My FREE Running Book on Amazon - Over 400 people got it for FREE so far!!!

Sciatica was a contributing factor (maybe the prime factor) that ended Buddy Edelen's career. I found a newspaper article online that said years after, Edelen was in a bad car accident. He was quoted that at least the accident fixed his sciatica.

Sciatica Road wrote:

Okay, care to talk more about this injury? I was prescribed an MRI when I had lower left leg extremity pain and weakness; a disc bulge was revealed. The lower leg injury took weeks to recover from. The left side back/hip/sciatica joint imbalance/disfunction has not yet been 100% resolved.

You're right, Sciatica Road. It never really goes away. In my book I have a section describing exactly when and how it happened to me in a regional championship when I was going for a new state record. That section is titled "Consolation Prize." The same injury killed my freshman cross country season at the University of Utah, as well.

Shawn H wrote:

Yes, in just one and a half days, more than 400 people have picked up my e-book, Running: A Long Distance Love Affair, on Amazon.com. Get yours now. In one and a half more days the FREE promotion will end. My gift to my fellow runners on LRC and everywhere.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LKUQQJI

Congrats, and thanks to you for the free read for those who snap it up.

Obviously, don't let the LRC Negativista's get you down.

Few people understand the discipline to write a long document / book etc.

I hope you feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Congrats, again!

A Duck wrote:

Shawn H wrote:

Yes, in just one and a half days, more than 400 people have picked up my e-book, Running: A Long Distance Love Affair, on Amazon.com. Get yours now. In one and a half more days the FREE promotion will end. My gift to my fellow runners on LRC and everywhere.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LKUQQJI

Congrats, and thanks to you for the free read for those who snap it up.

Obviously, don't let the LRC Negativista's get you down.

Few people understand the discipline to write a long document / book etc.

I hope you feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Congrats, again!

Thank you so much.

Good night, LRC. Here's another short excerpt from my book,Running: A Long Distance Love Affair. This one is about a runner whom I've admired for a long time.

The Best

The best high school runner I ever competed against was Ed Eyestone. “Competed against” really aren't the right words because I was never in his class as a runner. Perhaps you've heard of Eyestone. He's now retired from competitive running, and is currently the head cross country coach at Brigham Young University. He has also been a regular contributing writer for Runner's World magazine.

Eyestone ran for Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace, Utah, in the 1970s. Fortunately for me and others my age, he was a grade ahead of us and in a different conference. During his high school career, Eyestone won multiple State cross country and track championships. At the 1978 4A Cross Country Championship in Sugarhouse Park, Salt Lake City, Eyestone set a new course record, nearly a minute faster than the second-place runner. He ran undefeated his senior year. Like Steve Prefontaine, Eyestone was a dominating front-runner who ran his competition into the ground, not a speedy last-lap kicker. However, for a couple of years in the late 1970s, Eyestone was untouchable in the Utah high school two-mile and cross country races.

Right out of high school, Eyestone ran in the IAAF World Cross Country Junior Men's race, where he finally had some real competition. Eyestone won the bronze medal and was the number-one American.

Unlike so many talented high school runners, Eyestone's success didn't drop off or end after high school. During his outstanding collegiate career, he twice won the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship while running for Brigham Young University. He also won 5,000 and 10,000 meter NCAA track championships. In 1984, Eyestone was undefeated in NCAA cross country events. In 1985, he set a new NCAA record for 10,000 meters.

Eyestone's success didn't end in college, either. Five times he was named the U.S. Road Racer of the Year, winning and setting records in prestigious road races. In 1988, and again in 1992, Eyestone finished second in the marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials and represented the United States at two Olympic Games.

I still remember a description of Eyestone in a Utah newspaper after he won the Utah State Cross Country Championship his senior year. The writer wrote that Eyestone flowed through the cross country course like a bubbling brook flows through a meadow. I don't know about that colorful description, but as a younger runner who never actually met Eyestone, I was in awe of him my junior year. I envied him, and I aspired to be like him. Many of us did. In the only race I recall that we both ran, a huge, multi-conference cross country invitational at Kiwanis Park in Provo, Utah, during Eyestone's undefeated senior season, I saw him with his teammates at the starting line. And that's the last I saw of him until he was awarded the first-place medal.

