A turd. Had high hopes for the “best novel written about running” and was really disappointed. Written in the 1970’s, the book read like it. The characters used lots of outdated phrases and pop culture references (i.e. The Dating Game) that annoyed and distracted. You could get a sense that the author thought portions of his plot were really witty. They were just nerdy. This lead to a feeling of awkwardness –  like when you are embarrassed for someone who should be embarrassed and isn’t. The descriptions of running were vivid, but not enough to save the 6th-grade-reading-level writing. The beginning chapters of the book’s sequel was included in the back of this edition. I took a gander and gave up immediately. It wasn’t any better.