pause.

Published by: Breakaway Books
Edited by: Gail Waesche Kislevitz
posted by: Pat Monahan

Che Running

2006-10-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

A book that combines the disciplines of running and Tai Chi. The author wants you to be able to run pain free without the risk of injury. Like in Tai Chi, he discusses correct body posture and how the tilt of your body from your ankles is like the accelerator in a car. He believes the effort in your legs should be minimized, that you should run from your center.

Report by: Pat Monahan
Author:
Publisher:

Anything for a T-Shirt - Ron Rubin

2006-09-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Do you know who started the New York City Marathon? Fred Lebow, a holocaust survivor and a man that discovered he liked running when he lived in NYC. This is the story of his life and how he made the NYC marathon what it is today.

I found it a great book and an inspiration to thank all those who volunteer at races I compete in.

Publisher: Syracuse University Press, 2004
Author: Ron Rubin
report by: Pat Monahan, Pat's Running Blog

How Running Changed My Life

2006-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

True stories about running edited by Garth Battista.

43 short stories from people who started running and that has made all the difference in their lives. A great book to own, so that you can reread the stories for inspiration.

Publisher: Hathaway Books, 2002
Edited by: Garth Battista
report by: Pat Monahan, Pat's Running Blog

The Courage to Start - John Bingham

2006-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

My first running read. And I recommend it to anyone starting to run. John Bingham is "The Penguin" and is know for his column in Runner's World Magazine. He says he's happier in the back of the pack with the runners that are doing 5 or 6 hour marathons.

He encourages people to start running. He encourages you to do a run/walk program even during the races. He does to this day. He says that races are so much fun, he doesn't understand why people are in such a hurry to finish.

This is the idea book for the first time runner.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham.

Publisher: Fireside, 1999
Author: John Bingham
report by: Pat Monahan, Pat's Running Blog