That Sucking Sound: A Book
Did you hear it yesterday? You should have! It was amazing! It was the loudest sucking sound I've heard in a while. It was the sound of my whole body being sucked into a new (to me) book called Ultra Marathon Man, Confessions Of An All-Night Runner, by Dean Karnazes. I've picked the booked up once or twice at Borders to buy it, only to put in down and leave. Yesterday I went ahead and bought it and by about page 2.5 I was full on body sucked into the book and read 45 pages before bed.
I do not run. I sort of hate the thought of running. It doesn't matter. Dean Karnazes is an endurance freak, and the way he gets lost in his running is the same way as I (and many of us) get lost in our riding. I have no doubt that any of you who compete in endurance races will find this book hard to put down. Like I said, I've only read 45 pages and find it just amazing!
One of my main goals in 2009 is to try find a little more about the "why?". As in WHY I attempt Solos and 100s when I finish mid pack at best. I knew I was sucked in by page 12 when Karnazes has a conversation with a pizza delivery guy, who just delivered a pizza and cheesecake to him as he ran down Highway 116 in California around midnight. The conversation was classic and ended like this..."As he was about to drive away again, the young man tilted his head out of the truck window and asked "So dude, do you mind WHY you are doing this?" Where to begin? "Oh man, I replied, "I'll have to get back to you on that one."
So that is sort of how the first chapter ends. I can't wait to read more and feel guilty wasting my time writing this when I could be reading. Or riding! I know 45 pages of reading is not a lot to base a book purchase on, but I'm THAT confident that at least the Endurance type folks who read my blog with totally connect. Maybe I'm late to the party and everyone has already read this book. If so, shame on me for being a non book reading doofus. Time to go read, and maybe look for my running shoes. ;)
Hope to spin the rail trail later with my DVT and Mamasita.
Later.
posted by Jason @ 8:54 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I have been asked that same question...about "why?". Not just about why do I do 100 mile races but why race when you know your not going to win. I always have the canned answer as to it is the challenge...but I know in my head it is so much more then that. I can't believe that some one has written an entire book about what I have been thinking about.
With the onset of winter I can see quite a few of us tucking into a book. Might try and get hold of this one.
WHY?
I think we are all screwed up is why. Lotsa of people in some form of recovery on the starting lines, me included.
Personally I enjoy the escape and the pain as I make my way thru an enduro. Escape and pain is the point of it, at least for me.
Oh yeah, attrition is cool too. ;o)
God bless attrition! As long as it's not me. If it was- "I was just using this race for training" HA!
Escape? Therapy? Recovery? God knows! It's a high. That much I know.
I've got a book recommendation for you after you're done with this one. It's got a cheesy title, "Bike for Life", but from what I have read so far it's awesome. I'm sure I'll be reading a lot of it as the winter hits, and when I'm no longer reading 1-200 pages a week for school.
One of my favorite books. Enjoy it.
The day that I can answer the "why" question is the day that I stop racing my bicycle.
It is a good book. I've read it a few times. He has another one out. It's a pretty new one. It's about his 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days that he did in either 06 or 07. Enjoy.
That book was what created Team Weak and Feeble and our initial interest in endurance racing- great book (just skip the running part!)
Ride on!
DEA
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