Sometimes you just do things.

I just finished listening to EAT AND RUN.  It is a book about Scott Jurek who is...  well, here is a quote from his web site about the book:

In Eat & Run, Scott Jurek opens up about his life and career — as an elite athlete and a vegan — and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood of hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family, to his early beginnings in running (he hated it), to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, to his incredible, world-spanning, record-breaking races — Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and the importance of thinking of our food as our fuel.
Chock full of incredible, on-the-brink stories of endurance and competition, as well as fascinating science and accessible practical advice — including his own favorite plant based recipes, Eat & Run will motivate everyone to "go the distance" whether that means getting out for that first run, expanding your food horizons, or simply exploring the limits of your own potential.
"Anyone can be an ultrarunner," says Jurek. His remarkable story is a reminder that, no matter how far you go, every day’s run is a journey of discovery and the chance to explore what’s possible in sport — and in life.

It was an interesting book.  I like to listen to books like this to motivate me.  It was while listening to BORN TO RUN (which Scott Jurek is also in) that I decided maybe...  just maybe, I could do a marathon.  Dang that book..  ha ha..  JK.  This guy is a little over the top..  well, a lot.  But he pushes through a lot.  I think in the book he probably said, "Sometimes you just do thing.". over 100 times.. no exaggeration.  I should have counted.  It was what his dad would say to him and he didn't like it at the time. 

To review the book..  I liked it ok, yes it motivated me, I liked that he ran for his mom, she had MS and couldn't walk.  He seemed to be a selfish guy and his friends had terrible language.  ha ha. I don't know if un ultra marathoner can be anything but, they have to spend so much time training.  I can't even imagine.  I feel like planning for the marathon is taking a lot of time.  Whew.  Seriously.  

 He came from a very humble childhood and I liked when he talked about that.  He would randomly throw in training tips or facts about running.  One was where a marathon originated, which I found interesting and couldn't believe I never thought about that.  So I looked it up.  Here is what I learned:

The modern Athens Marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C.

Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died.

The Athens Marathon is recognized as the original marathon course and it's the same course used in the 2004 Olympics held in Athens.

The first modern Olympic games were held in 1896 in Greece.

The legend of Pheidippides was honored by a 24.85 mile (40,000 meters) run from Marathon Bridge to Olympic stadium in Athens.

Athens Stadium, the finish line for the Athens Marathon stands on the site of a stadium used in classical times.

Spiridon Louis, a Greek postal worker, won the first modern Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 58 minutes, 50 seconds.

At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box. This added two miles to the course, and is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" (or other words relating to the Queen) as mile post 24 is passed.

(I did not know these random facts and now cannot wait to yell out "God Save the Queen" I mean I am as much British as I am Mexican. I'll claim it!)

He even gave recipes at the end of the book that, I have to admit, I want to try some, even though I think his way of eating is CRAZINESS!!  A Raw Vegan?!!..   It did make me think about how I fuel my body and want to do better.... Not Vegan better, but better.   Anyway, Yes motivation.  Sometimes boring. Sometimes bad language.  Sometimes interesting. Don't think I could have stuck to it reading it, but it was great while doing laundry and yard work.  And that's my rewiew.