Like most other people, I had heard of Bart Yasso because of the "Yasso 800s", a 'methodology' he invented to determine a likely marathon finish time. The deal is to run 10 800s with a 400 jog. Whatever time in minutes and seconds you can run on average for the 800s, will be your likely marathon finish time in hours and minutes. It is a remarkably simple but effective method.When we started mzungo.org, I spotted him on facebook and he invited him to be one of the first friends of Ask Mzungo.
The first (and so far only time) I saw Bart in person, was at the 2009 Boston Marathon expo where he worked for Runner's World. It was Sunday morning around 9 o'clock, the day before the race. He announced a preview of the "Born to Run" movie. The Runner's World movie room fit about 200 people. But all he got that early Sunday morning was about ten sleepy souls. However, he talked to us as if we were 200. You could tell that he was very experienced at it.
As soon as it was time for me again to go crazy on Amazon, I didn't hesitate and ordered Bart's book. As a true nerd, I read almost anything about running I get my hands on. However, the reviews for Bart's book were so outstanding that I wondered if all of Runner's World staff had to write a review on Amazon. This could be Amby Burfoot's: "This book cracked me up. Bart is inspirational, funny, and crazy. All the making's of a runner:)!" First he orders everyone to write a review than he gets away with a simple one-liner that on top of it contains a smilie (if you make the effort, you can even find some typos but who are we to point fingers...).
Its subtitle "The wit, wisdom and insights of a road racing icon" is a sweet summary of what to expect. At first glance I would put the emphasis on 'wit' though. He had me laugh a couple times and that's the way you always get me. But it wasn't just that what intrigued me.
Maybe it was his encounter with an Italian guy:
"Piero took me to a park saying he wanted to critique my running style. 'You have terrible form!' he said. 'You carry your arms too far from your body, you're bowlegged, and you have bad posture. You do everything wrong!'" Uh, I have heard that before. Maybe not only our times show the same running (dis-)ability?
Maybe it was his ride across the US - 165 miles a day for 20 days, all self supported - that got me hooked and renewed my wish to do the same asap. Later in the book he claims that only the South African Comrades Marathon is missing on his palmares. It is also on my list. Should I really keep pushing it for 'later'? Or will it be too late as it might be for him now, as he is fighting Lyme disease?
Maybe it was his devotion to help other runners as he had his own issues in life. "As runners, we each have a duty to accept the role as mentor to a slower runner or a new runner or someone who doesn't think he or she can walk around the block, let alone finish a 5k. Remember, we're not some members of a snooty, noses-in-the-air fraternity. We are runners!"
Whatever it was - probably a combination of it all - reading "My life on the run" left me with a good, almost fuzzy feeling. It is definitely light reading, very entertaining. But hidden under humor and wit it provides life lessons any runner might either be able to use as valid advice or at least appreciate and say "exactly".
mzungo.org says: get it now!
ShareThis