Customer Reviews

The Quotable Runner: Great Moments of Wisdom, Inspiration, Wrongheadedness, and Humor

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Quotable Runner: Great Moments of Wisdom, Inspiration, Wrongheadedness, and Humor" is a gift book, but for the runner, it is a fun gift.

Runners aren't known for effusive Knute Rockne sorts of locker room speeches, or Yogi Berra witticisms, but, as seen here, they should be.

Quoted here are great runners and writers about running, from Shakespeare to high school mile record holder, Alan Webb.

Read what Lasse Viren, Emil Zatopek, Bill Bowerman, and Steve Prefontaine all had to say.

Readers of "Runner's World" may know many of these names, but there are some unexpected voices. Oprah Winfrey is there more than once, including, "I'm never going to run another marathon."

There's honesty. Distance star Rob de Castella on marathoning, "If you feel bad after 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."

There's wit. Don Kardong frankly said about registering a race with hills, "You entered a marathon with hills? You idiot."

Then there is the curious odd quotes. Finland's great Olympic marathoner, Lasse Viren enthusiastically revealed his secret to racing success, "Reindeer milk!" Whatever might be dubious about Viren's claim is difficult to argue. Viren won four gold medals.

A treat at the end is a few lines on each person quoted, a sort of mini-bio. I enjoyed learning the new names, and accomplishments of those quoted.

I fully recommend, "The Quotable Runner." It'll put a spark in your day as you head out on the lonely road on runners know.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

If your a runner...and even if you're not this book will inspire you to do things that you never thought possible. It will help you make goals...and then gradually surpass them. This book describes running as more than just a sport, but a way of life. Thumbs up to Mark Will-Weber on putting together a book that defines the greatest past-time in the world.

I just finished this book and it has been such an inspiration!! It is boiling over with insight and wisdom about what we all feel as runners. It touches the human spirit in the struggles and triumphs related to the experience of running and everyday life. Each chapter is filled with quotes from famous runners about such subjects as: The Starting Line, Coaches, Training, Fear, Racing, Hills, The Marathon, The Mile, Mind Over Matter, Pain, The Olympics, The Finish Line, Victories and Defeats. This book really captures the SOUL of running!

This book was given to me by a training partner a few days before my first marathon. Just flipping through the book, I found quote after quote that I connected with. Others gave me great inspiration. They were so good, I decided to read the book from cover to cover and couldn't put the book down. I love Mark's comentary on each subject "Training", "Coaches", "Fear", "Pain", "The Marathon". I want to stock up on this book so I can give it as gifts to my running friends!

So I'll let you fill in the activity that might require 5-10 minutes of reading time, but more seriously, the quotes in here are great. Some are inspirational, some are funny, some just get you thinking.

My favorite quote was; "So you signed up to run a marathon with hills? You idiot."

On the downside, not everything is as worthwhile. There are great quotes in here, but there are also some that aren't that great. But then again, maybe they resonate with other folks so don't just take my opinion of them.

Worth picking up and reading a bit at a time. You could even read one quote a day if you wanted - there's no reason to rush through it - although a couple of quotes are linked subtlety by their placement, and you'd miss the humor created by the author if you didn't catch the relationship by reading them several days apart.

I love to run and have the tendancy to run to much for the week. Spending a couple minutes flipping through this book to catch a couple quotes makes me want to get out there and run another 5 miles.

Good quotes both short and long. Took this book to Basic Military Training with me so I have an extra soft spot for it. Helped me get through the 8 weeks.

A beautiful collection of runners' quotes - and a terrific resource for bloggers wanting to share quotes with their readers. A nice gift idea...

The Quotable Runner is not just a book; it's like having a knowledgable running companion on call 24/7. The book was a fun read and easy to stop then pick up again when I had a chance. I took the book with me everywhere I went so I wouldn't miss an opportunity to read a few pages when I had some down time.

As someone who enjoys-but struggles with-running, I drew a great deal of inspiration from this little treasure trove of quotes. I love to hear about the experiences of more seasoned runners. Gaining insight as to what makes them tick and keeps them going helps to keep me going full steam ahead!

My thanks to Mark Will-Weber for this inspirational little book :)

I gave this book to my son, he enjoyed it! He was always quoting runners before, one quote at a time, now he has a book full of quotes, and it has also given him ideas about other books to read based on some of the quotes. The section on cross country was favorite.

This is a great book written by a great guy. I should know, Mark Will-Weber was my college track coach. A very insightful book, The Quoteable Runner would make a great gift for someone else or for yourself. Read and Enjoy!!!