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136 reviews for:
My Year of Running Dangerously: A Dad, a Daughter, and a Ridiculous Plan
Tom Foreman
4.07 AVERAGE
136 reviews for:
My Year of Running Dangerously: A Dad, a Daughter, and a Ridiculous Plan
Tom Foreman
4.07 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Today, I toe the line to run my first ever Ultra, so what better way to celebrate the occasion than by writing a Goodreads review of a book about running an ultra, right? I need help...
Running is a bit of a weird sport. Trail running even more so. Long distance trail races above marathon distance? Well, let’s just say that in mathematical terms, weirdness is directly proportional to distance. Cue the “Stranger Things” opening music.
True story: two weeks ago I ran the NYC half, and with just minutes left before the gun going off signaling the start, runners were scrambling to use the legions of port-a-johns scattered around Prospect Park for a last minute “shake”. Problem was, the lines were massive. No problem, actually. Just behind the line of port-a-johns was a small wooded area being used as an impromptu “outdoor relief area”. Very visible. Mostly men. Myself included. Now, imagine my surprise when while I’m still “going” I see a young woman walk four feet to my right, say “hi!”, and immediately squat down to handle her business. No way she was going to miss the gun and start in a later wave, like some loser! Priorities...No shame between runners.
Tom Foreman’s account of his training and eventual fall to the seductions of “the distance” are accurate, poignant, and often very funny. It captures the essence of the sport and its peculiar crowd perfectly, without overselling it. Matter of fact, if you read between the lines, it’s kind of a warning. The work and family drama, the craziness, the struggle, it’s all told in a very honest voice. He comes across as an awesome dad, too.
My second favorite running book ever, right behind McDougall’s “Born to Run”. Highly recommended.
UPDATE:
Dit it! 6 hours and 30 mins later...
Running is a bit of a weird sport. Trail running even more so. Long distance trail races above marathon distance? Well, let’s just say that in mathematical terms, weirdness is directly proportional to distance. Cue the “Stranger Things” opening music.
True story: two weeks ago I ran the NYC half, and with just minutes left before the gun going off signaling the start, runners were scrambling to use the legions of port-a-johns scattered around Prospect Park for a last minute “shake”. Problem was, the lines were massive. No problem, actually. Just behind the line of port-a-johns was a small wooded area being used as an impromptu “outdoor relief area”. Very visible. Mostly men. Myself included. Now, imagine my surprise when while I’m still “going” I see a young woman walk four feet to my right, say “hi!”, and immediately squat down to handle her business. No way she was going to miss the gun and start in a later wave, like some loser! Priorities...No shame between runners.
Tom Foreman’s account of his training and eventual fall to the seductions of “the distance” are accurate, poignant, and often very funny. It captures the essence of the sport and its peculiar crowd perfectly, without overselling it. Matter of fact, if you read between the lines, it’s kind of a warning. The work and family drama, the craziness, the struggle, it’s all told in a very honest voice. He comes across as an awesome dad, too.
My second favorite running book ever, right behind McDougall’s “Born to Run”. Highly recommended.
UPDATE:
Dit it! 6 hours and 30 mins later...
Even though running isn't my thing per se, I really enjoyed this book for the personal narrative and hero's journey story arc. For a book that is about running, it's not just about that and I really enjoyed reading this.
CNN correspondent Tom Foreman is asked by his college-aged daughter to train for a marathon with her. This starts a yearlong journey into running that starts with a marathon and continues through his first ultra marathon. Notice I said *first* ultra marathon. Spoiler alert-he kept running. This was a fun look into the life of a couch potato turned serious runner. From meanderings on frozen hills and upclose encounters with Mother Nature, Tom gives a humorous and endearing account of a wild, emotional year. But hidden beneath the sports drinks and magic beans, it's a sweet story of a man discovering something that he's lost and the family that cheered him along the way. I was rooting for him, too! It's a sweet, funny book that has me tempted to lace up my running shoes.
I listened to the audiobook and Tom Foreman was phenomenal. I highly, highly recommend that you experience the book through his voice.
I listened to the audiobook and Tom Foreman was phenomenal. I highly, highly recommend that you experience the book through his voice.
Ended up not finishing this one. I was listening to it on my runs, which I thought would be inspiring. But, I was bored with it overall and not impressed with the author's continual attempts at humor, relying on broad generalizations and stereotypes. No thanks.
This book is dangerous to those of us who are easily influenced by the ideas of others. I'm all "yeah, I run but I don't really see the need to run for more than about 2 hours at a time," and pretty happy with living my life that way, then along comes this entertaining book and suddenly I'm "hey, I should run an ultra-marathon. I wonder if any are held close to where I live." It's not that he spares details on the injuries and difficulties he experiences, so it must be something else. The description of what he got out of running so much? The humor of his storytelling? His enthusiasm for running? Anyway, so now there's the seed of an idea that I should skip right past marathon and see about a 50 mile all-day run. Maybe my already extant plan to run a Tough Mudder with my daughter in a few years (she's working her way up to half-marathon distance. Also, it wasn't *my* plan... entirely hers. She just expects that I'll run it with her, so I guess I will) will be enough to quench this new ultra-marathon desire. Or teach me that I can go do that ultra-thing.
In summary: very entertaining. It's probably better if you already run, so you can recognize some of the things he experiences, but I think he puts them all out there in a way that anyone can relate to.
In summary: very entertaining. It's probably better if you already run, so you can recognize some of the things he experiences, but I think he puts them all out there in a way that anyone can relate to.
That was kind of inspiring. I will never run an ultra but it is enough to encourage me to do a 5k soonish.
This was a fun read. I listened to the audio book. The author did the narration, which I always enjoy. You can tell from his narration that he's a journalist. This isn't good or bad - just a little less emotional and more punchy than most audio books. Provides motivation for middle of the pack runners without being too overzealous. He managed to make me chuckle a couple of times, which isn't easy to do when I'm reading about running. Didn't necessarily make me want to go out and run an ultra, but still provided motivation for the level of running I'm doing. I enjoyed the weaving in of his wife and children and how they all dealt with his mild obsession together.
I had this on my want to read list for ages and just never found a time for it. I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me. If you're looking for inspiration or need some motivation for a race, this is likely a great book. If you're looking for entertainment, maybe look for a different read. The book is pretty much a dad joke in novel form with some wisdom sprinkled in for good measure. Based on the reviews, I think most find the book inspiring and that is a completely reasonable takeaway. I unfortunately couldn't focus on much beyond the author's selfishness for most of the story.