I went to the wedding the other day of one of my high school running teammates, then found this book on my shelf that my mom bought for herself a while back then gave me to read. I was most definitely a runner in high school, and would definitely not consider myself one now. I was actually pretty good at it, but just really didn’t like it. At the end of the day, I’d have to go pretty deep into introspection/self analyzation to tell you why I gave it up and just can’t convince myself to go back now. Regardless, running was a huge part of my high school years…and a huge part of my growing up. Running taught me all sorts of lessons: the importance of team (and friends), sticking it out when the going gets tough, believing in yourself, setting goals, putting down the hard work even when the final result seems a long time away, and that your body will hold out if you can convince your mind.
This book really took me back to days when I was so much stronger than I am now (mentally, I mean) – Dugard talks about training, different types of methodologies of training, but mostly of the life lessons from running. One of the quotes that stuck out the most was “You have two choices: the pain of suffering, or the pain of regret.” Man, how those words apply to so many situations – and do I ever need to take that advice right now in my life. See, running for me was never really about the running – it was about the battle, the healing, the joy of accomplishing something you didn’t think you could, and the freedom and peace you felt after winning the battle against your mind one more time. As I said, I am not nearly as mentally tough now as I was then – and I’d love to get back to that place.
I’ll go 9 of 10 for enjoyment and 4.5 of 5 for readability. As a former runner, the terminology was simple, and I think he explained the running terms well, but non-runners may disagree with me on that. If you are not or never have been a runner, this book may give you a slight glimpse into why people do the crazy physical feats they do. If you were or are a runner, this book is just validation that the physical pain is always worth the mental gain, whether it’s your first steps after 10 years off (and many additional pounds…) or you are crossing the line for that Olympic gold. At the end of the day, winning feels good, but just knowing you fought the battle and left it out there is worth so much more.
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