Ryan Hall writes…
Hey Bart,
I hope you are doing well man. I have been wanting to email you to tell you how great your book is. I have been laughing out loud as I read it. It is refreshing to read after taking running so seriously for the past half year. I am looking forward to just having fun with it like you when you ran the bare buns run or burro race. It was the chapter on your ride across the country that really made me jealous…I just about whipped out of our hotel room in Belgium and rented a bike to ride across Europe…how sweet would that be? Anyhow, your job seems better than mine right now but I guess the grass is always easier on the other side. Today, I think I figured out what went wrong in my preparation for Beijing…I needed a couple good sessions of the Yasso 800s. It is funny, I had heard about that workout before but I didn’t know it was your baby. I seriously want to try that one out. It seems like it would be a pretty tough session. I guess it is pretty similar to the 10 by K that I am accustomed too. I really appreciated your sharing how running helped you get out of the mess of your youth. I kind of have a similar story. I was definitely heading the wrong direction before I started running but I believe that God really used running to get me back on the right path. Anyhow, I here your voice every morning when I am reading the book.
Great stuff man!
Ryan
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and a few days later when he finds out he’s in the book….
Bart,
So I was reading your book yesterday and a huge smile broke out across my face. Sara couldn’t help but notice from the across the room asking what I was smiling about. I didn’t tell her but the smile stayed on my face for a while. I couldn’t believe you wrote about me in your book. When I first saw it I was curious what could possibly make me book worthy. It was a huge honor man…it means a ton to me. What I appreciate most about it is that it wasn’t based on my foot speed but on my heart. Those are the compliments that mean the most to me. In the sometimes fickle world of elite running, where they love you one day and forget about you the next it is nice to know that I have friends that care more about my heart than my speed.
I also wanted to tell you that we are doing comrads man! That is the only race over 26.2 that I have any desire to do. I know your knees aren’t what they used to be but I know they have one last epic run in them. Lets plan on it!
I hear you are going out to Chicago for a book signing this week.
Have fun with that. Take care!
Ryan
Thanks for sharing these emails! It’s great to see how the running community is connected.
Your book has also inspired me to use running to travel and see the world, especially after seeing all the races you recommend in your book.
I hope I get to meet you at a race someday!
Carmen,
I hope our paths cross at some race soon.
Bart