Jenny Graham has won me over as a raving fan. Her achievement of the self-supported Round-the-World record is astounding. She strictly adheres to selfJenny Graham has won me over as a raving fan. Her achievement of the self-supported Round-the-World record is astounding. She strictly adheres to self-imposed rules about what 'self-supported' means (since Guinness doesn't differentiate yet) and she follows them even when other options present themselves, like denying to ride in someone's slipstream or only staying in homes that are part of the Warm Showers network. She sleeps in culverts, public toilets, farm fields and bus stops. She does all her own bike maintenance, except when bike shops are en-route to help. She books all her accommodation (when not sleeping rough) and her flights from the dashboard of her bike while on the move. She films and photographs herself, sends info along to her sister for various social updates, and messages/face times with family and friends, all while riding about 280km per day, for 125 straight days.
This is very different than a 'supported' record which may involve a team with a mechanic, a shopper, a cook, a navigator, a launderer, a social media manager and a travel agent all driving nearby in an RV, offering warm drinks, wholesome meals, statistics and encouraging distraction.
But, instead of coming across as some elite, unreachable athlete, Jenny makes everything seem attainable. I feel empowered by her ride and it truly makes me want to go out and do big things too. It would be brilliant to spend a day with her. She is brutally honest about who she is (this untamed woman...more
This is a truly inspiring read. Meaghan is a local favourite in BC and around here on Vanc Island. She has been part of a couple of endurance rides thThis is a truly inspiring read. Meaghan is a local favourite in BC and around here on Vanc Island. She has been part of a couple of endurance rides that I have also joined - but I have only had brief glimpses of her rolling away at the Grand Depart start lines.
This book gives an engrossing, day-by-day account of her 25 day Trans America Bike Race in 2017. Following a 6800 km route from West to East, cyclists conduct a self-supported ride through 10 states. Over these 3 weeks, she gains confidence in her ability as a cyclist, in her fitness and aspirations, and in her skill as a writer.
So many long distance athletes find it difficult to share their passion and their drive. It is really hard to put raw emotion into words on a page (believe me - I've tried!). But Hackinen tells the stories beyond the here-and-now of her front tire and the endless crank revolutions. She tells it like an adventure that takes her whole mind, body and history to accomplish.
I am hooked and will be devouring everything she publishes, including following her latest Instagram adventure into the back corners of my island home. I hope to meet her at a start line soon....more
Allen is an amazing runner with a stunning story of injury, recovery and return to the top of her field. With her devastating fall happening within thAllen is an amazing runner with a stunning story of injury, recovery and return to the top of her field. With her devastating fall happening within the opening pages, there was no doubt that this book is all about the rebuild of her physical and mental abilities and the roller-coaster route that it takes.
But the book falls in the vacant land between athlete biography and self-help mantra.
In the first half, she recounts her story chronologically, albeit with some lightning fast recovery bits. She wakes up in the hospital, has to learn to scoot and then walk again, has to figure out who she is if she isn't a runner any more and many other recovery hurdles. She talks about the people who made a significant impact on her recovery.
But the second half became a sort of rambling list of all the sayings she was told during therapy. In one breath, she would go on about how she was relearning how to love running just for the sake of movement and being immersed in nature. And in the next sentence she would talk about finishing on the podium or how she was racing for 5th place. She was able to repeat the therapy mantras but she did not put them into practice. Including her race resume on the back page is simple proof that she is not walking her talk.
