Book Review: Out of Thin Air
Two surprises from reading Out of Thin Air: (1) this is Michael Crawley’s first book; and (2) he runs a 1:06 half marathon. The first is a shocker because the book is extremely well-written and engaging. The 1:06 half marathon is surprising because in the early pages of the book, we see Crawley getting left in the dust by the Ethiopians on training runs. The image is one of a hapless, out of shape professor from Scotland just having a laugh. Then we learn that Crawley is no slouch; the Ethiopians, including those who have never yet competed on the international stage, are just that good.
The book details the lifestyle, training, and culture surrounding the world’s greatest distance runners. It is almost part travelogue at times due to the detailed descriptions of the training environment and the majesty of the mountains where super-high altitude training is conducted. While the scenery is beautiful, the training is brutal. Easy jogs quickly turn into hour-long tempo runs that melt Crawley’s lungs. Training runs begin in the middle of the night to beat traffic on the few asphalt roads. Running in groups is advised to ward off hyenas. 16-lap track workouts end at just a few laps for runners who can’t keep the pace.
This book is bound to be a classic. It’s entertaining and motivational at the same time. The only thing missing is Kenenisa Bekele’s training programs, but we’re told on page 227 that those are coming from “some day” from the master himself.
Buy it, borrow it, skip it?
Buy it now, don’t even wait for the paperback.
