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First Marathons: Personal Encounters with the 26.2-Mile Monster
Introduction by Gail Waesche Kislevitz"If you have the passion, you have the power."I had already been pounding pavement for twenty-four years when I made the decision to run my first marathon. Growing up in the late sixties when women's sports was called cheerleading, I had no formal training in running techniques. I just ran, pure and simple. I ran for the joy ...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 1st 1999
by Breakaway Books
(first published 1998)
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I bought this book for my friend and I as an inspiring read before we did our first marathon together. She only read about 5 stories. I only got through 3/4 of the book. It was supposed to inspire us, however, it terrified us! Most of the stories talked about how grueling and painful running a marathon was... especially at mile 20! There was one story where the woman had a difficult time toward the end of her first marathon & after mile 20, she dedicated each of the remaining miles to someone. M...more
Unlike a training book by such athletes as Jeff Galloway or Hal Higdon, First Marathons offers no technical advice on running any distance, nor does it endorse any particular program or regimen. Instead, it is a collection of testimonials, stories of people and the events of their lives that led to their first 26.2-mile race.
The people chosen to tell their tale are extremely varied. From the overweight person who used running as a means to reclaim his good health, to the first pers...more
The people chosen to tell their tale are extremely varied. From the overweight person who used running as a means to reclaim his good health, to the first pers...more
I enjoyed reading the different points of view about first marathon experiences. I liked the variation between novice and elite runners. There were some common threads, but other things were different about the experiences. Sometimes the writing (or editing?) seemed a little choppy, but it didn't distract me too much, since it's a subject of high interest to me. I'm thinking about rereading it, now that I've actually signed up for a marathon.
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I enjoyed reading these first-time experiences! I liked the variation between novice and elite runners. There were some common threads, but other things were different about the experiences. Sometimes the writing (or editing?) seemed a little choppy, but it didn't distract me too much, since it's a subject of high interest to me. I signed up for my first marathon this week, and eventhough it isn't until November, this book was a good reminder that it's not too early to start getting ready for it...more
If there was a half-star option, I'd have given this book 2.5 stars. It was interesting to read the range of experiences with tackling a marathon, but the quality of writing was uneven and I didn't like the synopsis at the beginning of the accounts.
Makes me think back of when I ran my first (and only) marathon, San Francisco Marathon, 1986. I was only 20. Reading about how others experienced their first was enlightening, and encouraging, and makes me want to run another marathon, now 24 years later. I always think how much training it takes, but as the author noted, "It's the day you can always look back on when you need a lift."
Dated. Worth looking through, maybe, but not for reading cover to cover (like I did).
Disappointing. Was really excited about this book and wanted it to be so inspiring. As a rule, though, the writing was poor. Most of the stories were either sickeningly sweet or just plain annoying. Best part about reading it for me was that I knew I could write a better first marathon story. Worst part was that it made me fear that the whole running/writing genre must be REALLY hard to get right. I have yet to read a non-fiction account of a running struggle that I thought was good. Can I re...more
I bought this book 10-12 years ago when I really really wanted to run a marathon. I tried to get into the St. George Marathon and didn't make the lottery - twice. Right now I have no desire to do such a thing to myself. This book is really fun though because there are stories that have made me laugh and some had made me cry. I like it so far because it reminds me to be my best self. It is inspirational becaue the common thread between the stories is that they all wanted to be better - a bet...more
Very inspiring but pretty old stuff.
If you are preparing for your first marathon, this is a great book to read in the weeks leading up to the race. It really helped to calm my nerves before the 26.2 "monster" and to be realistic about what to expect during the race - hitting the "wall", pain, muscle cramps, etc.
I was of course interested in this book because I'm training for my first marathon. It was a very entertaining compilation of stories covering many decades and some good training tips from renowned coaches.
A collection of stories, from the elite competitors to the every day runners, that share both the universal themes, and the unique experiences of each race.
Great stories, it's nice because you can read one person's story and put it down, you don't have to read it cover to cover but it's worth it if you do.
Check out my review at http://bookaweekwithjen.blogspot.com/200...
pretty motivational if you are thinking of running your first marathon
just fascinating to read about others' experiences running their first marathon
Sure, it's cheesy, but so inspiring!
Writing is okay, but the stories are really great.
Very inspirational!
Kristen
marked it as to-read
Janie Powell
marked it as to-read
Penny Fox
marked it as to-read
Ruth
is currently reading it
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