At one point, she comments that the word 'competition' is marked and usually used as a negative trait. I wish Allen had used this book as an opportunity to embrace her love of competition and show how it has been a key motivator for her in her recovery, rather than pretending that she is over it....more
Only Taylor Jenkins Reid could get me to love tennis. I don't (didn't) know anything about tennis, am not (at all) interested in tennis and there's A Only Taylor Jenkins Reid could get me to love tennis. I don't (didn't) know anything about tennis, am not (at all) interested in tennis and there's A LOT of tennis in here. In fact, at the start, I was looking for a reason to set it down - some flaw that might push me towards a DNF. But .... TJR won me over and has made me a raving fan once again (of her writing - not of tennis ...more
As a decades' long-time fan of grand tour cycling, I have watched Cavendish's ebbs and flows through the ranks of the green jersey. I never questionedAs a decades' long-time fan of grand tour cycling, I have watched Cavendish's ebbs and flows through the ranks of the green jersey. I never questioned why he was less of a force on the scene from 2016 until 2021 but I was so pleased to watch his amazing comeback in the 2021 Tour de France. This book is an account of Cav's 2021 year - the training, the team dynamics, the lesser known tours and finally a day-by-day diary of his TdF experiences. The writing is conversational, to say the least. It is full of his quirky sayings and off-the-cuff comments, which makes it hard to follow at times. Assuming that his audience is made up of fellow cyclists and obsessed fans, he drops a lot of names and doesn't explain enough about complex tactics which often lost me. As a result, I nearly abandoned in the first quarter. But Cav's passion for the TdF is palpable and I really enjoyed learning about what goes on in the grupetto on those tough mountain stages. While the cameras follow a breakaway and the chasing peloton, fans don't get to see the team effort of those domestiques who have finished their turns or those sprinters who find the mountain stages a struggle. I was impressed by the teamwork it takes for him to stay in contention. Recently I watched every stage of the 2021 TdF (I save it until the Autumn when the weather keeps me inside more) so the stages were fresh in my mind. I would recommend watching a daily highlights of each stage while reading the book as it will help you follow his commentary more easily....more
This is a fascinating account of Chris Froome's climb from a kid in Kenya to a winner of the Tour de France. To me, it was jaw-dropping to realize thaThis is a fascinating account of Chris Froome's climb from a kid in Kenya to a winner of the Tour de France. To me, it was jaw-dropping to realize that Froome had never even seen any footage of The Tour until 2oo8 and 5 years later he won it. He was just a kid who loved to ride his bike, inspired by the locals at the bike shop, and who eventually got himself noticed. A natural athlete from the very beginning, he was able to push himself farther, harder and longer than anyone else he knew. He paints a vivid image of sneaking out of his boarding school in order to ride an ill-fitting mountain bike over the South African mountains, at risk of being caught by his headmaster or headboy. Froome had a lot to learn as he entered the professional bike racing world. His natural trust in other people was shaken and had to be adapted as he learned to stand up for himself and self-promote. He knew what he was capable of and endlessly had to make other people notice his pure athleticism, loyalty and hard work. Team Sky took their sweet time in noticing his efforts, committing to him and paying him what he deserved. He was pushed around and, I dare say, swindled as he battled for the position of top dog against Bradley Wiggins. During his own Tour victory, Wiggins seemed like an entitled dink as he refused to socialize or even speak to Froome, or any of the other domestiques, when off the bike. Wiggins was like a looming black cloud on Froome's career, always posing a threat to unseat Froome as the GC contender. I will have to follow up by reading Wiggin's book My Time: An Autobiography to see things from his side. The narrative has a very conversational style which is engaging and endearing. Some references were lost on me as they seemed like inside jokes or perhaps dialectical anomalies that didn't translate well. There were places in the book where Froome spoke in the present tense and then switched to the past tense, which was jarring. It seemed that present tense was used when describing the action within a race. Perhaps this was employed to add excitement and immediacy to the race atmosphere, but I don't think it worked. Also, despite the cover banner announcing his four Tour wins, this book covers only his first Tour victory. But overall, I have fallen in love with Froome. His kindness is admirable and his work ethic is astonishing. It would be a real treat to sit down and share a bowl of rice and tuna with this down-to-earth, humble Bike God!...more
