The book chronicles the author's journey (the training, the races and the people he met along the way) to complete his personal quest of running four major ultramarathons: The JFK 50-Mile Run, Badwater Ultramarathon, Western States Endurance Run, and the Comrades Marathon.

It is inevitable that all runners who have been pounding the pavement for a very long time will eventually slow down. Having run every day since November 30, 1978, Scott Ludwig certainly falls into this category. Considering that he can no longer run a single mile in the pace he ran 26 of them when he set his first marathon best many years ago, Ludwig finds he is ready to accept the reality of slowing down with age.Now that he has entered the ranks of the grizzled veterans,

Ive been around the block a few times.Over half a million times, actually.Assuming a block is approximately 100 yards long and 100 yards wide, running just over 130,000 lifetime miles equates to a few more than 500,000 times around the block.So yeah, Ive been around the block a few times.Ive had my share of ups and downs. The Boston Marathon, the Badwater Ultramarathon and having whatever it takes to run every single day since November 30, 1978 would fall in...

One of my favorite comic strips is Bill Wattersons Calvin and Hobbes. Its based on the adventures and misadventures of six-year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes. However, in Calvins mind Hobbes is the real deal, and the interactions between the two of them reflect that of a young boy and his living, breathing tiger friend. Calvins imagination is the stimulus of one of the most beloved, humorous and heart-warming comic strips of all time.Calvin is the antithesis of what is go...

Multiple races of marathon distance or greater in a month...or perhaps in a weekend. Several unsupported runs of 50 and 100 miles through the mountains and forests several times a year. Have you ever considered running through a desert, across a frozen tundra or over multiple mountain ranges? Why not run for three days straight to see how many miles you can accrue? Welcome to a place where no locale is too inhospitable and no distance impossible. Welcome...to the Darkside.The Darks...

At last: The much-anticipated sequel to My Life: Everything but BUY THE BOOK! Part 1 is here!Read what some notable personalities had to say* and youll want to rush to plant your bottom on your favorite recliner, couch or commode and rip into the potpourri of subject matter youll find in Part 2:Jaw-Dropping!-Peter Benchley, author of JawsOut of this world!-Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moonSure to make your head spin...

In my fourth book, In it for the Long Run, one of the most popular chapters with the readers was You can call me Al. It was all about my good friend Al Barker, the only person Ive ever met who brakes with his left foot. Wanting to capitalize on the popularity of using titles of Paul Simon songs, I reviewed his repertoire for an applicable title for this book. Since the book is about my last year on earth before turning 60 years of age, I initially considered Slip Slidin Away but thought th...

To: Editor, Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionI believe your newspaper has been missing something for the last two decades. In fact it was the original reason I became a loyal subscriber in the fi rst place: the thriceweekly columns of my all-time favorite writer, the late, great Lewis Grizzard. Trust me when I say that as a loyal University of Florida graduate its diffi cult for me to admit there is actually something good that came out of the University of Georgia, and that something w...

A soap star details being the real-life father and ringleader of his seven rambunctious boys in this touching memoir."Isn't it a bit too soon for soap heartthrob Don Diamont to be writing his memoirs? Oh, hell no! My Seven Sons is a fresh and fantastic surprise—one that delivers big laughs, wondrous adventures, and so much triumph over tragedy that it will leave you breathless. Diamont is a wise and inspiring rac...

Today coanchor Al Roker presents an entertaining guide to achieving a life of happiness and success through the power of "yes!"These days, the road to success can feel jampacked with scheduling, networking, nonstop hustle, and flat-out absurdity. And no one knows that better than Al Roker—beloved cohost of The Today Show, weatherperson extraordinaire, and the man we all secretly wish we could turn to for wisdom and wisecracks in o...

In this hilariously funny essay collection, ESPN columnist Rick Reilly compiles the best of his sports columns—essays that include his expert opinion on athlete tattoos, NFL cheerleaders, and even running with the bulls in Pamplona.Rick Reilly has no compunction telling readers, in his quick-witted style, how he really feels about some of the most popular sports figures of our time. Wondering about quarterback Jay Cutler? “Cutler is the kind of guy you just wan...

The Wall Street Journal's popular columnist Jason Gay delivers a hilarious and heartfelt guide to modern living.**“**The book you hold in your hand is a rule book. There have been rule books before—stacks upon stacks of them—but this book is unlike any other rule book you have ever read. It will not make you rich in twenty-four hours, or even seventy-two hours. It will not cause you to lose eighty pounds in a week. This book has no abdominal exercises. I h...