Rating: 
Summary: A powerful book that goes beyond endurance training
Review: As a skiing enthusiast, I found that Bill McKibben's Long Distance revealed the world of physical and mental training that i never fully grasped existed. Even with all his training it was amazing to see that so much rested squarely on genetics, to see that after his many hours of training he could only become so much. The mental aspect was a plus to the book, as a past ski racer it was nice to see someone put into words how it feels out on the course: "Except that the minute a race is done, you start trying to make it all add up, turn the thousand things that happen even in a three hour ski race in to some kind of coherent storay with a morale at the end: 'I couldn't focus,' or 'I bonked,' or 'Everything came together.'" -Bill McKibben. To sum it all up, Mr. McKibben has written up an endurance trainer's dream and how he copes with the mental and physical pressures are fascinating to read. I would recommend this book to anyone that is remotely interested in cross-country skiing or how the elite athletes train.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful book that goes beyond endurance training
Review: As a skiing enthusiast, I found that Bill McKibben's Long Distance revealed the world of physical and mental training that i never fully grasped existed. Even with all his training it was amazing to see that so much rested squarely on genetics, to see that after his many hours of training he could only become so much. The mental aspect was a plus to the book, as a past ski racer it was nice to see someone put into words how it feels out on the course: "Except that the minute a race is done, you start trying to make it all add up, turn the thousand things that happen even in a three hour ski race in to some kind of coherent storay with a morale at the end: 'I couldn't focus,' or 'I bonked,' or 'Everything came together.'" -Bill McKibben. To sum it all up, Mr. McKibben has written up an endurance trainer's dream and how he copes with the mental and physical pressures are fascinating to read. I would recommend this book to anyone that is remotely interested in cross-country skiing or how the elite athletes train.
Rating:
Summary: Read it whether you ski or not
Review: Bill McKibben does a fabulous job of writing about his experience trying to be a better person. He learns, and shares with us, that it is more than just a physical challenge, its an emotional and interpersonal one as well. Beautifully written.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Stuff about Life and Skiing
Review: I love cross-country skiing and found the thoughts about the sport insightful, helpful and entertaining. I enjoyed the way McKibben uses sport as a way to relate to life. I am always looking for good reads and this qualifies as one of the best in a very long time. It's thoroughly enjoyable. I strongly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Stuff about Life and Skiing
Review: I love cross-country skiing and found the thoughts about the sport insightful, helpful and entertaining. I enjoyed the way McKibben uses sport as a way to relate to life. I am always looking for good reads and this qualifies as one of the best in a very long time. It's thoroughly enjoyable. I strongly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Even if you hate skiing......
Review: I'm no winter warrior. Three times a week in the gym is my idea of a challenge. But you don't have to care about sports or conditioning to cherish this book. Simple reason: It's not really about skiing. It's a manual for life, an attempt to work out a philosophy that can be tested and applied. What makes it work: McKibben is Everyman. Or that's his skill as a writer: He knows what's happening in his head, and, not surprisingly, a lot of what he's thinking is is your head too (mine, anyway). I plan to give this book to any friend who's having trouble understanding that life is precious and effort matters.
Rating:
Summary: More than just on ode to skiing
Review: In turns, this account of his incredibly strenuous year is funny, heartbreaking, introspective and irreverent. I'm surprised how modest the author is about his ability to even perform some of the workouts -- a 3 hour and 55 minute run or ski! I'm an exercise fanatic myself, but I don't see any 4 hour workouts on my horizon. The chapters on the origin and development of cross country skiing are fascinating -- I used to hear about Koch and Caldwell when I taught at the Putney school. Our Olympic program hasn't really done much to produce skiiers since that time. You'll also gain a tremendous respect for the Norwegians, Swedes and Finns whose reverence for this grueling sport makes them the finest in the world. This book went well beyond just sports -- although his father's illness was introduced abruptly, it does serve as an anchor for much of hte second half of the book. His dignity to the end made it inspiring rather than depressing. My only small criticism is that since the book is so personal I would have liked to hear more from his wife and daughter's reactions to his training. He alludes to them, but it sounds like they lived on another planet for that year which I'm sure was not the case! Very rewarding and inspiring read, well written.