Murakami is a dedicated long-distance runner. He runs every day and keeps tally of all the kilometers, locations and races that he runs. At the time oMurakami is a dedicated long-distance runner. He runs every day and keeps tally of all the kilometers, locations and races that he runs. At the time of publication, he was participating in at least one marathon each year (totaling 25 at the time) and he was dabbling in triathlon events. He claims that running is his form of relaxation but, as the book unfolds, you can see that he has an obsessive-compulsiveness about it (the opposite of relaxing, imo) This book is a rambling group of loosely related essays about how running has shaped who he is and how he writes. The best parts were the detailed accounts of his races (often excerpts from published articles). I loved every word of his Athens to Marathon marathon -so gritty and real. My favourite was his account of his one and only ultra-distance 100 km race which was both brutal and beautiful. There is much philosophical thought in Murakami's writing. He is very introspective which makes him feel approachable and his accomplishments attainable. But the rambling nature of these essays made the book feel like a slog. I sort of dreaded picking it up - in the same way that I sort of dread heading out for my own daily run. Once I started, it was fine - even enjoyable - but it was too easy to push off to another day....more
The running part of this book starts around page 200 and even then it is a side story. This is really a story of a women who struggles with mental heaThe running part of this book starts around page 200 and even then it is a side story. This is really a story of a women who struggles with mental health on many levels. While she is unknowingly suffering through post-partem depression, her father gets sick and quickly dies of cancer. This leaves her unhinged, resulting in hypochondriac behaviours and some obsession/compulsion. This is when she finds running, as a way to control her whirling, grieving mind - first familiar distances and then ultra endurance distances. But even her running is wrought with compulsions and does not give her solace. I have run many of the same events as Arnold and I really did enjoy her descriptions of the Jemez Mountain 50km (which I ran one year prior to her) and the R2R2R. But I thought that the memoir was going to be about running and was highly disappointed that it was not the focus, as the title indicates. I endlessly skimmed over the pages and pages of her issues, trying to find mention of a trail or race or event related to running. These treasures were well told but far too few....more
The Peace and Dignity Journey (PDJ) is a relay-run from Alaska through to Guatemala, braiding its way through tribal lands and stopping in Indigenous The Peace and Dignity Journey (PDJ) is a relay-run from Alaska through to Guatemala, braiding its way through tribal lands and stopping in Indigenous communities to pass on a message of solidarity. In return, each Indigenous community supplies shelter, food, water and spiritual guidance. As soon as Alvarez learns about this event, he drops everything and makes arrangements to join the group partway through British Columbia and continues on with them for four months. He is an American citizen, born of Mexican immigrants, and he is very familiar with the hamster wheel of the hand-to-mouth existence of poor, working-class immigrants. He wants Change - not only for himself but for all people living on the fringes of corporate society. Upon joining the group (10 runners with 2 vehicles), he gets his first dose of resentment from the established PDJ runners. Within the group, there is a hierarchy and it seems that each person is trying to prove that s/he is more worthy of the cause than others. For thousands of kilometers, the runners turn against each other, withhold food and water from the group and shame those who are unable to maintain speed, courage and purity of belief in the cause. This book is more about the Spirit than the Run. As an endurance athlete myself, I was hoping for more logistics of the running and details about the waypoints, the communities and the land that they run through. Considering that his role was to run one or two 10-mile segments each day, Alvarez includes surprisingly little about the run itself. Instead, beyond the dysfunction of the PDJ group, the memoir focusses on Alvarez's personal journey and that of his parents. There are glimpses of beautiful prose in Alvarez's debut but those parts seemed out of place in his documentary-style book. I found the sub-title of the book slightly misleading since there is no other mention of 'stolen lands' except in the sub-title itself. The Peace and Dignity Journeys continue on and I truly hope that Alvarez's account brings positive attention, stronger infrastructure and peaceful tribal collaborations to the annual event....more
I was very interested in the premise for this book - women cycling along the length of the Silk Road, stealthily crossing borders, overcoming unforeseI was very interested in the premise for this book - women cycling along the length of the Silk Road, stealthily crossing borders, overcoming unforeseen obstacles and grinding out hard miles of unforgiving trail - but sadly it did nothing but disappoint. The prologue had an exciting account of Harris and her friend Mel ducking under a border gate with their heavily-loaded bikes in the dark of night, all clothed in black, trying to evade the Chinese border guards as they sneaked into Tibet without the required documentation. Thrilling! But soon afterwards, Harris went on and on about her life of privilege and her dream of living on Mars. Unable to fix herself to any one thing, she vacillates between attaining university degrees and travelling, knowing that at any time her family could bail her out financially or politically. My issue with the book is simply that there wasn't enough about her cycling trip and that is the only reason the book captured my attention and imagination. So, once I realized that this is actually a memoir of her entire life, I set it aside....more
