{"product_id":"first-marathons-gail-kislevitz-9781891369117","title":"First Marathons: Personal Encounters with the 26.2-Mile Monster","description":"\u003cb\u003eIntroduction by Gail Waesche Kislevitz\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"If you have the passion, you have the power.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI had already been pounding pavement for twenty-four years when I made the decision to run my first marathon. Growing up in the late sixties when women's sports was called cheerleading, I had no formal training in running techniques. I just ran, pure and simple. I ran for the joy of it, the thrill of it, the escape of it. During college, I played lacrosse because there wasn't a women's track team and it seemed like the next best thing to do. But I still remained faithful to my daily run. I ran through the bitter-cold winters of Michigan during graduate school, through two pregnancies and countless other miles that seem to blend into one long life's run.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don't know when I made the transformation from running as a sport to running as part of my life. I can't separate the two. When I run, my mind and body fuse together, creating an energy source that empowers me. It is my private time, my therapy, my religion.\u003cbr\u003eUltimately I had to test myself, to see just how far I could go. I wanted to train correctly, so I bought running books filled with important information: training routines, nutrition guides, stretching techniques, injury prevention, speed work, pace and performance guidelines. Everything I needed to know about the technical aspects of running a marathon, except the most important thing to me-its soul. No book took on the task of describing the feeling, the heart, the core of a marathon. What would it be like? What would I feel out there? Would I hit the mythical wall? Could the last six miles be so difficult? This was the information I craved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI spoke with friends (and strangers) who had run marathons. They answered my questions with such passion, such fever and excitement for the event that I was mesmerized. I inhaled their stories as they captured every moment of the race: the lows of utter despair and pain, the highs of inner strength. They became my role models.\u003cbr\u003eThat was the beginning of this book. I am going to let runners speak for themselves-famous runners, unknowns, fast and slow, old and young. Through their experiences, you will feel the pain and the glory of running the marathon. Their lives h\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Gail Kislevitz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1891369113\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781891369117\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Breakaway Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.01lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.04h x 6.04w x 0.87d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gail Kislevitz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46372455219455,"sku":"9781891369117","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7bb0606e-44aa-4551-9014-02c2e81ef2ab.jpg?v=1732725994","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/first-marathons-gail-kislevitz-9781891369117","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}