He argues that we all need an internal space, a way of shutting out the world, an obsession to call our own, and he's quite right.
Training technicalities aside, this is a memoir for anyone who has ever dreamed about reaching the outer limits of what they're capable of and, as such, it should be enjoyed by an audience far wider than just those who head home this evening wearing a medal.
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View offers. As Harvie confronts his family's past and traces his own shift into adulthood, Why We Run becomes a paean to the transformative effect of pushing your body way beyond your imagined limits. Many of us enjoy the head-clearing effects of pounding the pavements. But Harvie's contention is much stronger, almost evangelical: a gentle jog, or even a marathon, barely scratches the surface of human potential; if we want transcendental rewards — including "an increased hypersensitivity of body and mind" and a "heightened sense of moral being" — then we need to physically destroy ourselves and learn from the experience.
There is much to enjoy in this erudite, literary memoir, particularly Harvie's gruesome account of the Spartathlon, but it is hard not to be wary of anyone who claims so unblushingly to have found "the answer". In the end, you have some sympathy with his long-neglected wife when she tells him: "You want to do something extraordinary.
I see that. But just once, then enough. We have a life to get on with, and I don't want to do that alone. There is a sect of Japanese monks who live high on Mt. Hiei in a monastery founded in Monks there must undergo a day term of haikogyo which consists of a midnight run covering 40 km from which they must return between am everyday. They must also complete a 54 km run with a senior priest. After this they can petition to complete 1, day term which takes 7 years.
It consists of 2 day terms of 84km daily runs everyday in hours. After day these monks must survive 9 days with no food, water, sleep, or rest. Only then are they declared to be daigyoman ajari or "saintly master of the highest practice". Since only 46 monks have achieved this title. The part of the novel I found most profound that has changed the way I think about running and distance was this: He opens the novel with a story about how he got lost running one time.
He includes a description about the lines of salt on his gear making it starch-stiff, details I took pleasure in relating to. He uses this story to propound his theory that runners are really "domestic creatures" saying "most days we step onto the pavement knowing exactly where and how far we are going to run, and we know too well that we'll be back in time to shower before dinner".
He goes on to say the to really run long distances you have to let go of the idea that you are going to cover a certain distance. You should be able to go out and maybe you are going to cover 5 miles or maybe you are going to cover I found this fascinating. I should be able to start a marathon with no preconceived notion of the distance to cover and instead just run. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
This wasn't really what I was expecting, and not in a good way. It's a personal account of one man's progress from non-runner to ultra-marathoner. Along the way we are given extensive glimpses through the windows of his earlier life and contemporary trials and tribulations.
The narrative doesn't really flow and is frequently very convoluted. One paragraph he is describing the endeavours of runners a century ago, the next he jumps into the middle of his own race.
It often comes across as overly m This wasn't really what I was expecting, and not in a good way. It often comes across as overly melancholic, as though he's constantly beating himself up for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, given the amount of build up and training he puts in for the Spartathlon, I think he let's himself and the rest of us down in the denouement.
A more accurate title would be 'Why Robin Harvie Runs' and that is only sporadically interesting. He is overly concerned to show how well read he is and this means that there's too much off-topic pseudo philosophizing. Jan 21, Cherie rated it did not like it Shelves: non-fiction , running. One man's story of running long distance; some funny moments but I didn't have patience for all the side stories, background memoir, and a lot of the excess stuff.
DNF One man's story of running long distance; some funny moments but I didn't have patience for all the side stories, background memoir, and a lot of the excess stuff. I've read a few of these books recently, exploring the phenomena of 'why people run'. This was beautifully written but was very personal, almost self-obsessed and because of that I just didn't care. I would have liked to have read more about the guy's training regime than his personal story of his family, mildly interesting though that was.
Plus there was again more of the history of running and legends which have been written about so often before - to be honest I don't think anything can come I've read a few of these books recently, exploring the phenomena of 'why people run'. Plus there was again more of the history of running and legends which have been written about so often before - to be honest I don't think anything can come close to Richard Askwith's brilliant 'Feet in the Clouds'. I think I compare all these running obsession books to that - he set the bar so high.
A rather odd book with some good moments. I'm delighted to see that i'm not alone bij getting very tired of this book. No promotion to the sport itself because of the complete failures the man make on his preperation. In his writing he must be thinking that he really is a great writer or novellist or a specialist at the least.
This is really a book that steps so much away from the line page by page that it's nearly impossible to find this line back again. This really is a story of pure obsession.
I didn't find it uplifting, actually it felt like such a lonely journey, but I definitely related to some of his feelings with my new found hobby but doubt I'll ever feel the need to compete in any events like the grueling Spartathalon!
Enjoyable on the whole, could be a little pretentious at times and there were some droning paragraphs about indirect family members. Brilliant book picked up tiips for running. Devoured this in a couple of days. I like books about the nature of running, but much like Haruki Murokami's effort, I feel like this is another close but no cigar.
Harvie's book is interesting. He starts out thinking about the nature of distance running, reflects on his own experiences and history of running and then focuses particularly on ultra marathon running.
