Live, Run, Grow

I’m an avid reader, so I thought it might be fun to occasionally share some things I’ve read and think others may enjoy!

I figured I’d start with a book I read just a few months ago before my first half marathon and decided to re-read for some inspiration before my full marathon in January, The Long Run by Matt Long.

Honestly, I think everyone (runners and non-runners) should read this book!

The Long Run is the story of NYC firefighter Matt Long’s incredible journey to re-claim his life after being hit by a bus while cycling to work.  At the time of the accident Long was in the best shape of his life, he competed in Ironman events and had recently qualified to run the Boston Marathon.

One of the things I loved about this book is that it didn’t just take you through the physical recovery of his injuries (the surgeries and rehab), but it gave a real picture of what was going on inside Long’s head throughout this entire ordeal.  It was an honest look into what he felt and thought when he was told he would never be able to walk again, all the way through taking his first steps and eventually going on his first run.  This is a story of not only learning to walk and run again, but of learning how to live again.

I literally smiled with joy each time Matt made progress and I got chills as he crossed the finish line of this first post-accident marathon.

This book is the inspirational story you need to read when you feel like life has thrown you a curveball (or when you need something to help push you through the last few miles of a marathon!).

Long’s personality and the take away from this book are perfectly summed up in a quote at the beginning of the book, “Today, after all I have been through and all I have suffered, I try to make each moment memorable, and lasting, and positive for myself and for those I meet.  After all I have been through, I can’t have it any other way.”

Hopefully the rest of us can learn this lesson by reading The Long Run and not ever having to go through an ordeal like Matt’s.