Eat & Run is the story of Scott Jurek and how he became one of the great ultra runners of our time. It's an inside look at this niche sport and mental fortitude it takes to compete. He's also a vegan and proves wrong many previously held views about the ability of veganism to be viable for endurance athletes.
Any runner, but especially those that enjoy the longer distances is going to find this book fascinating. The length of these runs is incomprehensible to most of us. Having insight into the inner dialog and struggle experienced by even the very best of the sport is heartening and enlightening.
I first read this book on a weekend trip to Aspen, CO to run my first mountain half-marathon. I was a bit nervous leading up to the run simply because of the elevation gain over the course - not only was it at 8500 feet of elevation, but we would gain and lose about 3000 feet of vertical over the 15 miles. As I started reading this book on the way to Aspen, I realized what a weenie I was. I was running only 15 miles in a couple of hours. This Scott Jurek guy is running for days on end, conquering much tougher conditions, for more than a hundred miles. It helped give me perspective and confidence that with the right mental state, I can push way beyond what I previously thought possible.
The race went fine, better than fine, and I've carried that lesson forward in many areas of life. I love this book and highly recommend it.
Note: if you enjoyed this book, you will also enjoy North, a similar read in the next stage of Scott's life.