Rating: 
Summary: Should be made into a movie
Review: This is one of the best books that I have ever read.
Read the entire book in three days. Had a hard time putting the
book away. This book should be made into a movie.
Similiar to River runs through it.
Met the author just the other day. Chris Lear is a great
writer and an outstanding individual.
This book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Should be made into a movie
Review: This is one of the best books that I have ever read.
Read the entire book in three days. Had a hard time putting the
book away. This book should be made into a movie.
Similiar to River runs through it.
Met the author just the other day. Chris Lear is a great
writer and an outstanding individual.
This book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Complexities of Running
Review: This is one of the best sports books I have ever read. It not only discusses the physical aspects of running, but better than any other book I have read, it delves into the social bonds and distinctive lifestyle developed by a hardcore college athelete. The dedication these men display is phenomonal and motivational for a runner on any level, but the characters and relationships that emerge in this book set it apart from most sports diary books. These men work together several hours a day, sacrifice much of the traditional college social scene in pursuit of a common goal, and must support each other in an activity which few people understand and even less really care about. The season that is chronicled in this book has many highs and low, both for the team and individuals, and like any good book will, as a previous reviewer mentioned, make you laugh, cry, and want to go out for a long run. If you want to learn about running, the lifestyle of a college athlete, coaching, or even the bonds of friendship, this book has a lot to offer you. I could not have asked for more (okay that is a bit of a lie, the pictures in the book were poor quality at best, but that was of little consequence because the cover photo makes up for them), and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even someone not at all interested in sports.
Rating:
Summary: pure inspiration
Review: This is one of the most amazing, inspiring books that I have ever read. I had the privilege of meeting and running with Chris Lear at a running camp in Vermont. To actually hear him describe the workouts and issues that the Colorado team had to deal with made his writing even more powerful. Chris's writing is so strong that you actually feel everything that the runners go through; you ache after the description of workouts, you cry when you learn of their extreme misfortune, and you jump for joy when Adam Goucher wins his weel deserved NCAA championship. If you only read one running book in your entire life, read this one. I have never been more inspired to train harder, run faster, and push beyond my limits than before reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic running book....insights on several levels
Review: This is perhaps the best running book I've ever read. It is certainly on a par with Sir Roger Bannister's classic "The Four Minute Mile". It chronicles the 1998 Colorado Buffalo Cross-Country Team from early in training camp to the National Championships. This team included, Adam Goucher, one of the favorites for the individual championship. Halfway through the season, an unforeseeable tragedy strikes the team, and they must pull together to keep their goals alive. Mark Wetmore, a highly regarded coach, uses unique methods to train his team both physically and emotionally. This book succeeds on so many levels. We see the different relationships between team members, and how they contribute to the overall goal. We understand what it takes for a top athlete like Adam Goucher to reach one of the highest peaks in his sport. We are taken inside the mind of Mark Wetmore to understand the basis of his training plans and how to deal with the emotional ups and downs of his athletes, not to mention the tragedy that threatens the team's season. Rarely, if ever, does a running book take on so many topics successfully and provide so many great insights. This book could have easily degenerated into a "bus schedule" of race results, training times, and workouts, but Lear had full access to the entire team, and certainly the reader becomes an insider as well. Unlike other "writers turned runners", Lear is a good writer. My only small criticism is that more biographical backgrounds on the athlete would help. We have short histories on Adam Goucher and Oscar Ponce, which are quite interesting, but certainly other athletes had interesting lives that we would like to hear about. But this is a small quibble. Anyone who ran on a cross-country team is going to love this book. And non-runners are going to develop a great appreciation for what they may perceive as a strange tribe.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic running book....insights on several levels
Review: This is perhaps the best running book I've ever read. It is certainly on a par with Sir Roger Bannister's classic "The Four Minute Mile". It chronicles the 1998 Colorado Buffalo Cross-Country Team from early in training camp to the National Championships. This team included, Adam Goucher, one of the favorites for the individual championship. Halfway through the season, an unforeseeable tragedy strikes the team, and they must pull together to keep their goals alive. Mark Wetmore, a highly regarded coach, uses unique methods to train his team both physically and emotionally. This book succeeds on so many levels. We see the different relationships between team members, and how they contribute to the overall goal. We understand what it takes for a top athlete like Adam Goucher to reach one of the highest peaks in his sport. We are taken inside the mind of Mark Wetmore to understand the basis of his training plans and how to deal with the emotional ups and downs of his athletes, not to mention the tragedy that threatens the team's season. Rarely, if ever, does a running book take on so many topics successfully and provide so many great insights. This book could have easily degenerated into a "bus schedule" of race results, training times, and workouts, but Lear had full access to the entire team, and certainly the reader becomes an insider as well. Unlike other "writers turned runners", Lear is a good writer. My only small criticism is that more biographical backgrounds on the athlete would help. We have short histories on Adam Goucher and Oscar Ponce, which are quite interesting, but certainly other athletes had interesting lives that we would like to hear about. But this is a small quibble. Anyone who ran on a cross-country team is going to love this book. And non-runners are going to develop a great appreciation for what they may perceive as a strange tribe.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read for past and present X-C runners!!
Review: This was almost a training log for a team of cross-country runners at the collegiate level. Very good reading though for former and current runners with some great motivational stuff in in, too! Made me miss my former X-C days and also want to go out and run right away, albeit at a much slower pace then the guys in the book!! I recommend it to all cross-country fans.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was an outstanding book. It was wonderful to read and helped motivate me to start training hard again. I would recommend it to coaches and athletes. A great addition to my running library!
Rating:
Summary: Surprising Drama and Emotion
Review: When I was in High School, most of the conventional athletes looked on Cross Country runners as lesser athletes, or worse-yet, nerds that could not do any other sports. Boy, were we wrong.
One thing that you learn from this book is that runners are athletes in every sense of the word, more so than successful athletes in many other sports. Lear is a gifted writer, making what many consider a boring,dry sport seem fascinating and, in most cases downright exciting. Although Lear was a schoolboy running sensation himself, that does not come out in his writing. Although he runs and keeps up with these college phenoms, he never brags about his own career or performance, barely mentioning his running past. Although this is a running book, the myriad of behind the scenes plots and personal relationships could be happening in any book, and there is enough action and plot twists to fill a good work of fiction. Believe it or not, this book will make you cheer, laugh and even cry as Lear describes the individual and team succeses and failures. His character development is probably his strongest talent, and based on my experinece , most successful runners are colorful characters. I had real trouble putting this book down, and like any good story, the ending leaves you smiling and feeling inspired. Needless to say, I recommend this book highly. Add a start (that would make 6) if you are a passionate runner yourself.
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