The Long Run

by Mishka Shubaly

After nearly twenty years of chasing oblivion, a fight in a bar reveals to a newly sober Mishka Shubaly that he is able to run long distances. Despite his best attempts to dodge enlightenment and personal growth, the irreverent young drunk and drug abuser learns to tame his self-destructive tendencies through ultra running. His outrageous sense of humor, however, rages unabated.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Health, Biography, Sports, Short Stories

61 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2011

About the author

After receiving an expensive MFA from Columbia University, Mishka Shubaly promptly quit writing to play music. He lived out of a Toyota minivan for a year, touring nonstop, and has shared the stage with artists like The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Decemberists.

His Kindle Singles for Amazon have all been bestsellers. He writes true stories about drink, drugs, disasters, desire, deception and their aftermath. His work has been praised for its grit, humor, fearlessness and heart. 'The Long Run,' his mini-memoir detailing his transformation from alcoholic drug abuser to sober ultrarunner is one of the best-selling Kindle Singles to date.

Mishka Shubaly lives in Brooklyn where he writes music and plays bass for Freshkills. He is at work on a new solo record of his original songs and a full-length memoir.

Reviews

[Sadie Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago, I watched a lady simultaneously puke, pee and defecate right in front of me, all due to alcohol, all at 10 o'clock in the morning. And yes, as I stood there, retching, my poloneck yanked over my nose (I don't do well with bodily fluids, especially other people's (I'll never wear Shalimar perfume again in this lifetime)), I'll admit it: I judged her.

Here was a woman who, in checks and balances, could have had the world... I didn't have two pennies to rub together.

Fast forward a couple of years: a redundancy; a couple of quickly down-spiralling "relationships"; the death of a friend; burning my fingers in the whole Arab Spring thing...

I found myself seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle, or three.

We all think we're so high and mighty, but at any given time, we're just a few wrong turns away from that person they're stepping over in the subway. There but for the grace of God...

I don't know whether you need to have hit the bottom (again and again and again) to get this story, but I think it probably helps.

I still quite like the Foo Fighters though.

[E.M. Tippetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read drug memoir essays. I'm tired of long, arrogant ruminations by people who've wrecked their lives and believe that in the process they have learned some deep truth about how existence really is this pointless wasteland (does it ever occur to them that if you destroy anything, it tends to look pointless and wasted afterwards?) and those of us who haven't dared to live on the edge subsist in a fiction of our own making (really, if I want to see truth, I think not taking hallucinogenics is the way to go, but hey, that's just me.) I'm amused by the idea that a gritty description of the smell, taste, and texture of vomit spewed into a gutter is a great artistic accomplishment.

This essay, however, walks the sword edge of truth between needless glorification of alcoholism and simplistic platitudes about getting clean. Shubaly's drinking didn't wreck his life in the conventional sense. He's one of those people with enough brain power that he can subsist on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol and still get straight A's in school and hold down a job. By the same token, quitting drinking didn't land him in a blissful existence full of love, acceptance, and beauty. Rather, this essay reads like a journey through the proverbial tunnel to the light at the end, except the light isn't the kind that warms you up and makes the world look glorious (he tells the reader what drug to take if you want to see that one), but rather the kind that illuminates life as it is, with all its shabbiness and drudgery, its disappointments, hard choices and all around frustrations. Most important, it faces head on the fact that once you give up one obsession, life will still ask you, "So what now?" and while the answers might come more automatically with practice, they will never get easier.

I am glad Mishka's back and willing to tell the tale of where he's been. He and I were middle school classmates, people who could probably recognize each other on sight (if we're looking), pronounce each others last names (Shubaly has the stress on the second syllable, if I remember correctly), and have on rare occasions said something to the other, and on even rarer occasions said something that requires more than a smirk, chuckle, or sarcastic thumbs up in response. For years we've been connected on Facebook, but only recently have I seen him tearing up the virtual hallways with his crazy sense of humor and posting the odd (in all senses of the word) comment on someone's wall. There are a lot of things I was happy to leave behind in middle school, but I'm glad my association with Mishka wasn't one of them. Life isn't always pretty, but it's the people we share it with and who pace us on the long run that make the journey worthwhile.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book I had read a while back and forgot to review it. I had wished this book was going to be about running through your problems. This was not so. Instead this was a pity party with nothing but bad attitude splashed all over the whole book. I get you were an alcoholic, but I did not want to read about how hard core you were. I thought maybe running was going to save him. In a sense, I do not think it did. Yes he may have stopped drinking, but I think he used running as an excuse for a book platform. He is a talented writer that I will give him. I admire anyone who shares their struggles, especially with recovery. This was straight up garbage. My wish for him is to put on his running shoes, get out in nature, and really listen. If you do not hear what is being said, repeat it day after day until you do. Hopefully he will before it is too late for him. How depressing.