It's difficult to compare top runners from different generations because sports performance is constantly evolving. Better track surfaces, shoes, nutrition, organizational support, and training methods have all made a difference. Mental barriers also play a big part in sports performance, and as these barriers are broken, new records are set. However, I believe that many past running champions would still be great if they were competing today. If Sebastian Coe were in his prime today, he could run with anyone. The same can be said of Herb Elliott, Peter Snell, Jim Ryun, Ron Clarke, Lasse Viren, Craig Virgin, Henry Rono, Alberto Salazar, Carlos Lopes . . . the list goes on. And if time travel were possible, I believe that the young Ed Eyestone would pose a serious challenge to any high school cross country runner today. One thing is for certain, though: while many promising high school runners of my own generation dreamed of making it to the Olympics, Ed Eyestone actually did it.

Good morning, LRC. Today is the last day my book will be FREE on Amazon. After today it will go back to its cheap price of $2.99. If you or any other runners in your life might be interested in reading my running story, spread the word. I really appreciate the interest shown by the world-wide running community so far, and with nearly 200 free copies of my book picked up so far today it looks like the total could well reach over 1,000 for the three-day period.

Right now, I'd like to give you another excerpt from my book, Running: A Long Distance Love Affair. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks.

Elephant Rock

I'm sitting on “Elephant Rock,” high above the city of Bountiful, Utah. It's a cool, early Autumn morning. Elephant Rock, which some people simply call “Big Rock,” is a popular hiking destination. You can reach it on a 3.6 mile trail beginning in Mueller Park above Bountiful. As you drive north or south on I-15, some six or seven miles away, you can clearly see the large, imposing rock tower where I am now sitting with my feet dangling over the edge. From Elephant Rock I can look west across part of the Great Salt Lake and the low desert mountains beyond.

Today I am not simply running; I am also fasting. In some religions, fasting means voluntarily going without food and water for a period of time for “spiritual” reasons. Fasting is a method for humbling one's self, denying the desires of the body in order to reach one's spiritual essence, theoretically drawing closer to God or a higher power. Leave it to a distance runner, accustomed to subjugating the body and bending it to his or her will, to come up with the ascetic challenge of running 8-10 miles while fasting for 24 hours.

The sky above is clear and blue. Not a cloud in sight. The soft, amber morning sun is just peeping over the Wasatch Mountains, and its welcome warmth spreads slowly through me. Scooting back a few feet from the edge of Elephant Rock, I lie down against the cool, rough stone and stare up at the sky. For awhile, my eyes are unfocused; there’s nothing to see but blue air. But then a tiny object comes into view, thousands of feet above: a silver passenger jet, with long, white contrails marking its passage for many miles behind. Gazing at the jet, I imagine the people sitting inside, some of them looking down through little oval-shaped windows at the world here below. I wonder how my world appears to them. Maybe someone is looking down on Elephant Rock at this very moment. From 30,000 feet it's probably just a small, gray speck. I wonder where those travelers are going and what their plans are when they get there. I wonder what they're thinking right now. What cares and concerns do they hold in their hearts and minds as they journey to their destination?

Suddenly, I feel so small. I feel that I, like each passenger on that jet, am tiny and insignificant in the vast and infinite space and time of the universe. Suddenly, the cares and concerns that brought me to this place seem trivial and unimportant.

The jet flies on, past the crown of the mountains above me, and out of sight, its passage marked by those long, white contrails.

I sit up and scoot forward again, my legs once more dangling over empty space and the tree tops below. God, I begin. Are You there? Can You hear me? Do You really know my thoughts? I pray in earnest now, asking for answers, asking that peace might once more enter my troubled heart. I pray for guidance.

