Once a Runner prequel - Racing the Rain

I'd like to re-read Once A runner, but I sold my copy on e-Bay some years back for like $300 to some idiot.

Perhaps to make us in Florida say, "oh, yes". According to Once a runner he did not like to run in the morning. If he did run in the afternoon, for half a year that means he'd better finish before the afternoon thunderstorm starts.

Edward Teach wrote:

I'm buying it. It will probably be good, but no Once a Runner. How many decent books get written about running now a days? Maybe one a year on average? So glad JLP continues to write.

Newaflash. OAR is a crappy crappy book. The writing is atrocious. The plot is hackneyed and full of holes. I could barely finish this dreck. Parker is one of the few that writes a running fiction so the people give it way more praise than it deserves.

Oh yeah I ran in college so it not like I don't understand.

Some of the characters were sophomores.

Yousad sad sad running sheepl wrote:Newaflash. OAR is a crappy crappy book. The writing is atrocious. The plot is hackneyed and full of holes. I could barely finish this dreck. Parker is one of the few that writes a running fiction so the people give it way more praise than it deserves.

Oh yeah I ran in college so it not like I don't understand.

Agreed to a point - it's a crappy book in many ways, but the parts about the actual training and the big race are great. It makes it a worthwhile read for any runner that feels some passion about the sport.

I liked OAR. The sequel? Not so much.

This book should not be released. It goes against John L. Parker's wishes.

“Increasingly blind and deaf,” according to many, Parker suffered a stroke in 2007 that forced him to move to an assisted living facility. Several months later, he sued his agent for stealing royalties. Lee’s protective older sister Alice died last year at the age of 103. And now, 40 years after stashing it in a box and stowing it away, the notoriously shy author decides to send an apparently unedited novel into the world?

On Wednesday, Connor Sheets reported that multiple Monroeville acquaintances of Parker’s “believe his wishes for his career are not being respected.” Continues Sheets: “Tonja Carter has long represented Parker and has power of attorney over his affairs. But area residents who know the writer say that Carter has in recent years taken steps to keep him from seeing his friends and family, and become increasingly litigious on his behalf in a way that they do not believe Parker would have supported when he was younger and more alert.” One woman Sheets spoke to, Janet Sawyer, described Carter as “greedy,” a predatory presence who “isolated [Parker] from the world in order to manipulate him.”

Once A Runner is a great book for high schoolers to read, fall in love with running because of, attempt to train like quenton because of, subsequently get injured because of, then go to college, read Running with the Buffs, thus ultimately learn the difference between reality and fiction.

Holy cow/ that's a darn good idea. That would have a deeper plot than just running and could address the prejudice issue.

If Mr. Parker reads these forms please consider this!

doo doo wrote:

I would like the book to be about Bruce Denton and not really about Quenton at all. I feel it would be really anti-climactic to go cover a 4:10-4:02 runner after we know his later accomplishments.

It's going to depend on the way Parker treats it, as far as the story goes. In terms of the training sessions, for those looking to a fiction book for guidance, it might be anti-climatic.

Edward Teach wrote:

I'm buying it. It will probably be good, but no Once a Runner. How many decent books get written about running now a days? Maybe one a year on average? So glad JLP continues to write.

For fiction, it might be closer to one book a decade. Very little money in it, so very few people make the attempt to write to the niche.

I've already pre-ordered a copy, too. Looking forward to the read.

Great, another sophomoric pile of drivel for un-read runners among us.

Those expecting a miracle workout to make them into Olympians will be disappointed.

Those that want a well-told running story will enjoy it.

Review of Racing the Rain

http://www.paulduffau.com/blog/category/racing-the-rain-review-john-l-parkers

They rolled back the release but I got mine on order.

Bump

Not going to waste my money Once A Runner sucked so will not bother

Looks like Once a Runner is also in stock. I thought it was tough to find. I might have to pick up both.

http://amzn.to/1TAgE40

I remember that for a while, it was very difficult to get a copy of OAR. If you sold it for $300, you did great (buy low, sell high). Looking on Amazon, the market really crashed for that book. I wonder if any of the first printings are worth more. I have the 3rd Cedarwinds printing, so it must be worth a lot! :-)

Ole Timer wrote:

I'd like to re-read Once A runner, but I sold my copy on e-Bay some years back for like $300 to some idiot.

Rojo wrote:

I wonder why the title changed. In 2011, there was talk that prequel was coming out. It was going to be called, "Cold Island Blues."

https://www.google.com/search?q=prequel+site%3Aletsrun.com&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS547US547&oq=prequel+site%3Aletsrun.com&aqs=chrome..69i57.4925j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

Great post Rojo!

Also, did anybody else notice that they disabled replying directly to Rojo's post?