Run to Win

Once a Runner will officially be released in the 2^nd quarter of next year, and runners have been waiting for years for the book to be printed again. For a (very) limited time you can get an early copy of the book at the Maine Running Company, as a case of the books has arrived in stock.

If you want to pick up a copy, I recommend that you don’t wait to get over there and buy one. I don’t expect them to last very long.

Patrick Mouser created a series of trailers for the film version of Once a Runner as a design project, but unfortunately they aren’t based on a real film. As John Parker said when he spoke at the Maine Running Company last year, the easiest money he ever made was selling the film rights to the movie every time they expired because nobody ever got around to making it:

This week last year ranged from humorous to serious as I discussed topics ranging from cartoons to hospitals.

• In the training tips department, I wrote about training options while on the road. There are a lot of different ways to stay in shape even if you travel regularly, and this article pointed at some different ways to stay fit in your hotel room, the hotel fitness center or a local gym, or by heading outside.
• I make no bones about my abhorrence to caffeine, but I can still joke about it. I found a great webcomic strip that helps you to learn how to quit drinking caffeine. It gave me a good chuckle.
• In local news, cyclists received the protection of some new laws here in Maine by allowing motor vehicles to cross a solid yellow line when passing a cyclist, requiring at least 3 feet of clearance before passing, and by not allowing teenagers to use their cell phones while driving. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference on the streets over the past year, however. In other local news, Team competition returned to the Eliot 5k. Eliot used to be the largest 5k in Maine, and annually draws an extremely competitive local field. This year’s race (which is a week from today) should be no different.
• Also in the news, John L Parker, Jr had a heart attack and spent the next few months recovering. His health has since improved and he is doing quite well as of the last that I heard some months ago.
• This week 2 years ago, I created a video demonstration of how to tie your shoes with a runner’s knot so that they do not come untied. I also listed a few exercise related How-To articles and also reviewed Chariots of Fire, which must be the most well known running movie ever made. Dean Karnazes began the Endurance 50 and ran his first of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. I began to mix up my pushups with medicine balls to give myself a little extra challenge, and I also offered a race tip about running first thing the morning before a race to properly loosen up your body.
• This week 3 years ago, I climbed Mount Washington and I wrote about proper gym etiquette.

This week last year, there was a good mix of running tips and running news.

• The first running tip that I offered was how to drink water during a race, with practical tips to keep you from having to slow down and to make sure you don’t try to drown yourself.
• The second tip that I offered last year was to warm up in spare clothes before a race. Getting your racing clothes soaked or sweaty before a race can be aggravating, so having a spare set of clothing to change out of before the race (and, for that matter, into after the race) can make you much more comfortable.
• I asked the question, “Dean Karnazes. That I was asking this question a year ago is rather appropriate, given that his new book is set to be published in another week or two.
• In running news, Jeremy Wariner set a 400m record and won a diamond at a meet in Stockholm with a time of 43.5 seconds.
• In fake running news, a graphic design student created a movie trailer for Once a Runner, which is one of the best fictional running books in the sport.
• This week two years ago, I was busy getting ready to get married but the site kept ticking over with interesting things to read.
  • I explained the difference between RICE and RID and why either method is a good way to treat your injuries. I have since learned that using anti-inflammatories can be counter productive.
  • Over in the UK, cross country running was declared a brand of abuse and was equated with bullying. It still seems a little ridiculous to myself.
  • The first half of my Shoe Maintenance Series went live while I was busy getting ready to be married. I introduced the series, and then offered up a central theme in the tips which is to keep your shoes dry when you are not wearing them. How you keep them dry is important, as well, which is why I continued on the second day by explaining how effective pulling out insoles can be and why you should remove rocks and mud after your run. The next day was the wedding itself, and then on Sunday there was one tip where I explained what to do if your shoes are sopping wet.
• This week 3 years ago, at the world championships in Helsinki, Kenenisa Bekele won the 10,000m, Bershawn Jackson won the 400m hurdles, and the United States took the top 4 in the 200 meters final. I also reviewed my casio wristwatch and the book, Run Fast: How to beat your best time every time.

Topics this week last year were dominated by the Beach to Beacon.

• I started the week off by offering 4 ways to determine the length of a pool in response to a reader question on the matter.
• Maine Running Company hosted a talk by John L Parker, Jr. where he discussed his history as a runner and as a speaker. He read the first chapter of his as yet unpublished sequel to Once a Runner.
• The rest of the week was all about the B2B. First, it was announced that everybody would have a chance to run with the elites at the Back Cove race following the Beach to Beacon. There was also an interview between Joan Samuelson and Dave McGillivray published on the B2B site that offered some insights into the founding of the race. I offered up a few tips about running the race and provided a breakdown of the results after it was over.
• This week two years ago, I discussed why it is important to hydrate yourself after a race as well as before and during the race and I went into quite a bit of detail after being asked, “What is a taper?” I wrote a review of the movie Running on the Sun, about the Badwater ultramarathon.

My copy of Again to Carthage arrived this week, so I gave it a read through. It is a very different book than Once a Runner. You can read and enjoy Carthage without having read the first book, (which is good as it still costs in the hundreds of dollars,) and fans of the first book will certainly appreciate all of the references that are made. The sequel is much less about running and living, and instead concentrates on an older protagonist going through a mid-life crisis. The running seems secondary rather than central to the sequel, and does not take a central role in the book until more than halfway through it.

A lot of people die in this book, and it seems to be a central theme that propels Quentin Cassidy into his quest for the Olympic Marathon. Not all of the deaths seemed necessary, either.

Not quite as much time is spent on his actual training in Carthage; an entire year is skipped from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next. There is a more serious but just as comical “court” scene in the book, and it was interesting to find the different stories woven throughout that John Parker had told about his own life when he spoke at Maine Running Company this Summer.
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As the price of Once a Runner soars up near $500 for a used copy, the release date for Again to Carthage approaches at the end of November. The official publication date for Again to Carthage is November 26, 2007. I am not sure when Once a Runner will be republished, but John had said that it would be early next year around the same time that the sequel was published.

Amazon currently has a pre-order special where you can purchase the book at a discount plus get an additional 5% off once the book is placed into your cart. I pre-ordered my copy this morning. The cover price for the book is $23.95, and Amazon currently has it listed at $16.29 (see the ad to the right for the latest price as you view this article.) An additional 5% discount brings the total price for the book down to $15.48.

I thought that that was certainly a worthwhile price for the book. I have been looking forward to the publication of it since I got to listen to John Parker read the first chapter at Maine Running Company this Summer.

Are you interested in owning an advance copy of Again to Carthage, the sequel to Once a Runner?

Again to Carthage is scheduled to be published early next year, but John Parker is auctioning an advance copy of the book off for charity. After suffering from a heart attack (which was actually myocarditis and not a heart attack,) he wants to give a little something back to the website that was used to keep his friends and fans updated as to his progress.

Although he does not really remember much about what has happened over the last 3 months, John Parker spoke at the Maine Running Company at the beginning of August and read the first chapter of Again to Carthage to the attending crowd.

As soon as the book is published (and Once a Runner is republished,) I plan on purchasing a copy. I bid in the auction, but was quickly outbid by others.

All of the money raised in the auction (which is currently at $301) will go to the Caring Bridge website. You can view the auction details by clicking here.

Update: The book sold for $580.

What is myocarditis, and how is it different from a heart attack? As a runner, do I need to worry about it? These are a few questions that went through my head recently after what happened to John Parker. He was reported to have had a heart attack, but that was not actually the case. In a recent update on his caring bridge site (see journal entry dated 10/13/2007 04:39 PM CDT), John wrote the following:
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