Friday, May 7, 2010

Weekend Reading

If you haven't read it yet you should pick up Neil Bascomb's "The Perfect Mile." It's about three men and their quest to break 4 minutes and run "the perfect mile." 

I already knew who had run the first sub-4 minute mile but it was still interesting reading the account of Wes Santee, John Landy, and Roger Bannister all trying to break the four minute barrier at the same time. I didn't know many of the details of the first 4-minute mile and reading about the various training and coaching of those three runners was very enjoyable.

Bascomb does a pretty nice job moving between the three narrative threads and as the story unfolds I got to know each of the runners and what made them tick. Part of the draw in this book was the personalities of the three runners and Bascomb does a nice job of drawing them out. 

I thought "The Perfect Mile" was very well-written book. I knew the "perfect mile" was coming, but since I didn't really know the history surrounding it, there was enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. Even if you know what happens and know some of the history of the first sub-4 minute mile I think you'll enjoy this compelling book.


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