The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances (Volume 5) (The Oatmeal) by Matthew Inman

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances (Volume 5) (The Oatmeal) Reviews

• 
  Sam Quixote

  Bah. Running. Exercise. Ugh.
  
  The last (and only!) book I read about long distance running was Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and it was ok – Murakami’s writing always has this strangely Zen/peaceful quality to it. But it basically repeated the same thing over and over: he likes running because it makes him feel good about writing, about his life, about everything.
  
  Matthew Inman’s written a similar book, albeit in comic form, in The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances, which also informs you that he likes to run because it makes him feel better about his life, about his work, about everything. But it’s also about other things like Inman’s hatred of gyms and gym culture, his dislike of healthy food-only diets, and an anecdote about giant Japanese hornets (which are literally the size of sparrows!).
  
  Thanks to a combination of natural storytelling ability and appealingly over-the-top imagery (his apathy is characterised as a morbidly obese fairy called The Blerch who urges him towards cake and Netflix), Inman is able to take this rather mundane-seeming material and turn it into a compelling and fun book.
  
  Besides the autobiographical stuff, there’s actually a lot of good advice for anyone looking to start running themselves. Like how not to pressure yourself early on to change all aspects of your life if you decide to start running, or to set unrealistic targets (waking up at 5am every day? Fuck that!).
  
  There’s a refreshing honesty to his approach – he’s not setting out to tell you how to lose weight, and he’s not telling you that running will solve all of your problems; he’s just telling you what works for him. You won’t get a ridiculously sculpted body if you run long distance – instead you’ll get giant legs! And if you want a six pack, you’ll have to starve for it to show, and Inman is steadfastly against dieting/starvation – by all means make healthy choices but don’t deny yourself junk food either (that said, the schlumpy guy he portrays himself as in the book isn’t who he is in real life – man looks like a catalogue model, damn him. But he says he was a fat kid growing up so I guess that mentality is for life).
  
  But Inman’s message is clear: whatever you do, choose to run. The rewards far outweigh the costs, which are quite minimal and mostly consist of time which most people have, they just talk themselves out of using it to exercise (it’s just easier not to!). And he is quite a convincing proselytiser of running; the idea of reaching a void-like space in your mind when running is quite appealing.
  
  I liked his anecdote about running in Nagoya, Japan (a beautiful city) which makes you feel his pain acutely as he ran out of water early on in the run on a hot day and began being chased by giant hornets. He eventually outruns them and gloriously discovers a vending machine in a bamboo grove, calling the moment when he drank a cold purple grape drink a near religious experience! The Japanese do put vending machines EVERYWHERE and I’ve had that purple grape drink before – Fanta Grape is godly whether you’re dehydrated or not.
  
  My favourite part of the book is his critique of gym culture, showing all kinds of body types in the gym and revealing their thought bubbles – basically everyone has body issues whether you’re a massive blob or a skinny, tanned Adonis. Running won’t get rid of that – nothing will until you start liking who you are - but it will give you a high that’ll help put things into perspective and make you feel better too, mentally and physically.
  
  The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances is a highly readable, fun comic about the joys of running with some amusing insights into our current overly-health obsessed society. It almost makes me want to become a runner too.
  
  Almost.
  
  Blerch!
• 
  Jennifer

  The Oatmeal is the reason why I started running.
  
  This past weekend, on Saturday, September 20, 2014, I took part in the inaugural Beat The Blerch 10k run. I signed up for it back at the beginning of April with my sister and a friend, since we all love The Oatmeal comics and thought it sounded like fun. The problem was that I had never been a runner.
  At all.
  Ever.
  So, since I didn't want to embarrass myself by having to walk the whole thing, I started training. And now I've actually started to *like* running! And I even finished the 10k about 15 minutes faster than I was expecting to!
  
  So thank you Matthew Inman for helping me to start trying to beat the Blerch. And thank you for such a hilarious telling of how and why running is important to you, and now me.
  
  And now I am going to let the Blerch win a round, and eat a handful (or two) of chocolate peanut butter cups while I sit around on the couch....
• 
  Anne

  I don’t know shit about running, but Matthew Inman makes me want to be a runner, like, tomorrow.
  Ok, maybe next year.
  What? New Year's resolutions, guys! The sooner, the better.
  
  
  
  Inman’s mind-body connection inspires me. Running to him is a mental process. He doesn’t want to be one of those who eat only healthy food; he doesn’t want to be a legend. He runs because he has his own nirvana and his body is a tool to get there.
  
