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A review by mainon
Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr.
4.0
This took me awhile to get through. Maybe because I'm not really a runner myself, the apparently inherent tension between the pain of training and the joy of running (or winning?) wasn't really exciting enough in and of itself to draw me in. The first half of the book seemed to me mostly a combination of discussions of the physical and technical aspects of distance runners' training, interspersed with reflections on the emotional and psychological makeup of those who decide to do it.
About halfway through, though, the plot developed some external, event-driven tension, and I found myself really rooting for the main character, even through all the endless descriptions of different tracks, times, speeds, training schedules, intervals, etc. I gave this four stars because at the end, I felt really satisfied with the story, and even felt myself itching to start running a little bit.
About halfway through, though, the plot developed some external, event-driven tension, and I found myself really rooting for the main character, even through all the endless descriptions of different tracks, times, speeds, training schedules, intervals, etc. I gave this four stars because at the end, I felt really satisfied with the story, and even felt myself itching to start running a little bit.