Summary:
Reading articles on running seems easier than reading books about running. Running requires a clear mind and books generally are not conducive to clear thinking. This is an autobiographical account of Scott Jurek from his childhood to an accomplished Ultra marathoner. It takes the reader through some of the torturous running events Scott Jurek has won (Badwater, Western States 100, Spartathlon to name a few) while elaborating on the 2 things that stand out about him - his vegan diet and his obsession with running. His friend Dusty Olsen serves as his mentor (and sometimes pacer) with a taste for brutal feedback (not sure if I would continue to run a race if I had someone providing encouragements like Dusty does through this book). At the end of each chapter, Scott Jurek also provides answers to basic running questions (form, breathing, speed etc.,.). He also provides a vegan recipe specific to runners at the end of each chapter. The book also presents Scott Jurek's ideas on nutrition (good) and injury treatment (not good). Some of his suggestions about injury treatment will probably make scientists throw up their hands in frustration. There are places in the book where I can identify with his struggle to string some few good sessions of running. It also validates something I have convinced myself is true - to run somewhat long distances, you need a blank mind to start the run and then come up with as much distractions to overlook the fact of running(which is one reason lot of people run with their headphones on even though it is not advisable). Non runners might point out the idiocy of putting so much effort into starting and finishing at the same spot but the fun is in the journey between those spots.
Analysis:
I love running and I love eating. I am good at the latter but not that good in the former. Running does provide me an outlet like nothing else while being a way to burn away the excess food that I have eaten. I was on a vegetarian diet when I started running in high school and college. Running on a vegetarian diet did not seem to affect my stamina or speed (very slow to slow). It was not until I moved to US that I came across articles emphasizing meat as an easily accessible and an integral part of running life. After quite a few years of running on a meat diet, I realized meat diet only made running into a chore - part of it is the portion size in US is large enough that any kind of running is
a slog (the feeling was very similar to running with a heavy stone tied around my waist) and part of it is the very nature of meat available in US. After I cut out meat, running felt lighter and more joyful.
Marathons are 26.2 miles long. Ultra marathons are anything above that distance even though that term is usually reserved for much longer distances, 100 - 150 miles. Descriptions of injuries that Ultra marathoners face do not sound healthy - An example is Ultra marathoners tearing off their toenails to relieve pressure from blisters that occur with prolonged running. Because of the distance, Ultra marathons usually include running on trails and at night. Ultra marathoners are usually allowed to have support crews and pacers to keep from them from getting lost and take care of themselves under extremely stressful conditions.
Scott Jurek grew up in Minnesota, 150 miles from Minneapolis, as the eldest of 3 kids. His father worked 2 jobs to make ends meet - as a pipe fitter during the day and as a maintenance worker in a hospital at night. He grew up eating whatever was available nearby (meat, fish). Vegetables were present only as a side dish. His mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her 50's so he took over cooking and cleaning duties around the house. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure when he was 12 years old. At school, he joined the ski team and focused on building his endurance (on the advice of his ski coach). To that end, he ran wherever and whenever he could (to grocery store and back, to seasonal work and back etc.,.). As his skiing skills improved, his mother's health started deteriorating. Because he had become one of the top ranked junior skier in the state, he was selected to attend a ski camp for the best high school cross country skiers in Minnesota. It was there that he came across information on plant based diet and its benefits. Once he graduated from high school, he wanted to be a cross country skier and physical therapist. While he wanted to go to Ivy league schools, his family's financial condition meant he had to attend a local college, majoring in physical therapy. While in college, he got into a fight with his father and left his parents' home. He met Dusty Olsen and with him for company, ran and skied a lot. From being an activity to build endurance for cross country skiing, running became his primary sport. He entered local long distance races (marathons and 50 milers) and did well. He was convinced to give vegan diet a try by his girlfriend. Just like every runner, he worried about getting enough protein. Once he realized a meat based diet provides protein much more than can be handled by human body ('Alavukku meerinaal amirthamum nanju'), he was able to switch to a predominantly vegetarian diet. His complete conversion into a vegan came when he observed a sick old man at a hospital struggling to eat stale meat and potatoes provided by the hospital. His running became more pleasant the farther he got away from a meat based diet. While he is a serious vegan (no milk, no eggs, no meat), he is also clear that he will not hesitate to eat cheese if that is the only thing available before a race. He shares his research on better eating habits, training methods for long distances and yoga throughout the book. The description of his preparation for a race and running that race is very good.He also provides a list of books on running that others can learn from
1. Spontaneous healing by Andrew Weil
2. Running with whole body by Jack Heggie
3. Body, Mind and Sport by John Douillard
4. Running Wild! An extraordinary adventure of the Human spirit by John Annerino
5. Running and Being: The Total experience by George Sheehan
6. The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei by John Stevens
7. Ultramarathon by James Shapiro
The book also provides practical steps to address injuries during running. He follows a 4 step process:
1. Acknowledge the pain and feel the hurt
2. Evaluate the situation
3. Analyze how to improve the situation - Having been injured a few time while running, I am not sure this is how I respond after an injury
4. Separate the hows and whys and focus on running one step at a time
Some of his claims about his running methods sound crazy but that comes with the territory for an Ultra marathoner. There is a lot of self-reflection about losing his other runner friends,either because of fights or because of death. There is plenty of analysis on why obsessive people gravitate towards running. He is also very aware of Ultra running turning into an addiction - Research has shown that rats sometimes run themselves to death during experiments.
