"The Long Run"

I’ve just finished reading “The Long Run” by Matt Long and Charles Butler. It chronicles the survival and rehabilitation of Matt Long, a New York fireman, who was hit by a bus while cycling to a swim training session in 2005 and who suffered horrific injuries as a result. It is an amazing story of what the body and mind can deal with and overcome (to the extent possible given the circumstances).

Prior to his accident, Matt was a fit, healthy man who had run a couple of marathons and done an Ironman. He loved his life, and his training (particularly running), was a big part of that. In addition to having to deal with his myriad of serious physical injuries Matt had to come to grips with the loss of so much of what he was and what gave meaning to his life before the accident.

Written in conjunction with Charles Butler (an editor with Runner’s World) “The Long Run” is a well written, detailed account of Matt Long’s slow, tedious, painful, frustrating journey back to semi normal health and fitness (for a runner and Ironman that is), culminating in a return to training and participating in some events. This book serves as a profound reminder of how lucky we are to be fit and healthy, and able to run.

The only criticism I have of this book, and it’s a minor irksome thing, is that the “all American boy” flavour of some of Matt’s storytelling is a little overdone but that could just be an Australian-American style difference or a boy author-girl reader thing. In any case, it doesn’t detract from the lasting impact this story has on the reader and I highly recommend all runners read it. After all, dodging traffic and being street wise is an ongoing concern for all of us.

Now I am keen to read “Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead” by Brian Doyle. It’s about Brian Doyle who was similarly involved in an horrific accident (the car he was driving was hit by a truck), and who similarly survived and overcame devastating injuries to return to training and then participate in the Hawaii Ironman 2.5yrs after his accident. I’m interested to read about his journey, and to see the similarities and differences between his and Matt’s experiences, as well as their respective writing and storytelling styles. While I’m waiting for “Iron Heart” to arrive though, I’m going to try and relish all my crappy runs as much as all my good/enjoyable ones. Health, fitness, life can all be short.