40 Days Book Review and Book Give Away

About two weeks ago I was given the opportunity by Steven Cannon to read his book. The first thing you should know about me is I am not a big reader. I am very picky when it comes to what book I want to read, but for some reason I jumped at the offer. I am glad I did because this book has changed my outlook on not only running but in life itself.

The story is about Steve's journey as he runs around Lake Michigan while raising money for the Liverstrong Foundation. Yes, you read that right. He ran around Lake Michigan... all 1037 miles of it. Not only did Steve run around the lake but he did it in 40 days, which means he completed a marathon a day for those 40 days. The book is so much more then just a man running around a lake. Steve not only lets you into his world as he attempts this monumental feat, but he shares the stories of many of the cancer fighters in which he is running for. This book was a roller coaster of a ride for me. At times I was shaking my head thinking I have been there before (the trials of running long distance) and at other times I was tearing up hearing the cancer stories.

This book is so well written and at times I honestly felt that I was right there on the road running with Steve. I would picture the lake in my head and see the road or trail in my mind. I would see Steve's friend waiting for him in the RV to end the day.

One thing this book did for me was it made me look at life different. Throughout the book Steve keeps telling you that all you need to do is take the first step. The first step could be your chance to do what you once only dreamed of. Before I read this book I was questioning myself on if I could really PR my half marathon time this year. Now I know I will and I owe that to Steve. I am not going to sit on the sidelines and let what I thought was possible pass me by. The past two weeks during my training, any time I felt tired or wanted to give up I thought of Steve on the road doing 40 marathons in 40 days. He knew it would be hard and he knew there would be moments that would test him both mentally and physically, but he never gave up. This book is great if you are a runner, but it is just as good if you aren't. The running is just a small portion of what I took from it. This book is about seeing yourself doing something and actually seeing it through.

I rate this book a 10 out of 10, a must read.

Steve has offered to give away 2 Ebooks too 2 of my readers. So to be entered in a random drawing for the book all you have to do is comment on this post with your email, or email me at byrne1324@yahoo.com and let me know you wanted entered, or lastly leave your email on my facebook post for this blog post. Whatever way is easier for you.  You have till Sunday night at midnight to get entered and I will contact the winners on Monday. Good luck and if you don't win I highly suggest purchasing this book.

Run Around The Square Recap

RUN AROUND THE SQUARE

WHERE: Regent Square, Pittsburgh

DATE: Aug. 22nd

SWAG:

 100% Polyester T-Shirt.  Actually I am a big fan of this shirt. It is very comfortable and it's nice to get a shirt that isn't a tech shirt for once. I will be honest though a few years ago the shirts used to be long sleeve cotton T's and I was a huge fan of those. I guess I cant really complain though since this one is pretty nice.







I am going to break this recap down into 3 parts; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

let's start with the Good:
This race is one of the biggest "local" races in Pittsburgh and sells out every year. The course may only be 3.1 miles but has entertainment along the course, and a beer and champagne stop along the course.  The post race party has free beer and free hot dogs since the main sponsor is D's Six Pack.

The Bad:
For me the bad would be the course, I love it because you get to start on the roads and then go onto the trails for bit before exiting back onto the road and then reentering the trails for the final stretch. However the first mile is on a brick road that is very uneven, if you do not watch your footing you can really hurt yourself. Last year I witnessed a friend roll his ankle and this year I felt my feet slide as I rounded a corner that was filled with leaves. Once on the trail you then stand a chance of getting stuck behind slower runners and passing can be very difficult.

The Ugly:
Post race I was talking to a few female friends who informed me that they were anxious to see where they placed in the heavyweight division for females. I asked what the weight was to make a female considered a heavyweight since I didn't think either of them would qualify for that. They informed me that it was 140 lbs. for females. It is 200 lbs. for males.  Here is my problem with this, I don't consider 140 to be heavyweight in fact I am against the whole idea of a heavyweight division. One thing I have learned about running is people who are bigger can still run, and some can run a decent speed. I feel like telling a girl who is 142 lbs. that she is considered a heavyweight is not only wrong but it sends the wrong message to younger girls.

MY RACE:
I got to the starting line pretty early so I could stretch and do a warm up run, unfortunately I kept running into people and would start talking so there was little warm up done. I lined up about 10 rows back with my friend Donnie and Pat. The gun sounded and we were off, Pat took off as I expected since he usually finishes in the top few people. I thought I saw Donnie shoot out but he later told me that he stayed behind me, so I have no clue who I was trying to catch the first mile. We went through the first mile just under 7 minutes. The second mile we slowed down due to some hills. As we hit the first water stop I pulled off to take a drink. I always have problems with running and drinking so I just step off to the side and take a swig then go on my way again. Once on the street I caught up to Donnie who passed me at the water stop. We were just about to head back onto the trail when I had to stop and tie my shoe. As I started to run I felt my calf get a little tight. I knew all I had to do was get up a hill and then it would be all down hill for the last mile.  Every step I took my leg seemed to get looser and I was able to finish strong. I did get bottlenecked at times and it made it very hard to pass. One thing I always say is don't do this race for time. Do it for the atmosphere and the awesome people. If you have never ran this race, you need to make sure that it is on your list for next year.

McFarland Review

Tuesday February 17th I was able to see a sneak preview of the movie McFarland. The Steel City Road Runners Club gave out tickets on their Saturday run that I took part in. I was really pumped to see this movie. Ever since I saw the preview I wanted to check it out. It was nice because the theatre was not crowded at all, and I got to see some of my other running friends. I thought I would give you all my review of the movie, in hopes to give you a better idea of what the movie is about and if it worth your time to go check it out.

THE PLOT: Based on the true story, Kevin Costner plays Jim White a former Football coached who is forced to take a job in the small, mainly Hispanic community of McFarland, California. While teaching Phys. Ed. Class White notices that some of his students are particularly fast. After some convincing he is able to get 7 of them to commit to starting a cross country team. Besides dealing with no experience of running White also has to deal with the students working in the fields to help their families survive. White is able to turn the group of talented young men into champions, and leaves behind a legacy that is still holding true today.

NOTES ABOUT MOVIE: The movie was partially filmed in the town of McFarland.

Three of the main actors were actually guys from the town of McFarland, and this was their first film.

In the movie it never says any of the rival schools runner’s names, but apparently there was a few runners that went on to have really good running careers.


MY REVIEW: First I will say I think Disney always does a great job with any sport movie they make and this one was no different. From start to finish I was interested in the movie, and never found my mind starting to drift away from the film. The movie had just the right amount of humor to add to the drama. The film may have been predictable to some degree, but at no point was I upset about the outcome. Like any movie there is a few unpredictable parts that make it great. Besides the running aspect the film teaches some valuable lessons, never judge a book by its cover, believe in yourself and the people around you, and sometimes you can find happiness in the least expected place. On a scale of 1-10, I am going to give this movie an 8. I highly recommend you go check it out, and as I found out from taking Amanda with me, you don’t need to be a runner to enjoy this film.