Thursday, July 10, 2008

Wait for the Movie

Looking for the Davey Tree/United Way race results? The Viper's helpful post is here.
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Bart Yasso has been a great ambassador to the sport of running. He has run in some amazing places and has had some great adventures. He started his own race. He devised his own simple, yet effective, marathon prediction workout. He is not an elite runner, though he has won a marathon. He has staved off Lyme Disease and overcome drug addiction.

Yasso's reasons for running are probably similar to yours. He seems like one of us. So when I got his book, My Life on the Run, I really wanted to like it, but it was just OK.

The first and largest section of My Life on the Run serves as a memoir and recounts Yasso's running adventures. Parts of this section were excerpted in the June issue of Runner's World. That preview was akin to the movie trailer that ruins most of the good jokes of a comedy.

You get the Badwater experience, the naked race, the donkey dash and the rhino encounter. Sounds exciting! And it is, on the surface, but don't expect much more than reportage from this book. While these running adventures are amusing to read, there isn't much substance to the passages. If you're expecting philosophical insights, go read George Sheehan.

The second section of the book is something I can really do without: page after page of training schedules. I should expect this from Rodale, which also publishes Runner's World, but training principles are not why I wanted to read this book.

Granted, more explanation on "Yasso 800s" and the "Perfect 10" schedule (based on a 10-day cycle, instead of seven days) would have been fine since these are Yasso's principles, but then Yasso essentially writes, If this plan isn't for you, here are some more traditional training schedules. Which, by the by, you can find anywhere else.

The final section of the book is a brief description of Yasso's "can't miss" races. Frankly, I only flipped through this section, as I currently have no plans to race outside Ohio. When I have the time and money to take my running on the road, I'll revisit these recommendations. Meanwhile, Yasso ought to check out the Akron Marathon.

My Life on the Run is an amusing and fast read. Yasso's running life is well-reported, but left un-excavated. It's the type of book that would be perfectly at home in your bathroom.

Viper's Quick Review: Dust off your library card.

Next planned pick-ups: Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis; All the Way Home by David Giffels.

11 comments:

Razz said...

Good to know. I hope there are a lot of pictures in the other books. Either that, or something better pop up.

Nitmos said...

What was Yasso doing naked with a donkey? Was he the guy in Clerks II?

Thanks for the review. I do not have a library card so it will not be read.

Ian said...

I hate it when I go see a comedy and discover that all the best jokes have been shown in the trailers.

C said...

Thanks for the review. All the Way Home looks really good. I look forward to your comments.

FYI--Thanks to you I've had Blondie songs stuck in my head all day. I think my ears are bleeding...

P.S.--You have a mislink on the Akron Marathon. I'll shut up now.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, I was just about to read that. Now that I know it's a "meh" I can put it down the list a bit ;-).

B. Kramer said...

You're welcome, twice.

Thanks for the head's up. Link is fixed.

S said...

All the Way Home is currently number 23 on my list of books I eventually plan to read (I sadly actually have a list)...you'll have to let me know if I should bump it up.

Marcy said...

Thanks for the review, homes!

And while we're talking about Rodale, could they PLEASE STOP CALLING MY HOUSE! YES I subscribe to RW but NO I don't want you're damn books already! If I did I'd go to the BS to buy them! Thanks I needed to get that off my chest LOL

Steve Stenzel said...

Nice. Thanks for the review...

Laura said...

Did this just come out? You're the third blog in the last week I've seen reviewing it... I definitely have got to get my hands on a copy so I can be the fourth instead of the 29349082346th.

rundangerously said...

great review!

for another running book, i have "what i talk about when i talk about running," by haruki murakami on my "to read" list. it s/be released on 7/29.