Reading Darwin: On the Origin of Species

It's World Book Day, so it's only right that this morning I finished Darwin's On the Origin of Species.

As with "Voyage of the Beagle", I listened to the work as an audiobook. I had read "Origin" (or, more completely, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life) in college, but of course that was years ago. I love the cadence of his writing, his repeated turns of phrase. But I also love hearing his tentative thoughts on just why the finches of the different Galapagos islands were different become scientifically sound.

Okay, with over a century of additional study we've learned that Darwin's sketched tree of life isn't accurate:

 

Not, I hasten to add, because evolution isn't real (sheesh!), but because there is even more crossbreeding between species than is commonly thought -- so discrete evolutionary branches aren't accurate.

... modern genetics has revealed that representing evolutionary history as a tree is misleading, with scientists saying a more realistic way to represent the origins and inter-relatedness of species would be an impenetrable thicket. Darwin himself also wrote about evolution and ecosystems as a "tangled bank". - The Guardian

But I don't care. I still can't wait to get stuck in to reading The Descent of Man later this year. Of course, before then I've got a big, meaty new project: reading Ulysses over 100 days!

While looking for a nice picture of Darwin for this blog post I came across this gorgeous artwork by Gremz, available for download. So good!

Happy to have another item from my #101in1001 project completed! And we're only 59 days in!

Runner's Bookshelf: "The Road to Sparta" by Dean Karnazes

Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat. Dean Karnazes is a certified badass. Calling him a mere ultra marathoner seems inadequate -- I mean, is there something higher than "ultra"? And he is deservedly a legend in the running community.

His new book, The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World's Greatest Footrace (phew!) tells the story of one of Karno's greatest accomplishments: completing the Spartathlon, a 153-mile run from Athens to Sparta, in 36 hours.

Let that sink in. That's 4.25mph. That's a 14:07 minute mile. Ever mile. No stops. For 36 hours. You want a break? Better move faster. If you miss the time cutoff your race is over.

Add in that he completes the race while imbibing only traditional foods, including cured meats, olives, figs, and a sweetened sesame paste called "pasteli". Or at least he tries to eat -- turns out he was unable to stomach food for the second half of the run. Pass me the olives...

Karnazes also shares stories of his Greek heritage, and tells the story of Pheidippides' run from Marathon to Athens... and, more importantly, Pheidippides' run from Athens to Sparta.

I thought it interesting that he feels Pheidippides's accomplishment -- running from Athens to Sparta -- is under appreciated by historians. I think he probably means unappreciated by most people, to be honest. Even in my freshmen "Introduction to the Ancient World" my decidedly non-athletic professor told us about Pheidippides, and -- though most people associate him only with the marathon, the he completed much longer runs as a hemerodromos, including from Athens to Sparta.

I think most non-historians only think of the marathon because, well, most people know what a marathon is, even if they're not always sure how long it is. And more people complete the New York City Marathon in an average year than have EVER completed the Spartathlon. But I digress.

While Karnazes tells a good story -- indeed, it's part of the reason he inspires such devotion in his fans, some of whom stalk him en route -- his prose takes on a distinctly Tyrian purple hue:

"...my body was slowly moving beyond fatigue and exhaustion into a meditative transcendence. Step by step, I was departing from my corporeal body, losing my sense of identity, and stepping further into the providence of spirit. It was a most glorious dismantling of self. My feet still clipped along, my arms still swung back and forth, and my chest still heaved, but my mind had largely relinquished jurisdiction. I was at once both vulnerable and powerful, a physical presence moving through the earth, though largely defenseless and exposed. An ultramarathon is a way to engage intimately with the world and at the same time escape from it."

But, yes, it's forgivable; he had been running for 26 hours at that point... and it's clear that Karnazes' fans LOVE it.

Filled with interesting factoids and inspirational achievements, Road to Sparta made me want to lace up and run. Not an ultra or anything like that, mind you, but at least to get back outside.

Runner's Bookshelf: "Do Life" by Ben Davis

I remember the first time I saw the video. I don't know where I heard about it -- maybe someone posted it on Facebook, or maybe I heard about it from someone at work. I watched the video at my desk at work, and -- like many people -- was crying pretty darn hard by the end.

Ben Davis's "My 120 Pound Journey" video was so moving, so touching, that I immediately sent it out to my Marketing colleagues. Within a few minutes, I could hear people crying all over the office. I noticed that in some of the video clips, Ben was wearing a pair of Brooks shoes. I looked up his Tumblr account, found an email address for him, and asked if we could send him a fresh pair of kicks -- it looked like he needed them.

He seemed thrilled by the offer, so I sent him some shoes, and that was kinda it. Well, except for the fact that, when I needed a bit of inspiration, I'd go back and watch the video again.

I was always happy to spot Ben somewhere -- when we appeared on the cover of Runner's World, for example, or when he was on the Today show. And I was sorry not to have known when he was in Seattle as part of his "Do Life" tour -- I would have liked to actually meet him.

 Ben's new book, not surprisingly called "Do Life", is like getting to spend a few hours with Ben. He tells his story with honesty and humor, starting with childhood disappointments (Amanda Gray, how could you?} and the food addiction, gambling, and other destructive behaavior that he indulged in until he hit bottom.

"...bottoming out can be a positive thing, because there's only one direction you can go from there. But the truth is that you only bottom out when you decide that this is your bottom. If you let yourself, there will always further to fall."

A moment of inspiration, provided by his grandmother, led to Ben and his brother signing up for a 5K 17 days later, despite the fact that Ben had only ever run a couple of tims in his life, and he had no idea what a 5K was. "Sometimes in life you just have to jump in."

Ben completed that 5K... and then kept on running, eventually completing marathons and even becomeong an Ironman -- somethinig I don't know if I even DREAM about doing. The book recounts his story, with plenty of laughs along the way. But this book isn't just a mini-biography. Ben peppers his tale with plenty of advice for runners who are just starting out, or even runners who have just fallen into a rut. Possibly my favorite part of the book was the chapter called "Turning the Corner", which is about getting back on track:

"Don't sit around and worry that you'll never get your mojo back. Trust that it's going to happen. Simply buckle down and push harder than you've been pushing. Get mad and get strong. Use your frustration and disappointment in yourself to your own benefit."

Ben also incluldes training plans ranging from 5K to Ironman, nutrition advice, and even a 25-week running journal. Though I won't use running journal (I prefer journalling electronically), I can imagine that I'll dip into this book every now and again when I need a little inspiration.