[Cheree Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Long Run by Mishka Shubaly is a memoir about quitting alcohol. Mostly it drones on and on and on and on about the author's drug and alcohol experience. And then it briefly talks about how he saved himself through running. Basically he just woke up one day and decided to quit drinking and he did. The book doesn't offer much hope, just a sad story of an alcoholic. I was disappointed that he didn't talk more about his running experiences, after all the title is The Long Run. The most powerful part of the book is the very end where Shubaly helps a friend complete a 100-mile race.



If you are just in the mood to read about the sad life of an alcoholic, then you might feel like picking this up. But I wouldn't recommend it.

[TH · Rating 1 out of 5]

this dude's a jackass

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the writing to jump around a bit, without smooth transitions. The last story he tells about the 100-Miler is very well-written; I just wish the rest of the book was written so valiantly.

[Tara Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author is a huge turd. "I'm only running the NYC marathon this year because marathons aren't long enough". STFU loser

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would never have finished this book if it wasn’t so short. It’s a mess.

[Frank Unilever · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly boring

[beti_czyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dla tych, którzy kiedykolwiek usiłowali stać się lepsi(nawet jeśli to oznacza ,że starają się być mniej źli).Nie jesteś sam .A jeśli odnosisz takie wrażenie , to pociesz się, że są miliony innych , którzy czują się równie osamotnieni jak ty".
Co stanie się z dzieckiem któremu rodzice będą "dla zabawy" podawać alkohol ???
Dolewać odrobinkę do innych napojów??? Skończy jako nałogowy alkoholik , a Mishka w dodatku sięgnął też po tabletki i prochy . Czy można wyjść z takiego nałogu ? Na pewno nie jest łatwo , a potem trwa walka , sięgnąć znów czy nie? Mishka dodatkowo zaczyna trenować biegi i bierze udział w maratonach ....
Polecam bo warto przeczytać 👌

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mishka Shubaly has taken his life and condensed it for this short book.

It worked pretty well - I was interested in his addiction years as well as his recovery years.

The book is not about running particularly or about changing your life, it's about Mishka setting out his own life and offering an overview of his experiences.

[Keith B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out pretty good but slowly dissolved into a rambling memoir. Not at all what I expected...

[Alex Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun with this one.

[Bob Platypire · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I make a list of books that relate to each month's awareness/observance/etc. I came across this one while looking for books about addiction and bought the audible right away. I am so glad I did!

The story is raw and real, brutal in its honesty, and unapologetic. The lifelong addiction is sommething I understand all too well. While I did have the problem myself, I come from a family of alcoholics and have known several people with drug addictions. And it's hard. Most don't understand what goes through the minds of an addict, and Mr. Shubaly walks through his battles like a bull in a fine china shop; no tiptoeing, just laying it out like it was.

When he speaks about depression, I shook. I have always suffered from it, and had trouble explaining what I was going through. He put words to so many of the feelings that I just couldn't articulate, and I actually had tears at the relief that yeah, someone knew EXACTLY what was in my mind.

The marathon at the end made ME swell with pride, as if I were there with them. I cheered them on and was so inspired by it!

It's very well done, and he reads it himself, so you get a feel that it's more personal than if he had had someone else do it. I highly suggest this for anyone who might like a look inside the psyche of an addict and/or person with depression.

Bob says: 5 Platypires!

[Cashmere · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came recommended to me by someone who is an aficionado of Mishka Shubaly's work. I asked if I could only read one book that he has written, which should it be? He suggested this one.

The Long Run is a well written book -- no question there. And being one of Amazon's "Singles" it is a quick read. Personally, I found the author's struggles with drugs and alcohol to be tough going and a bit challenging to get through. I knew what I was getting into when I started the book, though admittedly I may have abandoned it had it not been an Amazon Single.