All at once, a deep feeling of peace comes over me. In my entire life, I've never felt anything like this before. I hear no words. I see no signs. There's nothing I can reach out and touch. But as this strange peace washes over me, I feel a presence here, as though someone is sitting beside me now, close, warm, and caring. I gaze down at the tree tops below, and I fear nothing. I could fall to my death right now, and it would make no difference because the spirit inside me, my soul, my essence, whatever unseen force animates this body, is infinite and immortal, and will always be so. I am filled with joy and wonder. In this wonderful state of . . . enlightenment? . . . I sit high on Elephant Rock, gazing into space, warm and floating, focused on nothing, yet somehow aware of everything. I am deep within myself, and yet I am connected to the whole universe.

After an indeterminate amount of time in this silent state, I am suddenly pulled out again by the sound of hikers approaching on the trail below. I hear their voices drawing closer through the trees. Normally, I would feel deep resentment, even anger, at their sudden intrusion. However, right now I feel only love and acceptance for everyone and everything.

Rising to my feet, I stand fearlessly on Elephant Rock. One last time, my eyes sweep the valley below. Then I turn and carefully climb back down to the trail. Reaching the base of Elephant Rock, I greet the new visitors.

The peace and joy I have felt here on Elephant Rock will linger with me the rest of the day, and I will hold it in my heart forever.

I stretch my legs. I take a deep breath. And I run.

Shawn H wrote:

During his high school career, Eyestone won multiple State cross country and track championships. At the 1978 4A Cross Country Championship in Sugarhouse Park, Salt Lake City, Eyestone set a new course record, nearly a minute faster than the second-place runner. He ran undefeated his senior year. Like Steve Prefontaine, Eyestone was a dominating front-runner who ran his competition into the ground, not a speedy last-lap kicker. However, for a couple of years in the late 1970s, Eyestone was untouchable in the Utah high school two-mile and cross country races.

Shawn, why did you use the word 'However" in the last statement above. The information following the word 'however' doesn't seem to contradict the info preceding it (unless I'm missing something), so the use of 'however' here is inappropriate, no?

Wait, how much does it cost again?

See the explanation above as to why I said "However," Sciatica. Somehow it got embedded within the previous quote.

Sciatica, HERE is why I used "However" in the Eyestone piece:

Good question, Sciatica. The reason is that in today's world class running world, and even back in the late 70s when Eyestone was in high school, Prefontaine's favored tactic of running from the front and just grinding the will out of the chase pack is much more rare than it once was. I think of Pre's only Olympic appearance as a kind of demarcation line. Pre tried so hard to win that race, but he just didn't have the kick--not even enough to hold on for third place--yet he was arguably as strong as anyone else in the race. Watch the race, as I'm sure you have, and you'll agonize right along with Pre that he just didn't have that top gear. Not long after that, runners like Miruts Yifter (AKA "The Shifter")--and many African runners in general--showed that they could hang on to anyone who wanted to take the lead, along with all the pressure and air resistance, and then simply outkick them at the end. Eyestone wasn't a great kicker. He was incredibly strong, and the rest of us simply couldn't stay with him. If I could have stayed with him, I know with absolute certainty that I would have outkicked him, and there were many of us who could say that. He was simply too strong. So when I say that he wasn't a speedy last-lap kicker, BUT he was still the strongest, that's where the "However" came from.

Read more:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6071992&page=1#ixzz3Gtn0zFGG

Viren and Gammoudi were both stronger than Pre. Viren was the 10k gold medalist + world record holder. Gammoudi was much older and a previous 5k gold medalist. You can see Viren is stronger when Pre picks it up with 4 laps to go Viren and Gammoudi easily match Pre. With 2 laps to go, Viren even takes the lead and Pre doesn't resist. On the last lap it's not just a case of the others' legs moving faster than Pre's. Pre is completely fried at the end and staggering.