Rating:
Summary: More than just on ode to skiing
Review: In turns, this account of his incredibly strenuous year is funny, heartbreaking, introspective and irreverent. I'm surprised how modest the author is about his ability to even perform some of the workouts -- a 3 hour and 55 minute run or ski! I'm an exercise fanatic myself, but I don't see any 4 hour workouts on my horizon. The chapters on the origin and development of cross country skiing are fascinating -- I used to hear about Koch and Caldwell when I taught at the Putney school. Our Olympic program hasn't really done much to produce skiiers since that time. You'll also gain a tremendous respect for the Norwegians, Swedes and Finns whose reverence for this grueling sport makes them the finest in the world. This book went well beyond just sports -- although his father's illness was introduced abruptly, it does serve as an anchor for much of hte second half of the book. His dignity to the end made it inspiring rather than depressing. My only small criticism is that since the book is so personal I would have liked to hear more from his wife and daughter's reactions to his training. He alludes to them, but it sounds like they lived on another planet for that year which I'm sure was not the case! Very rewarding and inspiring read, well written.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that challenges the American concept of sport
Review: Reading this book, I was fascinated at how McKibben was able to excel at a rigorous endurance sport, despite his less than athletic upbringing. I chuckled when he described his youthful perception that the 600-yard run required in grade school gym was "unimaginably long," and that he had chosen to excel at debate, rather than sports. My sentiments and experience exactly! Throughout his year of training, McKibben's goal is not to win or even to place, but simply to test the limits of his spiritual, mental, and physical endurance. He seeks to maximize his genetic potential, all the while realizing that he wasn't born to be an Olympic athlete. Every step along his journey indicates the fallacy in the American mindset that sports are for the Tiger Woods and Michael Jordans, with the rest of us relegated to the stands, cheering the "real" athletes on. McKibben made me long to live in Norway, where physical fitness seems valued above athletic superstardom. The story of his father's losing battle with cancer helps to ground the book and put McKibben's year off in perspective. I found myself thinking how fortunate he was to be on this "vacation" year while dealing with this tragedy. The rest of us still have to juggle our jobs and other responsibilities at such times, a task equally as daunting as racing the Birkie. Finally, as a Vermonter temporarily displaced to Minnesota, I found myself increasingly homesick as McKibben spoke of traveling to Burlington and Craftsbury, and especially the Adirondacks, which I once gazed at daily from my home in the Lake Champlain Islands. Reading this book made me long to go back, strap on my skis, and glide across the frozen expanse of Lake Champlain from South Hero Island to Plattsburgh!
Rating:
Summary: A book that challenges the American concept of sport
Review: Reading this book, I was fascinated at how McKibben was able to excel at a rigorous endurance sport, despite his less than athletic upbringing. I chuckled when he described his youthful perception that the 600-yard run required in grade school gym was "unimaginably long," and that he had chosen to excel at debate, rather than sports. My sentiments and experience exactly! Throughout his year of training, McKibben's goal is not to win or even to place, but simply to test the limits of his spiritual, mental, and physical endurance. He seeks to maximize his genetic potential, all the while realizing that he wasn't born to be an Olympic athlete. Every step along his journey indicates the fallacy in the American mindset that sports are for the Tiger Woods and Michael Jordans, with the rest of us relegated to the stands, cheering the "real" athletes on. McKibben made me long to live in Norway, where physical fitness seems valued above athletic superstardom. The story of his father's losing battle with cancer helps to ground the book and put McKibben's year off in perspective. I found myself thinking how fortunate he was to be on this "vacation" year while dealing with this tragedy. The rest of us still have to juggle our jobs and other responsibilities at such times, a task equally as daunting as racing the Birkie. Finally, as a Vermonter temporarily displaced to Minnesota, I found myself increasingly homesick as McKibben spoke of traveling to Burlington and Craftsbury, and especially the Adirondacks, which I once gazed at daily from my home in the Lake Champlain Islands. Reading this book made me long to go back, strap on my skis, and glide across the frozen expanse of Lake Champlain from South Hero Island to Plattsburgh!
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