Struggles

Here's a couple of books I am taking in this week:

The first is entitled The Long Run.
It is the story of Matt Long, a firefighter, bar owner and marathoner who was in a terrible collision with a bus. The book chronicles the accident, the gruesome injuries and his struggles to recover, including a long ordeal at the New York marathon three years after the accident.

The second, Unbroken, is the story of Louie Zamperini, the Olympic runner that became a bombardier on a B-24.
I was familiar with his story, since I have read his Autobiography, Devil at My Heels, chronicling his ordeal and his later decisions to become a missionary to Japan, including his former POW camp guards. But, the new book does an excellent job of filling in many of the gaps and making even more interesting a story about a very interesting fellow.

And, included in the book is a quote by one of Louie's coaches, saying that the only one that could out run him is Seabiscuit. Zamperini must be about 95 now and you can still book him for speaking engagements and maybe even catch him skateboarding, an activity he took up when he was in his 80's.

Both books make for an interesting read, if you need something for your spring reading list, and both will help motivate you to run, if you are training for the next race.

Here is some more info:

The Long Run

Louie Zamperini