Eat & Run

If you follow the ultra scene at all, or even just read some articles about trail running, chances are you've heard about Scott Jurek.  Scott is a world class Ultra marathoner whose accomplishments include; 7 consecutive wins at the Western States 100, 2 wins at the Badwater Ultra (a 135 mile run through the heart of Death Valley) and has set an American record of 165.7 miles in 24 hours—6 1/2 marathons in one day!  Scott is one hardcore dude with some awesome stories.  Lucky, he decided to share those stories and wrote a memoir called Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness.  


With such a high amount of respect for the man I bought the book the day it came out (and finished it the next day).  The book is very well written, the vivid storytelling made it hard to put down. At the end of each chapter Scott gives a piece of training advice or a recipe.

On the topic of recipes, Scott is a Die Hard Vegan so obviously I disagree with his choice of diet but not entirely.  Scott makes it a point to talk about the hazards of overly processed foods and refined carbohydrates and how his diet avoids these (how very Primal of you Scott).  Looking at the grains that Scott does eat, you’ll immediately notice that his diet ends up being very low-gluten.  Scott even praised the benefits and necessity of quality fats in the diet.  Some of his recipes can actually be tweaked by one or two ingredients to become a delicious Primal recipe.  Scott talks a great deal about his veganism and the effect it has had on his performance.   I personally think its more the avoidance of processed foods and refined carbs than the avoidance of meat but we'll probably never know.

This abundance of vegan talk doesn't really take away from the story, which is amazing.  I knew going into the book about most of Scotts' wins but I didn't know how hard he had to push to win some races, like Hardrock in 2007 which he won on a sprained ankle, or that he has won the Spartathlon, a 152 mile - ultra in Greece, THREE TIMES!  Among the thrilling stories of intense mountain battles Scott also reveals personal aspects of his life and the impact they have on him,  his mother being diagnosed with MS,  his marriage and eventual divorce, and relationships with friends.  All which intertwine with his races.

Scott is a very humble person and attributes much of his success to his mental endurance.  Scott often talks about taking mental stock when a race gets tough.  Reading the book gives you a sense that it isn't a story about one incredible man and his incredible feats but the story of one man and how he accomplished incredible feats.  

I would recommend this book to anyone, runners and non runners, omnivores and vegans alike, because, while the book in many ways is about running and eating vegan,  it is much more simple than that. Eat & Run is about what you can accomplish, no matter who you are or where you come from, if you are willing to push yourself just a little further.

Completely unrelated note: In my most recent batch of brownies I forgot to add the dark chocolate chunks until the very end.  I ended up just placing them on top right before they went into the oven.  The brownies came out good but not nearly as good as the first few times I made them.  Moral of the story, chunks in at the right time! Anyways, I'm looking into a few new recipes and making my test batches in preparation for new blog posts so stay tuned.