You might know Dean Karnazes as the Ultra Marathon Man. In fact that is the url to his fancy website. Not only can this man run, run and run, he also writes entertaining and motivating books.

The subtitle of Karnazes' latest book, 50/50 ($25), which he co-authored with Matt Fitzgerald, explains the book: "Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days—and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance." I will admit, I find the thought of running a single marathon daunting, let alone 50 races back to back, in 50 different states. The endurance I gained from this book can be measured in pages per night. I flew through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The tone of the book is very chatty as Karnazes explains how the idea for doing 50/50 evolved and how it came to pass. He details every race and peppers his prose with helpful running tips like what to eat, what to wear, how to catch your second wind. Mostly, he wants you to get out and go for a run. Karnazes emphasizes the importance of listening to running advice and then experimenting with it to find out what works for you and your training regimen. After burning the midnight oil many nights reading, I always woke up inspired to lace up my sneakers and hit the road. As a runner who struggles with both speed and endurance, I appreciated his humble preface where he repeatedly states that he is just an average guy. His average-ness is our opening to create and meet our own challenges. I think both running newbies and old timers will enjoy this book. You can find it at Amazon, but why not just run down to your local running store to get your copy.