He was invited to visit the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico by their contact to the Western World, Caballo Blanco (White Horse/Micah True). Scott Jurek had come across the Tarahumara Indians when running Angeles Crest 100 Ultra marathon some years earlier. Tarahumara Indians run without much adornment favored by runners in the Western world - simple slippers (as compared to pricey running shoes that cause more injuries than prevent them). The runs done by Scott Jurek and other select runners from US with Tarahumara Indians was profiled by Christopher McDougall in Born to Run. He does not go as far as Christopher McDougall in attributing superhuman endurance to Tarahumara Indians but does admit they use their bodies far more fficiently during their runs (even though they seem to have a liking for diet cokes). Christopher McDougall's book led to an explosion in runners trying to run barefoot and emulate the Tarahumara Indians. As is the case with every running fad, the barefoot running movement has seriously wandered off course nowadays, providing a steady revenue stream to products like Vibram Five Fingers while providing little benefit to the runners themselves.
Other books for Reference:
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
The Lure of Long Distances: Why We Run - Robin Harvie
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir - Haruki Murakami
Reading articles on running seems easier than reading books about running. Running requires a clear mind and books generally are not conducive to clear thinking. This is an autobiographical account of Scott Jurek from his childhood to an accomplished Ultra marathoner. It takes the reader through some of the torturous running events Scott Jurek has won (Badwater, Western States 100, Spartathlon to name a few) while elaborating on the 2 things that stand out about him - his vegan diet and his obsession with running. His friend Dusty Olsen serves as his mentor (and sometimes pacer) with a taste for brutal feedback (not sure if I would continue to run a race if I had someone providing encouragements like Dusty does through this book). At the end of each chapter, Scott Jurek also provides answers to basic running questions (form, breathing, speed etc.,.). He also provides a vegan recipe specific to runners at the end of each chapter. The book also presents Scott Jurek's ideas on nutrition (good) and injury treatment (not good). Some of his suggestions about injury treatment will probably make scientists throw up their hands in frustration. There are places in the book where I can identify with his struggle to string some few good sessions of running. It also validates something I have convinced myself is true - to run somewhat long distances, you need a blank mind to start the run and then come up with as much distractions to overlook the fact of running(which is one reason lot of people run with their headphones on even though it is not advisable). Non runners might point out the idiocy of putting so much effort into starting and finishing at the same spot but the fun is in the journey between those spots.
Analysis:
I love running and I love eating. I am good at the latter but not that good in the former. Running does provide me an outlet like nothing else while being a way to burn away the excess food that I have eaten. I was on a vegetarian diet when I started running in high school and college. Running on a vegetarian diet did not seem to affect my stamina or speed (very slow to slow). It was not until I moved to US that I came across articles emphasizing meat as an easily accessible and an integral part of running life. After quite a few years of running on a meat diet, I realized meat diet only made running into a chore - part of it is the portion size in US is large enough that any kind of running is
a slog (the feeling was very similar to running with a heavy stone tied around my waist) and part of it is the very nature of meat available in US. After I cut out meat, running felt lighter and more joyful.
