rushourunner's (belated) book club - april

14 Minutes: A Running Legend's Life and Death and Life
Alberto Salazar

I think this review has taken me so long to get around to writing because... I HATED this book.

I know, right.  Alberto Salazar is a LEGEND.  He was DEAD for 14 minutes.  I knew nothing about him coming into it, aside from something about a duel in the sun.

But when I purchased this book, a professional athlete had been dead for longer than 14 minutes.  78 minutes, to be exact.  So already, even though the book is brand-new, it was a little outdated.

To be honest, I was so sick and tired of this book that I skimmed through the rest when Kindle said I was 90% done.  Reading someone talk about how they were the greatest runner in the world is annoying.  So is the sick infatuation with Galen Rupp.  I know WAY too much about Galen.  I'm surprised I don't know how often he poops, that's how in depth the man-crush went.  Gah!

And another thing - if someone could recommend me a book about a famous runner where they don't shove their Jesus crap down my throat, please let me know.  I'm staying away from bios for a LONG, long time.  This is one of the many reasons why I don't like Tim Tebow.  I get that religion is important to you, but the deeply personal, spiritual awakenings?  Please keep them to yourself.  Or better yet, write a religion book.

Needless to say, I won't be reading anything else Mr Salazar should care to write.  (Hate away, internet!)


3 things to take away from this book:
1.  About losing:

"This might sound extreme, perhaps even a little deranged, but I don't think you can make it to the very top rank in any sport if you don't have a similar aversion to losing - a visceral, physical loathing.  I look for this trait in an athlete, although the hatred of losing has to be balanced by a certain degree of realism, an ability to step back just enough so that you can process your disappointing performance and learn from it."

2.  About the individual nature of running:

"Running hews to form more than other sports.  You almost always race the way that you train, especially for shorter distances on the track.  But at the same time, you're all alone out there with your doubts and your fears.  You can't share the pain, blame, or glory with a teammate.  There are so many ways to beat yourself."

3.  My favorite sentence in the whole book:

"Your daily run is one piece of business that you can almost always finish."

On a scale from 1 to 5, this is a 1.  Yep, dislike all the way.

Now back to vampire books...