Swim, Bike, Bonk

Author: Will McGough
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493036394
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Just as George Plimpton had his proverbial cup of coffee in the NFL as the un-recruited and certainly unwanted fourth-string quarterback for the Detroit Lions, so, too, did Will McGough immerse himself in a sport he had no business trying. Like Plimpton, whose football folly turned into the bestselling Paper Lion, travel and outdoor writer McGough writes of his participation in, around, and over the course of one of the world's premier triathlons, the annual 140.6-mile Ironman in Tempe, Arizona. McGough chronicles the Ironman’s history, his unorthodox training, the pageantry of the race weekend, and his attempt to finish the epic event. The narrative follows not just his race but also explores the cult and habits of the triathlete community, beginning with the first Ironman competition in Hawaii in 1978. This is a light-hearted, self-deprecating, and at times hilarious look at one man's attempt to conquer the ultimate endurance sport, with a conclusion that will surprise and delight both dedicated triathletes as well as strangers to the sport.

Confessions of an Ironman

Author: David Solyomi
Publisher: Leaders Press
ISBN: 9781637351079
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
The value is in the journey, not the finish line! Join David Solyomi on his hilarious (and grueling) adventure as he attempts to complete one of the most demanding endurance races in the world. MARATHONS, MINDFULNESS, AND A CASE OF MISSING TOENAILS – THE MAKINGS OF AN IRONMAN! When the only thing that’s standing between you and your dreams is a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full-length marathon (not to mention you happen to have a paralyzing fear of water, own no bike, and have never even run a 10K) well, let’s just say you’re in for quite an insane adventure! There might be a fine line between discipline and stubbornness – but luckily, no one told David Solyomi that! In his latest book, Confessions Of An Ironman, David recounts how the grueling and hilarious training in preparation for the world’s most iconic endurance race helped him face his deepest fears and attain an entirely different quality of life. The result? An epic telling of one man’s highs (and so very many lows) in the parallel journeys to peak physical fitness and deep self-discovery. Keep reading to: Understand how the two innate fears of “I’m not good enough” so “I won’t be loved” govern your life. Learn how to use these forces to crush your limits instead of letting them pull you down. Bypass the naysayers in your life by sticking to your game plan and remaining centered in your “why.” Discover the “dream first, plan later” approach that has the power to shatter the cage you have locked yourself in. Circumvent the negative attitudes and beliefs that prevent you from taking the very first steps toward your goals. (David’s proven 3-step recipe will come in handy in every area of your life.) Leverage cognitive and behavioral hacks to push beyond your comfort zone Improve your self-awareness through some deep, thought-provoking questions. Learn how not to go about preparing for endurance contests (your toenails will thank David later). Achieving the major life goals you’ve set for yourself isn’t always a neat line from A to B - and that’s alright. The journey itself is the destination, as it offers the possibility of the deepest self-discovery, and with that, the chance for a better life. The outcome, like the Ironman title, is just the icing on the cake. Master your mind, overcome obstacles, meet the true YOU, and learn to push further than you’ve ever gone before! Get your copy of Confessions Of An Ironman today!

Ultramarathon Man

Author: Dean Karnazes
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440684936
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Book Description
In one of his most ambitious physical efforts to date, Dean Karnazes attempted to run 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 days to raise awareness of youth obesity and urge Americans of all fitness levels to "take that next step." "UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons - 50 States - 50 Days", a Journeyfilm documentary, follows Dean’s incredible step-by-step journey across the country. Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles-the equivalent of ten marathons-without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, and to the South Pole-and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. With an insight, candor, and humor rarely seen in sports memoirs (and written without the aid of a ghostwriter or cowriter), Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people-nonrunners and runners alike-to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and be reminded of "what it feels like to be truly alive," says Sam Fussell, author of Muscle. Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked: - Why do you do it? - How do you do it? - Are you insane? And in the new paperback edition, Karnazes answers the two questions he was most asked on his book tour: - What, exactly, do you eat? - How do you train to stay in such good shape?

Irondad Life

Author: Russell Newell
Publisher: Post Hill Press
ISBN: 1642937673
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 445

Book Description
Why do people race in Ironmans—a competition that was dreamed up by a U.S. Navy Officer after a beer-influenced debate over who were the fittest athletes—swimmers, cyclists, or runners? Only a person whose good sense was severely impaired would decide to do a race marked by such agony and suffering—a race that makes no sense to normal people. What type of person (lunatic) goes to bed at 9:00 p.m. and wakes up at 4:00 a.m. every day for twelve months, eliminates every fun thing to eat and drink, incurs thousands of death stares from an angry spouse, and spends a minimum of ten thousand dollars…all to put their body through a seventeen-hour torture chamber during which a potpourri of exciting, physiological wonders—such as dehydration, fuel supply shortages, oxidative stress, muscle damage, brain fatigue, and overheating—occur, causing the body to age by twenty years? Russell Newell would find out when he signed up for the second oldest Ironman in the country: Lake Placid, in the idyllic Upstate New York village nestled in the Adirondacks that twice hosted the Winter Olympics. Russell would then question his sanity and test his resolve as he attempted to finish the 2018 Ironman Lake Placid…despite almost drowning, crashing on his bike, and nearly shitting his pants eighteen times.