Apparently Shubaly has written other books with less emphasis on his substance abuse. I'm not ruling out ever reading any of those, just not at this time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

So then am I less unhappy now that I’m sober? Yes, infinitely so. Alcohol honestly doesn’t hold much allure for me any more.

A gritty passionate bibliographical short story. It hooks you right from the beginning for its pace, passion and galloping use of words and expressions. I thought initially this was fiction but the sheer power of his experiences made me realise it must be autobiographical.

[Rachel Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I thought. I picked it up on my audible and only saw the summary on there. I thought it was going to be about running but it was more about addiction and the ups and downs of becoming sober. Super honest telling and interesting just not what I expected. He does run, that’s just not what the story is about.

[Víctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

From alcohol and drug addict to marathon addict, the life of Mishka Shubaly as told by himself has shown me a very interesting thing at probably the right time: one day you can just do something you never did, and there doesn't have to be a huge reason behind it... simply, you do it.

Mostly a book on addictions, but also a little bit of a complementary read to other biographies on "why people run".

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for the price. It's a short one, you can read it in one sitting.

[Warren J · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring story that shows you no matter what do not give up!

[Tony Sachs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly worse than his other book about the van.

This is basically a listing of all the crazy things Mishka did on of all his alleged drug and alcohol binges.

A litany of pill, vodka, cough syrup, and cat medication sessions that propel you to rock bottom does not a work of fiction make. And the humble brag about Heath Ledger’s toxicology report being his average intake on any given Monday? Bad taste, bro. “Look at me! I can take what killed Heath and more!”

I mean, isn’t it kinda interesting that he’s completely obliterated 99% of the time (or so he writes), yet manages to remember with absolute crystal clarity everything that has happened to him during these alleged binges? And minute details about the visions he has while a a fifth of vodka, 2 bottles of Robitussin, and 30 pills in.

Very A Million Little Pieces.

Let’s let Oprah at him.

[Holly Housman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I was happy that the book was a short one.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, especially for the short length and low price as a Kindle single. Shubaly's story of being "saved" by running is a familiar one, and it's nice to see such a brief and visceral take on that familiar story.

It's quite an obnoxious book at times. Shubaly cuts an unsympathetic character, even admitting as much repeatedly. He calls himself nihilistic but really he's more solipsistic. Obviously he believes only he exists and his life is a manifestation of that selfish view as he acts out in self-destructive ways but somehow primarily only keeping himself in mind. That's just how it struck me, at least.

The unsympathetic narrator is still readable if for no other reason than his sincerity. That's the key thing missing from those downward-spiral-and-redemption novels and memoirs: sincerity. Most of them feel forced or even entirely fake, and it makes the darkness of the stories unpalatable for being coated in plastic. When it's a sincere darkness, it drives me to keep reading in the same way that we indulge the worst of our friends and family no matter how destructive, solely because they're genuine and so there seems to be something potentially redemptive just beneath the surface at all times.

So I liked the story. What were the faults that dragged it down to only-average rating level? Well, despite how short it was it could've been a lot shorter. He seemed really intent on relaying every stumble and side story of his long history of substance abuse. These stories far outweigh the running portion of the book by at least a 2-to-1 ratio, if not 3-to-1. At one point I checked the title to make sure it wasn't actually "The Long Bender: Also, a little running." I was expecting more of a smooth and detailed transition but instead it was a bit more jarring and separated. He could've made a relatively short book even shorter by cutting out some of the repetitive bloat of his substance abuse years.

The second thing that bothered me was his self assessment of himself as having become a good person later in the book. I think I instinctively distrust anyone who self-assesses themselves this way. Kind of like how people who say that they're funny rarely are. People who are enlightened, likewise, don't have to tell anyone that they are. To make it worse, his self-assessment is rendered even more flimsy and premature when he also admits that he still has a hard time not getting angry in a world where people think the Foo Fighters are a good band. One of the first things people gain when they start to chill out a bit is the ability to not be bothered by other people's relatively harmless tastes, especially in things like personal art or entertainment. (I promise this isn't about the Foo Fighters particularly -- it's just how this guy talks about several different things later in the book.)

I'm rambling, as usual. It's not a bad book. A good, quick, easy read with some redemptive qualities. Worth the cost of a Kindle single, for sure. If you don't think you want to read it, though, I can summarize it as briefly as possible. (Semi-SPOILER ALERT) It'd be something like: DRUGSDRUGSDRUGSDRUGSDRUGSBEERWHISKEY, I went for a run, kept running, now I'm enlightened.