Les wrote:

Viren and Gammoudi were both stronger than Pre. Viren was the 10k gold medalist + world record holder. Gammoudi was much older and a previous 5k gold medalist. You can see Viren is stronger when Pre picks it up with 4 laps to go Viren and Gammoudi easily match Pre. With 2 laps to go, Viren even takes the lead and Pre doesn't resist. On the last lap it's not just a case of the others' legs moving faster than Pre's. Pre is completely fried at the end and staggering.

Not saying you're wrong. Viren was great, no doubt, despite the apparent blood doping. Pre DID kick first on the last lap backstraight, but his top gear couldn't match theirs. And it's not just a question of that one race, either. Pre sometimes complained that there were runners who just sat and kicked, while his front-running style showed who had more guts. The point of the statement regarding Eyestone as a front-runner like Pre rather than a speedy last-lap kicker was actually my admiration for the toughness of both runners. Not many runners could stay with Pre at his best, and the same thing can be said for Eyestone. HOWEVER, that was the whole point of their style--run the kick out of the kickers and make them pay big time trying to beat you. As Pre said, "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."

Now, let me address Sciatica Road's question about the use of "However" in the Eyestone piece a bit more while I'm here. The wording wasn't the best, I'll admit, and I'll probably edit it in my next revision. It would have been better to write that Eyestone, like Pre, wss a tough front runner, not a speedy last-lap kicker; however, despite not being the strongest kicker in practically all his races, because of his unmatched strength as a runner, Eyestone was untouchable in both cross country and the two-mile during his senior year. Something like that. When you write a book, you're never truly satisfied with it. You keep finding mistakes or better ways of saying things no matter how many times you edit it. I've revised Running: A Long Distance Love Affair at least 50 times, and it's still far from perfect. A good editor would have been of great assistance, of course. But overall, I'm frankly very pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks for the constructive comments and opinions.

Much better, thanks.

In my previous career, I had to do a lot of technical writing, which as you know, is very different from story telling, whereby the former condenses down to the bare essentials.

Sciatica Road wrote:

In my previous career, I had to do a lot of technical writing, which as you know, is very different from story telling, whereby the former condenses down to the bare essentials.

You have shown that you have much skill, Sciatica. Thank you. I could have used you as an editor. You should have seen Running: A Long Distance Love Affair when I finished the first "final" copy. As a writer, you just get to the point when you have to just throw that bird in the air and let it fly. While writing even a term paper, it has been my experience that I wake up multiple times in the middle of the night when, out of the black, a necessary correction or a better way of writing something comes to me. Countless times I've jumped out of bed just to change a word here or there. That's why I say that no real writer is ever satisfied with his or her (see how I didn't use the common "their"?) writing. If I read through Running: A Long Distance Love Affair right now, I would STILL find sentences I wanted to change, if just a little, to make it better.

Sometimes another pair of eyes can catch something the original writer simply continues to miss. That's why a good editor is invaluable. But again, I wrote, edited and published this book with no assistance from anyone, except for the cover photo and design, for which I give courteous attribution in the book. Jan Wachala, whom I don't know personally, is a fantastic photographer, whose work can be found at Dreamstime.com. And Jimmie Gibbs, from Sweden, designs a great cover via Fiverr.com for just five dollars!

Anyway, I appreciate your keen observations. Of course, I'd rather get a private message rather than what may appear to be a nit-picky post on this board, though . . .

Thanks again.

(Of course, I'd rather get a private message rather than what may appear to be a nit-picky post on this board, though . . . )

Nah, don't worry about that. I appreciate the conversational feedback, so some other(s) interested in writing their own book may too.

Shawn H wrote:

Of course, I'd rather get a private message....

Not sure how to private-message you Shawn. You mentioned you travel overseas a lot, so I was curious if you are involved with consumer product design, by any chance?

Shawn H wrote:

Jan Wachala, whom I don't know personally, is a fantastic photographer, whose work can be found at Dreamstime.com. And Jimmie Gibbs, from Sweden, designs a great cover via Fiverr.com for just five dollars!

I wasn't aware of either of these websites. There are all kinds of new things springing up around the net fostering different business models.