I first became aware of Matt Long's story through a Runner's World article. The article was several chapters of his book about his recovery from being hit and run over by a city bus - and his desire to try to run a marathon again (when his doctors told him he may not walk). I immediately put it on my to read list.

This was a very good story. Matt Long was a firefighter in NYC who was at 9/11, who has represented the city for the FDNY. He was an unstoppable athlete - running marathons and completing triathlons in times that I can't even dream of. All of that changed during a public transit strike in 2003, which forced him to ride his bike to work. On the way to work, he was plowed by a chartered bus taking an illegal right turn.

The resulting damage was difficult to comprehend. Suffice it to say that he had a 5% chance of survival, and even if he did survive, it was unlikely that he would be "whole" again. what I found most intriguing about the book was how open he was to discuss his fears - his struggles with living a lower quality of life. I was especially impacted by how he could not view his life with a colostomy bag, and how it embarrassed him to the point where he started avoiding family and friends. He also talked about physical therapy sessions that he had to do that were terribly embarrassing, and yet he had a drive that was almost unstoppable, and a desire to get his life back and fight again that was moving.

It was an inspiring book to read, and will definitely drive me on during my own runs.

Oh, and his Mom is a great lady. How could she not be, with a name like Eileen Doughtery?