Fat Man to Green Man
In a nutshell
Ira Rainey is no elite runner. He's an ordinary overweight guy who gradually made it all the way to ultramarathons. A story for those tired of books about superhuman feats. Reviewed by Michal Uriča.
Who it's for: New runners, perhaps those who started during the pandemic, and anyone tired of books about superhumans.
Staying at home during the coronavirus crisis affected people in different ways. Some saw their dreams and goals fall apart because of postponed and cancelled events they had been training hard for. The streets emptied, but to keep things in balance, the forest trails seem to have come to life. Road runners moved onto them, and new faces surely started joining the community too. And it’s for them, though not only for them, that today’s book, Fat Man to Green Man, is a great title to read or listen to.
Ira Rainey, the author, is not your typical elite runner; he hasn’t won any brutal race. But if you’re tired of books about superhuman achievements, you’re just starting out, you’re bothered by a big belly or backside, or you’re losing motivation, the book may pleasantly surprise you.
Rainey lived the life of a middle-aged man. Family, sofa, telly and beer. Luckily, at some point he realised that carrying on like this didn’t really make sense. His realisation was also influenced by news of a friend and colleague’s terminal illness, which finally kick-started the change in his life.
In Fat Man to Green Man you’ll find experiences that probably anyone who has ever started running will easily recognise. Increasing the mileage, the first sore muscles, the first aches and pains, the fight against extra kilos, heart rate zone testing with a sports doctor and setting up training, new experiences and endorphin rushes after reaching a goal or overcoming an obstacle.
Something many of us know well: a goal in the form of an event is a great motivation booster. In his home town of Bristol, Rainey signed up straight away for a 46-mile ultra called the Green Man. Along with building fitness, changing his diet and the other details of being a beginner runner, Rainey gradually ran almost the entire race route in training, so that nothing would surprise him on the way to his goal.
The story is brisk and funny in an “English” way; you may struggle a little with the passages where the author describes running around Bristol. If you know the area, you’ll enjoy them; if not, they may get a bit boring. Whether he managed to reach his goal, you’ll have to read for yourself. I think the book is a very good support, at least for beginner runners, in finding a goal and motivation.
Fat Man to Green Man came out back in 2013, and as far as I know there’s no Slovak or Czech translation. I listened to the book in English as an audiobook on Audible. You’ll certainly find the print version on Amazon, for example.
Michal Uriča, startovaciaciara.sk
This review is republished with the author’s permission from the blog startovaciaciara.sk. It’s not just a blog but also an excellent Slovak podcast about running, a healthy lifestyle, overcoming our weaknesses and everything we think about while running. Michal invites guests to the studio together with his partner Miloš Haleček. Names such as Jirka Čípa, Daniel Orálek, Marian Priadka, but also politician and marathoner Mikuláš Dzurinda and philosopher Martin Šimečka have taken their turn there. Every now and then there are guests from abroad, such as Jason Koop or Adharanand Finn. I can honestly recommend just about every episode. Thanks to Startovacia čiara I started looking forward to every longer car ride again. And thanks to them I came across the books Ako som prekonal sám seba and O čom sníva raketový pes.
