The Incomplete Book of Running
Written by Peter Sagal
Narrated by Peter Sagal
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
On the verge of turning forty, Peter Sagal—brainiac Harvard grad, short bald Jew with a disposition towards heft, and a sedentary star of public radio—started running seriously. And much to his own surprise, he kept going, faster and further, running fourteen marathons and logging tens of thousands of miles on roads, sidewalks, paths, and trails all over the United States and the world, including the 2013 Boston Marathon, where he crossed the finish line moments before the bombings.
In The Incomplete Book of Running, Sagal reflects on the trails, tracks, and routes he’s traveled, from the humorous absurdity of running charity races in his underwear—in St. Louis, in February—or attempting to “quiet his colon” on runs around his neighborhood—to the experience of running as a guide to visually impaired runners, and the triumphant post-bombing running of the Boston Marathon in 2014. With humor and humanity, Sagal also writes about the emotional experience of running, body image, the similarities between endurance sports and sadomasochism, the legacy of running as passed down from parent to child, and the odd but extraordinary bonds created between strangers and friends. The result is “a brilliant book about running…What Peter runs toward is strength, understanding, endurance, acceptance, faith, hope, and charity” (P.J. O’Rourke).
Peter Sagal
Peter Sagal is the host of the Peabody Award-winning NPR news quiz Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, one of the most popular shows on public radio, heard over four million listeners each week. He is also a playwright, a screenwriter, the host of Constitution USA with Peter Sagal on PBS, a one-time extra in a Michael Jackson music video, a contributor to publications from Opera News to The Magazine of the AARP and a featured columnist in Runner’s World. He’s run fourteen marathons across the United States. Sagal lives near Chicago with his wife Mara.
Related to The Incomplete Book of Running
Related audiobooks
The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Advanced Marathoning: Third Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Pshchology of Mind over Muscle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jog On: How Running Saved My Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning: Training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 Miles and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat And Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Training for the Uphill Athlete: A Manual for Mountain Runners and Ski Mountaineers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/580/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Runner’s High: My Life in Motion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Run a Marathon: The Go-to Guide for Anyone and Everyone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blueprint: Build a Bulletproof Body for Extreme Adventure in 365 Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inner Runner: Running to a More Successful, Creative, and Confident You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Weeks, Eight Seconds: Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon, and the Epic Tour de France of 1989 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes. One Goal. And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Ultra Runners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Run: A Natural History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Fight Depression, Ditch Bad Habits, and Live Happier Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Running Smart: How Science Can Improve Your Endurance and Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strong is the New Beautiful: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, Eat Clean, and Harness Your Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brave Enough Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Running & Jogging For You
Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Run a Marathon: The Go-to Guide for Anyone and Everyone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eat And Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spirit Run: A 6000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Runner’s High: My Life in Motion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blueprint: Build a Bulletproof Body for Extreme Adventure in 365 Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Run: A Natural History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Fight Depression, Ditch Bad Habits, and Live Happier Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Inner Runner: Running to a More Successful, Creative, and Confident You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beginner's Luck Guide for Non-Runners - Learn To Run From Scratch To An Hour In 10 Weeks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Running the Dream: One Summer Living, Training, and Racing with a Team of World-Class Runners Half My Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Ultra Runners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ultramarathon Man (Revised): Confession of an All-Night Runner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/580/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Genius of Athletes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World's Greatest Footrace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Year of Running Dangerously Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running Man: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Science of Running: How to Find Your Limit and Train to Maximize Your Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Incomplete Book of Running
86 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was part running guide, part bittersweet memoir...it made me proud to be part of the group of people who call themselves runners. It reminded me that, when you’re down you keep going, because that’s the only way to get where you’re going. seriously, loved it.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is primarily a book about life, told through various anecdotes ostensibly about - wait, wait - running. If you are looking for a highly technical running book or a marathon training guide, this is not that, though it does contain plenty of good guidance for those who are not already serious runners. (The title and cover are a satirical nod to the 1977 book The Complete Book of Running by Jim Fixx).
Sagal is often self-effacing, at times deeply wise, and routinely hilarious throughout. This audiobook, narrated by the author, was such a joyful and rewarding listen that I already know I will return to it within the year.
Hell, even if you’re not a runner, it’s a great listen for Sagal’s delivery alone, and it just might help you understand the runner in your life (or in your mirror) a little bit better.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5this is 100% crap . he is a braggart of worst kind doesn't know anything about running.it is not meant for any type of runners .it is total time pass or you can say waste of time if you want to do the same good luck!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It’s was ok. Nice stories about running but the life stories from the author were almost annoying. I’m sure he needed to tell his story but I was looking for more running less drama/ political jabs at the right. Who cares what side you’re on politically.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great and fun book, it’s for everyone not just runners, but ir certainly helped me go by on my runs.