The Tao of Running: Your Journey to Mindful and Passionate Running

by Gary Dudney

The Tao of Running brings a fresh and unique perspective to the topic of running. It offers readers multiple ways to significantly deepen, enlighten, and enrich their running experiences Introduces a unique and bold new treatment of the topic of running

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Health

304 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Eric London · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less Tao than expected.

Well written and well told by an ultrarunning vet; he's done them all and then some. Some real good pearls of running wisdom.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be titled "My Life Running Insane Ultra-marathons with a few comments on mindfulness"

[David Neto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazing stories of the power of human beings to accomplish what would seem like physically impossible feats. I mean, how does one run 4 (or more) races of 100 miles in 3 months and not only survives them but becomes addicted to such a senseless activity!

Having said that, the title felt extremely misleading, with the mindful part of the book being reduced to only a few paragraphs. It seemed that this was a very short summary of other influential books for the author (that he names in his work), and the other three quarters of the pages were his personal running stories. Entertaining, for sure, but not what was expected.

[Vu Phong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Ross Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author isn't a highly awarded runner like they are in the other ultra books I've read. So there is something refreshing about getting a perspective from a "normal" runner. The book starts off well as the author breaks down the Tao of running and speaks to the desire for runners to continue to seek longer distances (only to still be at a loss for satisfaction once they reach each distance). But then the book turns into a rather tiresome log of all his races, and he doesn't necessarily continue to tie these trips down memory lane back into the subject of the book. It felt as if the book was headed in a great direction with a lot of steam, then it ran out of gas and turned into something very basic and less intriguing.

[Camila A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I think there were some great nuggets to pull away from this book but the same message could have been conveyed in about 100 pages less.

I connected with the author at times, hearing his personal stories was motivating, but at other points I thought his message fell a little flat. It was a solid read but like others have mentioned, the title alone is a bit misleading but overall a decent read.

[One · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing read. The title sounds great, the introduction is great, but the book is a disappointment. There's very little in this book regarding the Tao of running or mindfulness. It's mostly filled with the author's personal running stories. A few interesting pages here and there, but that was about it.

[Nita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful, practical information about the mental game of running. Also great stories about his 100-mile adventures. No, he did not convince me to trail run (I have a wonky ankle that barely tolerates flat surfaces) and no he did not convince me to attempt a 100-miler, but he did teach me some great techniques I can use at any distance on any course. Also well-written and entertaining.

[Cương Hoàng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Một ví dụ cho cuốn sách chỉ cần đọc 50 trang thay vì 400 trang của nó. Tác giả khêu gợi lên một vấn đề rất gây tò mò cho bất cứ người chạy nào. Nhưng thực sự ông chỉ viết về nó có 1, 2 chương. Tất cả những trang còn lại là kinh nhiệm chạy đường trường không hữu ích của ông. 2 sao cho nội dung, 4 sao cho nội dung hữu ích về triết lý hiện sinh, cũng như quan niệm chánh niệm trong chạy bộ.

[Elton Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who just completed his first ultra, this book was perfect for me. This is less about the how and more about the why we run. I really enjoyed the way he weaves his personal stories in with philosophical reasons to run. I didn’t feel it was rambling at all, reading it in 2 sittings. I do love reading ultra running stories though.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the mental side of running told through stories of the author and his ultra running experiences. I’ll probably never run a 100 mile ultramarathon but I loved learning about them and can easily apply the principles to my much shorter runs. Perfect to read while I’m rehabbing an injury as motivation and inspiration.

[Daryl Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is less about Tao and more about running. His concepts of Tao is less spiritual and more a way of looking at things. I like the book a lot. It had lots of great tips from someone who has run a lot of ultraruns. Great stories of the races as well.

[J.B. Siewers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed so many people can run 100 miles. The insight into running and some very decent but limited referencing existentialism. I read these books to try and get inspiration to run and think. I disagreed with too many assumptions he makes but overall worth the read.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. I listened to the audiobook and it was read well. This is a about stories of running ultras. 100k or 100M. Some tips and advice can be gotten from these stories. At the general advice to stay mentally strong and don’t let stuff bother you!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing about the author's experiences with various ultra-marathon races. There was some good running advice mixed in, as well as ramblings about existentialism that I wasn't that interested in. It's another book that I'd never have read if I just had a physical copy.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about the mindset that a person has when running. How much of running or many things that we do in our lives is physical v. mental.

The book is a little slow in the beginning, but the author then gets into a rhythm. Similar to running.

[Major Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this book: some semi-decent stories on running; very little on the tao-ness of it. BLUF = run 'til you transcend the pain ~ easier said than done.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much talking about his running experiences, which were boring as heck!

[Mandy Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive but still motivational and many great points.

[Missie Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that the chapters were all short stories of lessons to enjoy running. I wrote down a few favorite quotes to pull out when I need to dig deep.

[Tamara Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, it feels like a rip-off of Born to Run. but I like to listen to stories I got people who run Ultras and hundred milers so I really enjoyed listening to it on audiobook

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight into running long distance. The stories were terrific, but the title was misleading.

[Luke Wiest · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is more autobiography about races the author competed in than it is about Taoism as it relates to running.

[Arthur O'Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Descriptions of the ultras were cool but got a lil self helpy at times. Definitely made me want to run trail more tho 😝

[Ultra Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really more a memoir than a book about the Tao of running, but it's a nice read if you're an ultrarunner

[Mark McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing approach to running by telling how to enjoy the moments and flow it creates, as well as to accept that quitting is sometimes the best win you can have.

[Mac Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book made me want to get out and run!

[Lars Farabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book right before I ran my first marathon and it was perfect timing. Even though the focus is on trail running, the lessons it teaches are applicable to so much more. Loved it.

[Danny Haritan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dudney spends a lot of time talking about his experiences competing in Ultra running - particularly the 100 mile events. While it gives him some credibility for writing I would have liked more insight into how to he applied his insights and how that improved his performance.