I have two very different responses to this book: my immediate emotional response and my later critical response.
1: I loved every page and was post-it noting (could we please make that a verb?) way more than I anticipated. It made me want to run better and have more fun with it. It made me re-think why I run. It made me LOVE the fact that there are people in the world who just...who just run. And it was SO much more than a running book. It was a fascinating anthropologic study, it was insightful into the human spirit, and it was very journalistic, which is exactly what a book about running should be. There were no long-winded technical chapters describing the mechanics of running, or perhaps there were but they were so well disguised by fantastic writing that I didn't even notice. Just fabulous.
Then, I thought more about it, and here is what I have determined:
2: While the book is inspiring, interesting, and really a delicious read, there were a lot of characters, a lack of continuity and maybe a bit too much anti-shoe preaching for a non-runner. There were a few spots where I felt the need to follow up on the research because it seemed a bit far-fetched/colored to fit the belief system of the writer.
So, depending on if you'd like to wear your happy pants or grumpy pants during a read of this book, there you go. Two pair of pants.
I just finished the book this morning and I loved it. I didn't expect to, but it was completely fascinating. There were a lot of characters, a lot of --sometimes too long--tangents, and who knows if the barefoot thing is all its cracked up to be. All I know is that if it weren't snowing right this moment outside my window, well, my barefeet would be making contact with some genuine provo concrete.
ReplyDeleteMeg - Post-it noting is officially a verb. I like it. I also love the two pair of pants look at the book. I have to admit I'm not as far as I'd like to be, but you are right - it's totally fascinating.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jenny - how did you get through this book and do stats?! Crazy lady. I'm up for a barefoot run :)