"I Run Therefore I Am-- Nuts", by Bob Schwartz
I Run, Therefore I Am--Nuts! By Bob Schwartz with illustrations by B.K. Taylor. 2001. 248 pages. $15.95 paper. Human Kinetics.

Most runners would agree, that, as a lot, we are, if not eccentric, at least a bit weird much of the time. Don Kardong, former Olympian (1976) and prodigious writing runner, has said, "To the average American, any marathoner is, by definition, insane." Who can argue with that?

Which of us hasn't run in newly fallen nine inches of snow, better suited for polar bears? Obversely, haven't we all taken off for a run when it was 90 degrees in the midst of the summer? How many of us get out of bed at 5:00 AM for a run-instead of pulling the warm covers back over our heads? And just listen to us, "I ran ten miles this morning." Ten miles? Many people don't drive that far in a day. As if we need more convincing, consider those television and magazine advertisements by the running shoe companies. Nonrunners see them and just shake their heads. We merely smile knowingly. Huntington Woods, Michigan runner and author Bob Schwartz has taken our penchant for the, ahem, unusual and turned it into an entertaining and self-illuminating book. Along the way, he displays a quality shared by many of us-self-deprecation-a condition, I think, necessary for survival among runners.

Throughout I Run, runners will recognize and maybe even identify with most of the short pieces, sometimes giving that knowing smile, sometimes laughing out loud. Schwartz hits just about every aspect of running-stretching, shoes, injuries, diet, "the wall," drinking on the run, "walking the runner's walk," you name it. He "revisits" (maybe even "revises") history, with a version of the first "marathon" in Greece 2500 years ago. But he's right up-to-date, too, with "virtual running miles" (which appeared in Michigan Runner), Kenyan runners, and sports gels.

If we read closely, we find he paints these topics not only with the brush of humor, but also wisdom. But mostly, Schwartz is funny. On approaching his fortieth birthday and masters status, he writes, "I'm compiling my geriatric game plan." Upon returning from an injury he cautions, "It's best to refine your I can run across the street before that car comes internal tracking system." And he provides examples of our senses of logical thinking and common sense, citing the typical runners as "one who mixes chocolate energy gel in their [sic] milk for breakfast;" "one who pins and repins his race number an average of 23 times to get it feeling just right on his shirt;" and "one who, completely drenched from running in a torrential downpour, moves off the sidewalk to avoid getting wet from an approaching lawn sprinkler." Entries are short-generally three to five pages. My recommendation is to read the pieces a few at a time rather than all in one sitting. The stories are funnier as we digest each one separately. And give the illustrations some attention-they are often hilarious.

Ron Marinucci can be reached by e-mail at RMarin6424@aol.com.