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HomeShop at BookSurgeHistoryMilitaryWorld War IUltrarunning: My Story |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 16 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Running to spirituality Jan 02, 2008
By J. Doggett
A truly enjoyable and at times profound read. As a fellow ultrarunner, I found the parallels between the author's life and my own to be somewhat startling. In fact we unknowingly intersected at his last 100 miler, and my first, with finishes within 5 minutes of one another.
What I appreciate most about Mike's story is the transparent way in which he exposes his own search for spiritual meaning. The supremely difficult struggle to unmask himself, to lose his pretensions and all the false ideas embedded within, is both mirrored and aided by the enormous effort required to complete ultras. This kind of extreme physical endurance lends itself very well to spiritual enlightenment - if one is paying attention. Mike is paying attention, and the result is not a grim struggle for success, as you might expect, so much as it is a joyful acquisition of genuine self knowledge. There is no better gift.
In my opinion this is a far better book than those offered by some of the other "superstars" of ultrarunning, such as Karnazes and Reed (though these are worth reading too). Mike is one of us, the huge majority of mid and back of the pack runners, but he is one of the top leaders in the race for the soul.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Awesome Sep 02, 2007
By Dixton
For those of us desk jockeys who long for something bigger and better in life -- something more meaningful than shuffling paper, answering the phone and fending off email -- this is one man's unusual and inspiring struggle to take the bull by the horns and do something about it. This book serves as a valuable layman's guide and experiential reference manual of what to expect should we decide to "go the distance." The lure of the book's message is made all the more compelling by the reader's easy identification with the writer - Mike is getting on in years, at the back of the pack; he is one of us. In addition to the physical dimensions of training, nutrition, clothing, gear, mental preparation and hands-on ultra racing experience, this book sets itself apart with original insights on the mental and spiritual expansion experienced by ultra runners and the unexpected renewal of life's lost magic in our post industrial age.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 A Disappointment Jul 03, 2010
By KDog
The author may have been successful on Wall Street, but a writer he's not. I'll read just about any running book that I can get my hands on, but almost didn't bother finishing this one. The writing is dry and uninspired, and it lacks a compelling story or useful advice.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A Great Book on Running Long Sep 04, 2007
By Earl S. Downing
"Ultrarunning: My Story" is, among many other things, a great step by step guide to attaining the depth of meaning and experience inherent in running longer distances off-road. It is also exceedingly well-written, highly entertaining, and consistently hilarious. This guy Bouscaren is one to identify with, an ex-linebacker, a far cry from the archetypal stick and weed-eating ultra-marathoner. He really shows how accessible the joy and exhilaration of going long can be to shorter-distance week-end road runners. A great read.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Great Stories, Not educational Mar 31, 2010
By Jamie P. Tierney
"Jamie"
I enjoyed reading Mike's book. It was a collection of stories from his zen like search for self discovery and the quest to become an ultra-runner. In the process Mike discovers it is not the goal but the process that he was seeking.
If you want to learn something about running technique or advice on how to become an ultra runner, then KEEP MOVING.
If you want Once a Runner meets Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance then pony up.
Oh yeah and my non professional medical advice is defiantly do not eat Ibuprofen like MM's like the author does, it is generally not good for your overall health.
See all 16 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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