The book builds an culminates in an attempt at the Spartathon, an absurd sub hour, mile race supposed in the footsteps of Phei Devoured this in a couple of days. The book builds an culminates in an attempt at the Spartathon, an absurd sub hour, mile race supposed in the footsteps of Pheidippides the greek messenger, the 1st Marathoner.
There's a lot of interesting stuff here, all sorts of stuff about the Greeks, the modern Olympics and some fascinating trivia, but somehow as a book it doesn't quite come together. It feels like something rushed to copy. Harvie starts out with some really interesting ideas about running as an exploration of fear, and an exploration of pain He quotes large numbers of poets, writers and artists on their reflection of nature; particularly on the Thames and the Lake District where he goes on long runs, but you feel like sometimes he's just trying to pad out the book with not entirely relevant or properly though through ideas.
If your going to talk about the sublime, you need to put that particular word in the context of God or Godlessness. Ultimately he fails to complete the Spartathon, and it's a better book because of that, in failure he is more reflective. Distance Running is a largely introspective activity. I'm left feeling that after all those miles, Harvie could have come up with something a little more thought through. Lets get one thing straight I am a runner I finished I did enjoy his book and his preparation for the seemingly impossible Spartathlon and indeed it did prove elusive I understand the pain, the obsession and the general feeling of euphoria that goes with each run good or bad I suspect I have completed in access of races, mostly half marathons I understand the loneliness and the need to find one's space in a world addicted to self.
I enjoyed his little side trips into the world of Turner, the first Nike Bowerman running shoe, the acknowledgement of running guru James Fixx, and his meeting with the great Rory Coleman who turned his life around simply by running. If I was to take a quote for my running experience I would however refer to a book which in some ways is a running bible "Holistic Running" by the renowned Joel Henning "It is indeed a form of worship, an attempt to find God,a means to the transcendent I have power, power that propels me cross country,puts me intimately in touch with nature, strengthens me I own the day!
As a half-marathon runner I enjoy books on distance running. This book contains plenty of running history and philosophy, a multitude of quotations in addition to a family history which at times feels like a Scandanavian noir. Oh, and plenty on the river Thames. Some of the history sections are interesting - the Japanese marathon monks for instance, but I was mostly interested in his own running experience and the sections that dealt with his training and races.
These parts came across well and As a half-marathon runner I enjoy books on distance running. These parts came across well and proves he can write, although I'm surprised there's no mention of any background interest in philosophy, how does he know all this stuff?
I'm also surprised at the omission of his having any injuries and how he dealt with time off running, which seems unusual.
I know distance runners are probably are a little selfish and introverted by definition, but Harvie comes across as completely self absorbed. His continual search for 'something' sat uncomfortably with me. It seemed he ran a lot of the time for escape, to reach some transcendental state whereby he no longer existed in this world. I thought the unraveling of his family history throughout may reveal a reason for this, but disappointingly there was no closure here. It also seemed at times he was writing for some kind of recognition for how much effort and discomfort he has been through, which he appears aggrieved not to have received closer to home.
There's no fun described in here, and if this is what ultra running and pushing oneself to the utmost limits is about, count me out. No answers here for me. Feb 22, Yitka rated it liked it. I admire what Robin Harvie tried to accomplish with this book. Unlike many running memoir books, he didn't just make it about himself; he made a genuine effort to position his own passion for running in a greater historical context, and address the psychological reasons that drive people to cover improbable distances on foot.
He interspersed enough of his own story to keep a loose narrative frame for the book, even as he drifted off into rambling histories of other runners, other races, etc. How I admire what Robin Harvie tried to accomplish with this book.
However, with the exception of some great sections in the latter half of the book, this failed to really capture my imagination. Too many stretches were filled with flowery, overwritten prose that was too abstract to be meaningful. Some of it was acceptable; I've also read a good deal of running memoirs that have the opposite problem - too many concrete details, and not ENOUGH introspection, e.
There were a number of sections, moments, and even single sentences that summed up so well the emotional highs and lows of endurance running. If you can make it through the meandering first half, the second half of the book - while certainly not flawless writing - is worth the read for any long distance runner. I was really looking forward to reading this book as it was recommended as a fabulous read for anyone like me, who loves running.
The book is littered with quotes from various famous elements to attempt to draw on what Robin Harvie's mind was thinking when he decided to enter the Spartathlon, a race like no other, that follows the path of Pheidippides, an ancient Athenian long distance runner, who in BC, before the battle of Marathon, was sent to Sparta to seek help in the war between the Gr I was really looking forward to reading this book as it was recommended as a fabulous read for anyone like me, who loves running.
The book is littered with quotes from various famous elements to attempt to draw on what Robin Harvie's mind was thinking when he decided to enter the Spartathlon, a race like no other, that follows the path of Pheidippides, an ancient Athenian long distance runner, who in BC, before the battle of Marathon, was sent to Sparta to seek help in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. A race stretching km to be completed in less than 2 days.
He reserves his idolising for famous runners, artists, wrtiers, philosophers. Not what I wanted to read at all.
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