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.

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).

A Life Without Limits

Author: Chrissie Wellington
Publisher: Center Street
ISBN: 1455510939
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 191

Book Description
In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, and the trails of Argentina, and first across the finish line. Wellington's first-hand, inspiring story includes all the incredible challenges she has faced--from anorexia to near--drowning to training with a controversial coach. But to Wellington, the drama of the sports also presents an opportunity to use sports to improve people's lives. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS reveals the heart behind Wellington's success, along with the diet, training and motivational techniques that keep her going through one of the world's most grueling events.

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.

Muscle

Author: Samuel Wilson Fussell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Book Description
At age 26, scrawny, Oxford-educated Samuel Fussell entered a YMCA gym in New York to escape the terrors of big city life. Four years and 80 lbs. of firm, bulging muscle later, he was competing for bodybuilding titles in the "Iron Mecca" of Southern California-so weak from intense training and starvation he could barely walk. MUSCLE is the harrowing, often hilarious chronicle of Fussell's divine obsession, his search for identity in a bizarre, eccentric world of "health fascists," "gym bunnies" and "muscleheads"-and his devout, single-minded acceptance of illness, pain, nausea, and steroid-induced rage in his quest for the holy grail of physical perfection.

Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief

Author: Bill Mason
Publisher: Villard
ISBN: 0375760717
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
The extraordinarily captivating memoir of the remarkable jewel thief who robbed the rich and the famous while maintaining an outwardly conventional life—an astonishing and completely true story, the like of which has never before been told . . . or lived. Bill Mason is arguably the greatest jewel thief who ever lived. During a thirty-year career he charmed his way into the inner circles of high society and stole more than $35 million worth of fabulous jewels from such celebrities as Robert Goulet, Armand Hammer, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Truman Capote, Margaux Hemingway and Johnny Weissmuller—he even hit the Mafia. Along the way he seduced a high-profile Midwest socialite into leaving her prominent industrialist husband, nearly died after being shot during a robbery, tricked both Christie’s and Sotheby’s into fencing stolen goods for him and was a fugitive for five years and the object of a nationwide manhunt. Yet despite the best efforts of law enforcement authorities from several states as well as the federal government, he spent less than three years total in prison. Shadowy, elusive and intensely private, Mason has been the subject of many magazine and newspaper features, but no journalist has ever come close to knowing the facts. Now, in his own words and with no holds barred, he reveals everything, and the real story is far more incredible than any of the reporters, detectives or FBI agents who pursued Mason ever imagined. Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief, expertly co-written by bestselling author Lee Gruenfeld, is a unique true-crime confessional.

Runescape: The First 20 Years--An Illustrated History

Author: Alex Calvin
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
ISBN: 1506721265
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
A full-colour hardcover companion tome that offers a look behind the scenes as the iconic online fantasy RPG celebrates its 20th birthday! In 2001, RuneScape transformed the world of MMORPGs with a magical world that was free-to-play in your browser. Assuming any number of fantasy roles, players carved their own adventures in a fantasy land filled with vibrant characters, daring adventure and mystery. In an industry where success can often be short lived, RuneScape has defied the odds by not just surviving, but thriving over an incredible two decades. Now you can get an insider's look at the tremendous talent and enormous effort that went into creating the land of Gielinor and the magical races who inhabit it. Jagex and Dark Horse present a guide to the history of the RuneScape franchise, exploring the detailed tapestry of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape through exciting and exclusive art and behind the scenes interviews!

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!

Confessions of a D-List Supervillain

Author: Jim Bernheimer
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781461084747
Category : Good and evil
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Follows the exploits of Mechani-Cal, a down on his luck armored villain.