P.S. After the book
A note on health and responsibility
This book isn't a reference manual or a training guide, especially when it comes to health and medicine. It's a collection of memories, thoughts, theories, and my own understanding of things I've read and often tried. I'm not a certified coach or a medical professional. I don't claim to be an expert, and I have no plans to become a coach.
I simply like seeing people run, and I like writing books. I've tried to share what happened to me rather than tell you what to do. Please read it in that spirit. For advice about your own training or health, turn to a qualified coach, a running group with professional guidance, or a clinician who knows you and your circumstances.
More than anything, I want people to read this book and do something with it: go for a run, discover something, maybe even discover a different version of themselves. If you share a post or send the book to a friend, I'll be grateful. The more runners, the better.
People around the world use #run365challenge to find each other. It's good to know there are others with the same strange obsession.
When the draft was ready, I sent it to friends. Soon the messages started arriving: "Damn you! You got me running. I've done it every day for a week!" There were photos from treadmills and parks, route maps, and celebrations of a first 10K. Those messages made me happy. This was why I'd written the book: someone had started a running year of their own.
If you didn't enjoy it, I'm sorry. I tried, and I'll keep trying to make it better: correcting mistakes, adding chapters. A digital book leaves room for another draft.
Pass the book along. If you want to support it, a donation will help me keep working on it.
This book was hard to write. A book takes hours every day, for weeks or months. I wrote my earlier books at night, borrowing time from sleep. Running put an end to that. Without enough rest, my body would go on strike. So I asked my family to bear with me, gave up chess and work parties for a while, and put other things on hold. Outside work, my main project was the book. And the running, of course.
I hope I haven't gone on too long. I didn't want to pad this out into something that takes weeks to get through. I wanted a book built like a runner: lean, with no extra weight. I hope that's how it reads.
Money and donations
I once watched an interview with Steve Jobs in which he made a point that stayed with me. As I remember it, he disliked selling to corporate purchasing committees, where internal politics could matter more than the product. Selling directly to people felt more honest: here is the product, and you decide whether it deserves your money.
Publishing a book can feel a little like selling to a committee. First you convince an editor. Then the book goes into print and through the distribution channels. Only then does it meet its readers. If you and the editor don't agree, that meeting never happens.
I wanted as many people as possible to read this book, rather than a few thousand willing to take a chance on a description and a nice cover. If they enjoyed it, they'd recommend it. If they didn't, they'd regret spending the money.
So I decided to try it the other way around. Read the book for free. If you like it, you can pay afterward by making a donation.
There is another advantage. You've probably seen reviews saying, “I wish I could get my money back.” If you don't like this book, you can't get your money back either. You haven't paid anything. Seems fair.
If you enjoyed it, you can help the project grow. Visit the support page or donate through Tribute.
How much?
It's up to you, within the options on the payment page. Think of it as a tip, a thank-you, or a little “well done.”
You might give what you'd spend on a book, a training session, or a month's membership. You might mark losing 10 kg or finally doing something you've dreamed of. What is that worth to you?
You decide. And if you read it for free and go out running, I'll be happy with that too.
Where will the money go?
- Paying the taxes due on donations.
- Working with an editor to make the book better.
- Recording an audiobook for listening on a run or in the car.
- Maintaining and improving the website, where readers can leave reviews and share their stories.
- Bringing the book to more readers in more languages.
- If support allows, adding chapters and releasing new editions free of charge, ready to share with friends.
Thank you, and good luck! This is your chance to vote for the book. I'd love to know what it meant to you.