This is a tiny, fun book that not only makes fun of our ridiculous sport but is oddly motivational. Filled with quotes from the who's who of running, This is a tiny, fun book that not only makes fun of our ridiculous sport but is oddly motivational. Filled with quotes from the who's who of running, Leonard reminds us of the simplicity of putting one foot in front of the other and the mammoth effort it takes to continue putting one foot in front of the other. He makes fun of our many ways of avoiding the discomfort of it all and the small things that make us continue pursuing those finish lines. It has pages and pages of meme-like pics, pie graphs, venn diagrams, flow charts and tables which simply illustrate the humour of his ideas. Definitely worth the time to read. Although I spent that time sitting on the couch, I think I'll consider that book 'training' for my next race. My favourite quotes:
"Question #1 - Do you run? If you can answer yes to all these questions, you are without a doubt a real runner." Alistair Jones
"Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit" Dr George Sheehan
After setting the overall, self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Pacific Crest Trail, Heather/Anish often finds herself wondering whether heAfter setting the overall, self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Pacific Crest Trail, Heather/Anish often finds herself wondering whether her amazing accomplishment was the real deal or merely a fluke. She questions whether or not she merits the accolades she received after the record-breaking 2652 mile hike over 60 days in 2013. When she has to bail out of an FKT attempt on the JMT, her self-doubt takes over. She decides to give herself one last chance to prove herself as worthy. This book is an almost daily account of Anish as she takes on the Appalachian Trail self-supported FKT, southbound. As with her fabulous biography Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, Heather focusses more on her on-trail experiences, landscapes and incidents, rather than just the burgers and ice cream stops along the way (as so many other thru-hikers do). We get to learn of the terrain, the weather, the darkness and the suffering that become common-place obstacles for her. We have a window into her pain, discomfort, starvation and sleep-deprivation which are all necessities for accomplishing this task. It is truly hard to see her suffer in so many ways for such a long time. Unlike Thirst, Anish struggles every day on the AT, puts immense pressure on herself all the time and berates herself whenever she isn't able to achieve her high expectations. She rarely shares any joy or satisfaction in this account. In the final days of the trek, she shares some enlightenment that comes from accepting who she is and how far she has come as a person, irregardless of setting a record. Sadly, this felt false - merely created for the flow of the book. Perhaps, in her recovery from this event, she recognized this inner growth and acceptance of who she is but I highly doubt that this happened out on the trail. The whole full-moon-dance part, communing with her former self, felt out of place and odd, especially since her FKT record was not yet in the bag. Despite how difficult this journey was for her and how hard it was to read about the torture she endured, Heather/Anish is truly a one-of-a-kind athlete and adventurer. I hope that she finds some satisfaction in the aftermath of this accomplishment and isn't haunted by this trail....more
I love an armchair adventure and this one is wild beyond imagination. Within the tight window of Spring/Summer 2012, Caroline and Pat travel from BellI love an armchair adventure and this one is wild beyond imagination. Within the tight window of Spring/Summer 2012, Caroline and Pat travel from Bellingham, WA, up the coast of BC and into the wilds of the Yukon and Alaska. They use only human power to travel and no paved roads or even trails. They row, hike, ski and packraft the entire 4000 mile distance using infrequent resupply drops or incredibly remote towns to keep them nourished and equipped. Having just completed her PhD in avian zoology, Caroline is at a juncture of her life and uses this brief window of time to follow her heart and reconnect with nature while trying to decide if research biology and academia are really for her over the long term. As she paddles along, she gives an unending commentary on the bird life that she witnesses and gives background on migration, nesting and foraging for hundreds of bird species that she encounters along the way - which I found fascinating. She also wonders aloud about her future with Pat and whether or not to have babies - which I found repetitive and somewhat nauseating. There was a lot of skimming during these dull sections. But, on the whole, I admire their ingenuity and courage for taking on such a project and for executing it so well. Besides one breach of communication and one weather-related supply drop, their route and their success was never in question. Personally, I would have liked more details about their packing lists, their camp set-up and their menus along the way, but perhaps that would have changed the lyrical aspect of her writing and made it too inaccessible to the typical armchair adventurer. On an personal note, I clearly remember the violent storm that hit the east coast of Vancouver Island in March 2012 and it fills me with dread to think that they were there, paddling just past my doorstep during those five days, through high seas and gale force winds. That storm shut down our town for a number of days. Incredible! especially since this event happened during the first week of their journey yet they continued on without question....more
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