Accidental Ironman

Author: Martyn Brunt
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 1472111095
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
Having spent 10 years scaling the lower echelons of the sport, the time has come for one of Britain's least successful athletes to reveal all about how he got involved in all this nonsense in the first place. Marvel as he reveals: His sporting history - how being last pick at school football in the 1970s set him on course for a lifetime of being rubbish at team games. How he took up triathlons in the first place (for a bet, and the cow who made it with him never paid up). How he overcame a crippling lack of talent and a chorus of complete indifference from his family to complete 10 Ironmans, all outside the top 500 finishers. The many triathlon adventures he has experienced over the past 10 years (cow pats, Ironmans, incontinence, driving bans, broken bones, public nudity, spending entire redundancy payments on a new bike, Belgian portaloos, German knocking shops, sunburnt arse cheeks, channel swimming, fights with chavs, obsessions with weather and the nutritional value of Jaffa Cakes, 3 hour marathons, chronic dehydration and so on). The many and varied idiots he's got to know as a result of taking up the sport (aka his mates). The typical training (hell) he goes through to take part in a race given he has absolutely no ability whatsoever. How triathlons ultimately caused him to sell his Mercedes, give away his expensive suit, chuck in his job in the City and become, as his father put it, a "god-damned hippy" (A cycle path designer who owns a camper van).

Confessions of a Baseball Purist

Author: Jon Miller
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801863165
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
Known as the "voice" of the San Francisco Giants, Miller takes readers on a journey into the heart of baseball as he's seen it from the best seat in the house--as a commentator for "ESPN Sunday Night Baseball." "Crammed with great stories, candid observations, and a genuine affection for the game."--"San Francisco Chronicle."

Confessions of a Born-Again Pagan

Author: Anthony T. Kronman
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300224915
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1174

Book Description
In this passionate and searching book, Anthony Kronman offers a third way—beyond atheism and religion—to the God of the modern world We live in an age of disenchantment. The number of self-professed “atheists” continues to grow. Yet many still feel an intense spiritual longing for a connection to what Aristotle called the “eternal and divine.” For those who do, but demand a God that is compatible with their modern ideals, a new theology is required. This is what Anthony Kronman offers here, in a book that leads its readers away from the inscrutable Creator of the Abrahamic religions toward a God whose inexhaustible and everlasting presence is that of the world itself. Kronman defends an ancient conception of God, deepened and transformed by Christian belief—the born-again paganism on which modern science, art, and politics all vitally depend. Brilliantly surveying centuries of Western thought—from Plato to Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant, from Spinoza to Nietzsche, Darwin, and Freud—Kronman recovers and reclaims the God we need today.

The Alcoholic Ironman

Author: John Toth
Publisher: Tate Publishing
ISBN: 161346147X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Book Description
For years, John Toth lived his life feeling empty, lonely, and even suicidal. He exercised sporadically, looked for better jobs every once in a while, and drank constantly. Even with a loving wife and children, something was missing from John's life, and he knew he would have to sober up to find it. After admitting his problem to his wife, John attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and made the familiar confession, 'I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic.' After ninety meetings in ninety days, as if getting sober wasn't hard enough, John decided to take on another challenge and start competing in triathlons. The Alcoholic Ironman follows John from his first 5K run to the Lake Placid Ironman in New York. With no experience running, swimming, or cycling, John faces as many struggles on his way to becoming an Ironman as he does on his way to becoming sober. After almost drowning during his first two triathlon swims, John wonders what he's gotten himself into. His triathlon training, like his quest for sobriety, never goes perfectly. But despite countless setbacks, John puts one foot in front of the other and keeps going. An inspirational read for anyone who battles addiction, low self-esteem, depression, or any other challenges, The Alcoholic Iron Man will motivate all readers to face life's obstacles head-on and find the Ironman in themselves.

The Iron Man & The Tin Woman: A Book of Little Sketches of To-Day and To-Morrow

Author: Stephen Butler Leacock
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Iron Man & The Tin Woman: A Book of Little Sketches of To-Day and To-Morrow" by Stephen Butler Leacock. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Confessions of an Improper Bride

Author: Jennifer Haymore
Publisher: Forever
ISBN: 0446585483
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
TWICE TEMPTED Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie. Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?