The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances (The Oatmeal)

I really loved this book! It strikes a perfect balance between being extraordinarily funny and providing profound truth about the bizarre motivations, fears, and aspirations of we long distance runners.

If you like The Oatmeal, then you already know that you'll like this book. I will say, I've seen almost half of this content on his website. It was a hilarious read (done in half an hour), and I definitely felt motivated to get out and run!

because of this guy and his comics I tried running and going outside and getting away from my computer. Best decision I ever made. I recommend reading this if you want a different perspective on why it might be a good idea to pick up an exercise and get out of the house

Loved this book! It's highly motivating and entertaining. If you're looking for that "kick in the pants" to start doing more running while laughing about the good, bad and ugly things you might experience along the waboothis book is for you. It can also give helpful insight if you know a competitive runner and think they're nuts (they probably are). All in all, a great read!

I cannot say enough about this book or its author. If you haven't seen The Oatmeal's website, please visit it. You will not stop laughing. EVER. First of all, before I forget, don't buy this book thinking it's for kids. It's got a lot of adult language in it, so I guess it depends on how you raise your kids. I got it for my Dad to make him laugh about his own suffering in trying to run long distances (he did a Half Ironman, woo!). He started reading, and didn't stop until he finished. My Mom said he was laughing the entire time. It's a fairly quick read, with big beautiful illustrations finely printed with a good binding. I think of it like Farside, the cartoons I used to read as a kid. I loved those cartoons. This is more of a narrative about something specific, but it has that comical feel of being somewhat raunchy and unapologetically vulgar. I love unapologetically vulgar. Please buy this book, and get right to reading. Mine came with Beat the Blerch marathon stickers!

This book was written in comic book style but had me rolling with laughter from start to finish at the quirky humor. It was a lighthearted and silly approach to all of the trials of running, from thoughts we have to the food we devour. I shared it with a friend and they were laughing out loud and decided to take the book with them. Books that bring such honest laughter are good for the soul.

I bought the kindle version and didn't realize that over half the book is repeat content from the website. I was thinking the book would have a lot of new funny content! I did love the added comics in this book and I love the oatmeal just too much repeat.

Inman has captured (and named) my inner Blerch, that never-quiet voice in my mind that loves to remind me (often) of my failures, my shortcomings, and my previous embarrassing moments... and once I'm low, the Blerch offers me solace in fatty foods. Like Inman, my Blerch is silenced only by my footfalls and the flapping of my race bibs (four safety pins, you say?). Sure, the comics are available for free on The Oatmeal, and no, the stickers aren't completely weatherproof, and yes, the red text on the black background might be hard to read in some places - but this book is bliss, and is worth every penny, if for no other reason than the pleasure of knowing my purchase has, perhaps, paid for the entry in Inman's next race and/or his next jar of Nutella. Buy it as s gift for any runner you know, or for yourself, and your own inner Blerch.

I was surprised to find that this entire book was a comic book, but perhaps I just did not read the description well enough. The illustrations and writing were very entertaining. My only real regret was that even as a slow reader, I only got about an hour and a half of reading time out of it.

I think I only stopped laughing to catch my breath while reading this book. Every page is hilarious.

If you follow Inman's blog or his content on Facebook, you've seen much of the book already. However, the way this is organized is worth the buy. Motivational, amusing, and everything you'd expect from The Oatmeal.

Matthew Inman never ceases to amaze me. He is funny, clever, and smart. These attributes bleed into his books without question. This new book is no exception, however it is a little different from his previous books. He previous books were a little 'random' and enjoyably so. Matthew's new book is a little more focused, and its all about running (and a intermission about bees). The focus was quite enjoyable. Matthew was able to explaining is running journey while making it funny and enjoyable to read. I would say it provided me with some inspiration to go out and run....but who am I kidding? I read this for his writing style. It's great. Buy it. You'll love if you familiar with Matthew or the humor/comic genres in general.

The only con to this book is that it doesn't come with a poster, you get stickers as a consolation prize. Having purchased Inman's previous books I was expecting a meticulously crafted and funny poster. I was disappointed when one wasn't there :(