[Nick Prestel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that surprised me about this book after reading the first couple chapters was the lack of talk and mention of running. Looking back on it, this book is about 15% about running and 85% other stuff. The other stuff being made up mostly of Mishka's missteps, alcohol/drug hardships, and down right bad luck from his first 30 years. The running stuff doesn't come into play until the last part where Mishka finds and uses it as a constructive escape for his addictive personality. That being said, it's still an interesting and entertaining read.

By now it's probably safe to say the alcohol/drug-addicted-lost-soul-saved-by-running story has been overdone (see Ultramarathon Man or Ultrarunning:My Story for just two examples). Even so, this one reads much differently than the rest. The difference is Mishka is an excellent writer and storyteller (studied at Columbia) who happened to find running. While the other books are written by runners taking a stab outside their comfort zone as writers. Mishka is brutally honest about his darkest periods and writes exactly what was in his head during these difficult times, no caution spared to the reader. He goes into painful detail showing how alcohol and drugs were the center of his existence for many years. But as dark as the subject matter gets, Mishka tells it with a sarcastic, witty tone that has a way of gripping the reader.

With the book focused mainly on Mishka's dark history and not on running, this story has a way of showing us how much power and importance running can really have on a person's life. After seeing just how down and hopeless Mishka gets it's interesting to see that no amount of medicine or therapy has the healing power that running provided for him. This book is a great read for all types of runners and is such a short read there's really no risk to give it a try.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few gems in this breaking open account of an addict turned ultra runner.

"What's the secret to my miraculous recover, you might ask? Well, there is no secret because there has been no miracle. I got better the way everyone gets better: by trial and error and error and error...."

"Better my knees end early from overuse than my life end early from underuse."

'The traditional waster narrative is “I once was lost/ but now I’m found.” I was lost, for sure, but now, well, I’m still lost, just in a more complex, interesting and manageable way. I still get sad and angry all the time. I don’t think I’ll ever be at peace in a world where the most wealth accumulates in the hands of a few people who seem to deserve it the least, where cruelty, deception and oppression are rewarded over and over again. Hell, I can’t be at peace in a world where people believe that The Foo Fighters are a good band. But getting angry is a sign that I care and I like caring these days. "

[Dan McConkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book through some sort of promotion and spent just over two hours reading it and I still don't feel like it was worth it. Along with many other reviews, I had expected an inspirational story about someone who uses running to save his life and overcome addiction. It isn't that. It is about someone that overcomes addiction... and runs. In fact, the final race, which is by far the most inspirational part of the book, isn't even about him. It is about his friend doing an amazing thing -- while he is there to help.

Mostly droning on and on about drinking and drugs and drinking and drugs and then running.

I found it far from inspirational. Certainly not motivational. There are a couple of good one liners and thought provoking sentences.

[Jessica Sanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I really enjoy Mishka's stylenof writing. Very descrpitive, I can see so clearly the story he wants to share.

The only issue I have is the writing makes me feel as though this is a true story, and it feels incongruous with Ship Wrecked, where he is a young man working on a sailboat. I just dont see how this drug addled/fighting running man had time to learn to sail. Thhat was my main though the whole book (when does he start sailing?). Though, either they are fiction or non, I do not know. But I do know that if it is non fiction, he does a hell of a job storytelling, even more so them I thought!

[Michelle Gamboa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get much out of this book. It seemed like some jotted details about the ups and downs of Mishka's life with no depth. Seems like he wrote it while still feeling numb. It left me wanting more details, but not so much that I'd want to read it again if he re-released it with more depth and emotion.

[Roy Stephenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know... This author has me over a barrel. It appears as though he is simply bragging about being a reformed druggie/alcoholic by writing this book. I see the message he is sending and his writing is somewhat entertaining but I just couldn't wrap my head around the story. Perhaps one day i will read something else Mishka wrote and find that I enjoy it. This book just wasn't it.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty enjoyable Kindle single. A memoir of a guy overcoming profound alcoholism by running ultra marathons. Not too deep or anything but as someone trying to solidify a running routine (without Shubaly's requisite rock bottom) it is somewhat motivating. I don't plan to ever ultras but I do feel better when I'm running.