never-rest: Eat & Run - Book Review

It's an autobiography..... ?no, its a recipe book........ no, its a book of race reports . . . it seems that ultra running legend Scott Jurek's book has multiple identities but the concept really works. ?

Scott Jurek is known for his ultra running accolades, having won the iconic Western States 100 miler every year between 1999 and 2005, the Badwater Ultramarathon in 2005 and 2006, and the Spartathlon 2006-2008 to name but a few. Most people will have first heard of him from Chris McDougall's book, Born to Run, which spurned the trend towards barefoot running. ?However, his enthusiasm to promote nutritional awareness and a vegan diet is as well known as his running accomplishments. Scott Jurek's first publication combines his two loves; running and a commitment to a healthy vegan lifestyle. ?The book therefore contains some great vegan recipes alongside the story of his life and race reports of major events he has taken part in. ?

The book takes us through Scott's formative years, showing the reader how his upbringing and early excellence in cross country skiing provide him with the necessary skills and mindset to prepare him to go on and run (and win) 100 milers. Alongside this, he explores how and when he made his decisions about nutrition and how he learned and integrated new foods into his diet to substitute meat and dairy. Interestingly, this starts with him noticing how foods effect health of people he is in contact with, especially those who are ill, and with noticing his own performance when he eats differently. ?From these casual observations, he became very interested in learning more about food. ?He is clearly very well read on the topic of nutrition, and has applied his knowledge with rigour to his diet. The early chapters take us through the hardship he went through early on in his career, where he was frequently in financial difficulty due to spending much of his money funding his strict vegan, and slightly experimental diet. His dedication to this cause is quite inspiring.

The later chapters of the book have been criticised for being akin to a series of race reports, but this really works and he gives detail on his personal experience of participating, the highs, the lows and we find out about a few of the quirky things that Scott is known for, such as shaving his head, and his pre-race 'war cry'. ?Whilst performing at the top of his sport, Scott retains so much respect for all the runners, camping out at the finish line to see the last person in, and taking time to give advice and pace others. ?His compassionate nature really shines through. ?Whilst the book lacks some specifics, like his training programme and data like his VO2 max (which would be of interest to the keen ultra runner but probably a bit boring to anyone else!), there?are quite a few hints and tips to be picked out. Having recently completed a 100 miler and having been ill afterwards, I read with interest the statistics on those who get a common cold after 100 milers and what steps Scott takes to boost his immune system. ?There is not much detail on his relationships and I guess some things need to stay personal and i am just being nosey! What is a bit disappointing is that the book seems to peter out a bit towards the end. ?As his life story seems to turn towards his search for himself, which remains unanswered, and paints a bit of a ?flat and unfinished ending. But it's real life and his honesty comes through.

Weeks after finishing the book, it's still hanging around the kitchen in its second identity as a recipe book. The recipes provide a selection of meals, desserts, food for running, recovery foods and drinks. Each recipe comes with suggestions for how it might facilitate training, when best to eat and the nutritional gains. Whilst some of the ingredients are hard to source (and us Brits have to overcome converting cups to grammes), the recipes we've tried are all worth the effort and not as complicated as some seem at first! I've cooked the lentil burgers for my whole family and they were very well liked from my two year old niece through to my mom! We've also made the granola, humous, salsa, chilli, and refried beans, and the chocolate balls (see below for picture). ?It requires a bit more time to start with, but the recipes can all be adapted to what you've got in, with a bit of imagination and google (i usually adapt everything to make it more healthy, but for once i don't need to). ?I used jumbo oats instead of oat groats to make the granola and this worked well. ?I have specialist ingredients in the post to try out a few other things! ?I'm just hoping the food processor holds out! The book has made me think differently about food. Whilst I usually eat?healthily, and I am a vegetarian, it has made me think more seriously about the nutrients I need as a runner that might not come from a vegetarian diet without making a bit of effort to a wide variety of foods. ?I have really enjoyed making the recipes and have been experimenting more with switching to a vegan diet where I can. I have been interested in the recent debates on talk ultra about the value of eating more fat, rather than carbs as a runner, and I have certainly made an effort to cut down on refined and fast sugars whilst running, and instead of taking sweets, biscuits and pop tarts, I have switched to 'real food' like nuts and seeds, bagels, and dried fruit. ?I have made the hummus from Scott's book and he takes this out in a wrap on a run, so I might try that this weekend along with a few other experimental new foods - watch this space! ?I've seen hummus made with beet root on a recent TV programme, so I might experiment with this, knowing that beet root has benefits for running! The jury is still out on the spirulina though.

The book's third identity is as a series of race reports and it really reads like a catalogue of events that most ultra runners would aspire to participate in. It really is inspriational. ?He is honest about the hard times in his races, but still manages to make them sound so appealing! I know a lot of the American races are hard to get into, but the scene seems different to ultra running in the UK, with the added advantage that it doesn't usually rain. ?In fact, it will probably be too hot! So, in terms of running, the book has prompted me to look at some races in the states in the future.? It has also made me see that even someone who is performing at the top of the sport still has doubts about their capabilities and strives to look for the next thing. ?It's sad that towards the end of the book, Scott's story of his great achievements gets a bit lost and we are left with a man who is an icon, who has contributed to the shaping of ultrarunning, but who seems to be unable to see and enjoy these achievements for himself. ?He is a legend and I am really glad he brought the book out, it's just what the ultra running community needed.... and I always like a nice recipe to try out :)

Source: http://never-rest.blogspot.com/2012/09/eat-run-book-review.html

umf peter frampton elite eight stephon marbury the lion king suzanne collins cherry blossom festival