Once a Runner

This week I finished reading Once a Runner, by John L. Parker, Jr. It came highly recommended from one of my friends. It is about a fictional collegiate runner named Quenton Cassidy, and his attempt to run a sub-4 minute mile. The beginning of the book was great. The end of the book was wonderful. The middle didn't impress me at all. I probably would have stopped reading if my friend hadn't been so sure I would enjoy it. What Parker does best is talk about running. He really gets it. Heck, he probably gets it more than I do. And when Cassidy talks about the "trials of miles, or the miles of trials," you start to feel like you get it too. Once a Runner gives you a glimpse into the world of collegiate running, about the dedication and focus required. What bored me was some of the college pranks (though there were a few funny moments), the drama that happens when Cassidy gets kicked out of school for not following the rules, the detailed focus on any of the non-runners. It reads like a book that was written in the 1970s, which it was. If you want a taste of running in the '70s, this is a wonderful book.

Bottom line: If you want a taste of running, read the first twenty pages and the last fifty and don't bother with the rest.

Agree? Disagree? Have another book to recommend? Please leave me a comment.

Happy running!
S