Marathons are 26.2 miles long. Ultra marathons are anything above that distance even though that term is usually reserved for much longer distances, 100 - 150 miles. Descriptions of injuries that Ultra marathoners face do not sound healthy - An example is Ultra marathoners tearing off their toenails to relieve pressure from blisters that occur with prolonged running. Because of the distance, Ultra marathons usually include running on trails and at night. Ultra marathoners are usually allowed to have support crews and pacers to keep from them from getting lost and take care of themselves under extremely stressful conditions.
Scott Jurek grew up in Minnesota, 150 miles from Minneapolis, as the eldest of 3 kids. His father worked 2 jobs to make ends meet - as a pipe fitter during the day and as a maintenance worker in a hospital at night. He grew up eating whatever was available nearby (meat, fish). Vegetables were present only as a side dish. His mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her 50's so he took over cooking and cleaning duties around the house. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure when he was 12 years old. At school, he joined the ski team and focused on building his endurance (on the advice of his ski coach). To that end, he ran wherever and whenever he could (to grocery store and back, to seasonal work and back etc.,.). As his skiing skills improved, his mother's health started deteriorating. Because he had become one of the top ranked junior skier in the state, he was selected to attend a ski camp for the best high school cross country skiers in Minnesota. It was there that he came across information on plant based diet and its benefits. Once he graduated from high school, he wanted to be a cross country skier and physical therapist. While he wanted to go to Ivy league schools, his family's financial condition meant he had to attend a local college, majoring in physical therapy. While in college, he got into a fight with his father and left his parents' home. He met Dusty Olsen and with him for company, ran and skied a lot. From being an activity to build endurance for cross country skiing, running became his primary sport. He entered local long distance races (marathons and 50 milers) and did well. He was convinced to give vegan diet a try by his girlfriend. Just like every runner, he worried about getting enough protein. Once he realized a meat based diet provides protein much more than can be handled by human body ('Alavukku meerinaal amirthamum nanju'), he was able to switch to a predominantly vegetarian diet. His complete conversion into a vegan came when he observed a sick old man at a hospital struggling to eat stale meat and potatoes provided by the hospital. His running became more pleasant the farther he got away from a meat based diet. While he is a serious vegan (no milk, no eggs, no meat), he is also clear that he will not hesitate to eat cheese if that is the only thing available before a race. He shares his research on better eating habits, training methods for long distances and yoga throughout the book. The description of his preparation for a race and running that race is very good.He also provides a list of books on running that others can learn from
1. Spontaneous healing by Andrew Weil
2. Running with whole body by Jack Heggie
3. Body, Mind and Sport by John Douillard
4. Running Wild! An extraordinary adventure of the Human spirit by John Annerino
5. Running and Being: The Total experience by George Sheehan
6. The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei by John Stevens
7. Ultramarathon by James Shapiro
The book also provides practical steps to address injuries during running. He follows a 4 step process:
1. Acknowledge the pain and feel the hurt
2. Evaluate the situation
3. Analyze how to improve the situation - Having been injured a few time while running, I am not sure this is how I respond after an injury
4. Separate the hows and whys and focus on running one step at a time
Some of his claims about his running methods sound crazy but that comes with the territory for an Ultra marathoner. There is a lot of self-reflection about losing his other runner friends,either because of fights or because of death. There is plenty of analysis on why obsessive people gravitate towards running. He is also very aware of Ultra running turning into an addiction - Research has shown that rats sometimes run themselves to death during experiments.
He was invited to visit the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico by their contact to the Western World, Caballo Blanco (White Horse/Micah True). Scott Jurek had come across the Tarahumara Indians when running Angeles Crest 100 Ultra marathon some years earlier. Tarahumara Indians run without much adornment favored by runners in the Western world - simple slippers (as compared to pricey running shoes that cause more injuries than prevent them). The runs done by Scott Jurek and other select runners from US with Tarahumara Indians was profiled by Christopher McDougall in Born to Run. He does not go as far as Christopher McDougall in attributing superhuman endurance to Tarahumara Indians but does admit they use their bodies far more fficiently during their runs (even though they seem to have a liking for diet cokes). Christopher McDougall's book led to an explosion in runners trying to run barefoot and emulate the Tarahumara Indians. As is the case with every running fad, the barefoot running movement has seriously wandered off course nowadays, providing a steady revenue stream to products like Vibram Five Fingers while providing little benefit to the runners themselves.
Other books for Reference:
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
The Lure of Long Distances: Why We Run - Robin Harvie
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir - Haruki Murakami
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