"Once a Runner" Book Review

Joey:

We are going to do a book review on the book "Again to Carthage" which is the sequel to "Once a Runner" but I thought it would be impossible for me to evaluate ATC without referencing OAR all the time. My ATC review would turn into a mixed review of both books so I am going to get my OAR thoughts out first. Both books are by John L. Parker Jr.

"Once a Runner" is the best book ever written about anything... ever. The book starts off with a good hook, but then gets off-topic for a huge section which turns a lot of people off whom I have talked to. They say it is boring, but it builds suspense like no other for what is to come. The main character is Quenton Cassidy, a miler at fictional Southeastern University in Florida, and covers his quest for the sub 4 mile, then an even larger goal. Every line in this book is poetry, it is 257 pages of pure running poetry and you have to read carefully to pick up all the subtleties. I have read it 4 times all the way through and I don't know how many random chapters or passages here and there, and I still pick up little things that I didn't notice the first times.

On top of the overall quality of writing this book is very, very inspirational. When you see the lengths to which Cassidy goes in order to achieve the goal, otherwise known as his absurd Task. Ah the Task, and the orb which is broken when he has used everything. After reading this book, you will most likely wish to undertake the "Trial of miles, miles of trials" but just remember to build into mileage, sudden jumps yield low benefits when you are injured. However finding that "red line" would be good sooner than later.

Two awesome quotes that don't give away too much:

"And too there were the questions: What did he eat? Did he believe in isometrics? Isotonics? Ice and heat? How about aerobics, est, ESP, STP? What did he have to say about yoga, yogurt, Yogi Berra? What was his pulse rate, his blood pressure, his time for the 100-yard dash? What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. How could they be expected to understand that?"

"Cassidy sought no euphoric interludes. They came, when they did, quite naturally and he was content to enjoy them privately. He ran not for crypto-religious reasons, but to win races, to cover ground fast. Not only to be better than his fellows, but better than himself. To be faster by a tenth of a second, by an inch, by two feet or two yards than he than he had been the week or year before. He sought to conquer the physical limitations placed upon him by a three-dimensional world (and if Time is the fourth dimension, that too was his province). If he could conquer the weakness, the cowardice in himself, he would not worry about the rest, it would come. Training was a rite of purification; from it came speed, strength. Racing was a rite of death; from it came knowledge. Such rites demand, if they are to be meaningful at all, a certain amount of time spent precisely on the Red Line, where you can lean over the manicured putting green at the edge of the precipice and see exactly nothing."

I really don't want to give any spoilers which I would have to in order to share my true feelings and love for this book, so I will stop now. I would recommend it for any runner who isn't A.D.D. to the point they can get through the boring part (which I don't think is that boring since it is all poetry). There you go.

Calvin:

As far as running books go, I would argue that this is the best fictional running novel I have ever read. Although I had a little bit of difficulty adjusting to the author's style, once I got into a rhythm the book is just incredible. I still need to find a copy of my own, as I read it all from a pdf that I got online, but that's a whole other story.

Joey really gets to the heart of the book with those two quotes; if I had to choose a phrase that epitomizes what the novel is trying to convey, it would be the "Trials of Miles, Miles of Trials" line. I mean, that phrase alone has been on the back of countless running shirts, so merely by popular vote it is probably a winner, but I find that it really gets at the heart of what distance running is all about. I don't know about other runners, but getting out there in the pouring rain and driving wind and putting in the mileage is what psyches me up. I don't know if that's psychotic or what, but all I know is that I get pumped when I realize that I'm running in conditions that softer people look through their blinds at and go back to watching tv. So, to me, that quote really strikes a chord, and I'm sure it does for other people as well.

What really gets me about this book is how many little nuggets of training and running wisdom that Parker imparts. A big part of it was his history as an excellent miler for the University of Florida, and he crafts his book so that a careful reader will be able to find its hidden advice. I have yet to read it again, but I certainly plan to, so maybe I too will be able to take the world by storm, just as Quenton Cassidy did.