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Ten Million Steps: The Incredible Journey of Paul Reese, Who Ran Across America - A Marathon a Day for 124 Days – At Age 73       By Paul Reese and Joe Henderson

A Review by Vision Runner

I just finished listening to an inspiring book written by a 73 year old man who ran across the United States in 124 days without taking a day off, and averaging a marathon a day, 26 miles.

At first I didn’t know if I would even like reading a book about a 73 year old man running across the USA.  I was wondering, besides the running, what did I have in common with a 73 year old guy?  But then again what would I have in common with anyone who was crazy enough to run nearly 3,200 miles in 124 days? That’s well beyond anything I’ve ever considered doing.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I’m really glad it did.  Paul’s mission for running across the United States?  To bring awareness to older Americans that their bodies are capable of more then they could ever imagine. Obviously a great lesson for anyone of any age, not just older Americans.

I really enjoyed this book.  Paul gives a day by day look at his time on the road, weaving stories of his time spent in the Marines to past ultra runs, along with the trials and joys of running on America’s highways and back roads.

This was back in 1990 when Paul took on this adventure with his wife Elaine along to pit crew for him.  Things were very different almost 20 years ago.  They had no cell phones or GPS to use.  No lap top computer to keep daily logs with. Paul wrote all his notes each night long-hand which resulted in him being able to produce this book.

The other interesting aspect I found about this book was hearing it from the perspective of a 73 year old American and his observations of this crazy, wild and great country of ours.

“Ten Million Steps” is full of fascinating stories of other runners who made the run across the U.S., too. It is still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that someone in their 70′s ran 3,192 miles in about four months!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it for the adventure and insight it provides, as well as the lessons it teaches about believing in one’s own ability to achieve great things by simply putting one foot in front of the other until the goal is met. We can all use a little of that sprinkled on our breakfast every day.

 Get It Here. Enjoy!

 How ‘bout it?

 -Vision Runner

Popularity: 1% [?]

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I wanted to tell you about this book I’ve been reading – an ebook that I downloaded off the internet – called “The Marathon Method Essential Guide to Training for Your First Marathon”  by Joe Donovan.

Incidentally, reading on the computer is about the only way I can read a book…I can listen to audiobooks, or have someone else read to me, but I can’t read standard, hold-them-in-your-hand books or magazines, etc. as the font type is too small for me to see.

Anyway, I’m probably about a third of the way through the fifteen chapters. Of course it takes me forever to read a book as with my vision loss, I have to increase the computer font to gigantically monstrous size (yep, that’s a real font size, scroll all the way down and you’ll see it on the list of font sizes….not really, just kidding )

So far, I really like it. He’s thorough, and starts from the beginning as if you’ve never run before.

I really like reading writers who are funny and personable. He is, and he uses a lot of his own experiences. He comes from the perspective of his own personal story: he was not a runner when he started, he was an out of shape executive who made the decision to start working towards a lifelong goal of running a marathon. Specifically the New York City Marathon.

He talks about enlisting your friends and family to help you … even if they’re incredulous at the thought of you running at first. Don’t let their initial shock and negativity be a barrier for you; let it fuel you and your running program. As you follow through, they will start showing up to help you out. He talks about how one of his co-workers would put inspirational quotes in his workspace, and another friend would go out with him for his Friday night pasta meal to carb load the night before his Saturday long runs.

You should get this book if you or anyone you know is wanting to start a running program or training for a marathon. Even if you’re not a brand new runner, the info in the book will be invaluable. I’m getting a lot out of it so far, and I’ve been running for 17 years.

He comes at it from not just the physical side of the training process, but also incorporates the mental, the spiritual and using your quest to complete a marathon as a life-changing, comfort-zone-stretching goal. I really like it so far, and I think you will, too.

Click here to go get it: “The Marathon Method Essential Guide to Training for Your First Marathon”  by Joe Donovan. It’s only $19.99 and an instant download, so you can start reading it right away…

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

Popularity: 73% [?]