Men’s Fitness has stated that I might just be the fittest man on the planet. Time once claimed that I’m no mere mortal. Wired hailed me as the perfect human. Let me share a little secret with you: I’m really just average. Perhaps even a little below average. I know this better than anyone. I’m not bestowed with any superhuman powers. I don’t have any special gifts. There is no magic in my genetic makeup. I’m just an average guy.
So how am I able to run hundreds of miles at a clip? How was I able to complete fifty marathons, in fifty states, in fifty consecutive days? Just how do I do these things? I wrote this book to answer that question. There are lessons I’ve learned along the way that can help you achieve your own amazing feats of endurance, however you define them. Some of these lessons are nothing more than practical tips that I’ve picked up along the road, as all runners do; others come out of challenging experiences and help illustrate an approach or attitude that has proven effective for me. In either case, the aim of this book is to share with you the things that have helped me accomplish my goals, in the hope that you will be able to accomplish yours, no matter the scale.
Just remember, as extreme as some of my accomplishments have been, you are reading about an average guy. An extremely average guy.