  
  
  I caught myself laughing out loud at Inman’s metaphors and analogies countless times. He knows when to show some vulnerability and when to prove a point using his acid humor. Believe me, you'll want to read this book more than once.
  
  *ARC provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley.*
• 
  Jon Nakapalau

  If you are going to start running as part of your fitness regime you have to read this book! Funny yet sage advise on the highs/lows of setting realistic goals. Have to be honest - after boot camp I promised myself I would never run again; it was one of the was I motivated myself to get through it.
• 
  James

  If What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is Haruki Murakami's manifesto of distance running, then The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances is Matthew Inman's. Inman might not be such a well known writer as Murakami, but he is the artist behind the popular online comic: The Oatmeal. He's touched on his running in previous comics, but this is the first time he's attempted to put together a book's worth of material.
  
  Rather than just reprinting a few comics from his collection and throwing in some new stuff, Inman has attempted to put together a narrative throughout the book covering his motivation, the agonies and the euphoria, and his battle against his running-demon: the Blerch. It's fun, it's well put together and while it isn't going to make you a better running (or even inspire you to get out there running) it is interesting to understand Inman's, admittedly humorous, if negative, take on his own running journey.
  
  This only takes up the first half of the book though, and the second half is the more random collection of stuff that the book was good to avoid being. That's not a bad thing, some random is fun. Having the structured section first makes the random section the light relief, and that works too. Finally, the book ends with some motivational strips that are almost certainly preaching to the choir – if you've got this far you already know if you're a runner or not. But I'll finish with my favourite line from the book (and, to be fair, it's not representative of the language in the book, but):
  
  

  "Log out, power down, and get that screen out of your face. Go outdoors, experience the world, right now. Unless it's cold out, then fuck that shit. What am I? A polar bear? It's hot chocolate time motherfucker."
• 
  Reading_ Tamishly

  This one is a winner✨ No, not like his other books.
  
  I love this one for it's most imperfectly perfect illustration, the perfect script and the perfect urgency(or the lack of it!) when the author talks about running and why it means a lot to him and why it could mean a lot to us.
  This one is one level up from all the self-help graphic books I will ever read.
  It's been planned, designed and executed well.
  It's funny and cute and serious at the same time.
  It gives a message about how life is difficult and can be made better, when to care and not to care regarding eating and the so called healthy habits.
  
  Reading this makes me more humane.
  Yet motivated and loved in the end.
  Recommended ✨
• 
  Crystal Starr Light

  Bullet Review:
  
  First book of 2016 was nearly the last of 2015. It was a cheap book through the Kindle Daily Deal and even though my Kindle is "only" the Paperwhite, it still looked decent - more importantly, it was HILARIOUS and oddly enough, encouraging.
  
  May the rest of 2016 bring equally engaging books!
• 
  Rach

  I love this book so much. I have a love-hate relationship with both running and food, and Matthew Inman, aka the Oatmeal, seems to capture that perfectly.
  
  If I were to mention the parts I liked, I would just be describing this book, page by page. The heart of this book is the Blerch, of course, that fat little cherub that follows you around and tells you you've run far enough, you have earned a nap, have another piece of cake. If you have no clue what I'm talking about,
  you can read about the Blerch here and get a sneak peak inside the book. I'm lucky enough to have been able to run in the Oatmeal's inaugural Beat the Blerch half marathon a few weeks ago in Carnation, WA, and it was such a joy to be running through the woods, stopping at aid stations to hang out with Blerches and Sasquatches and eat cake and nutella sandwiches (spoiler alert: I didn't eat cake).
  
  If you're a runner, or want to be, or have thought about running once, or once ran to catch a bus, or accidentally walked faster than normal to beat someone to the last piece of cake, then you have to read this book. Even if none of those things apply to you, you should still read it. You'll at least get some laughs. and maybe it'll even inspire you to go for a run, or at least a vigorous walk, so you can beat that Blerch at least for today.
• 
  Kaitlyn

  Decidedly, painfully unfunny. Low-effort art, minimal text, and jokes that consist of taking whatever item is trendy on the internet and making lolrandom!!1! strings of text. Non-sequiturs are only really funny if you are 5 years old. When it can't come up with a Family Guy-style cutaway that is tailored to the transitory interests of nerds, it relies on tired stereotypes that have been done to death by better writers. Avoid.
• 
  Max

  This is so hilarious!!! Relatable humour about (long distance) running, the drawings are just awesome. This book got many chuckles out of me.
• 
  Alan

  A funny and much needed palate cleanser.
• 
  Dave Schaafsma

  I have not been crazy about any of the 3-4 Inman books I've read before, but because I am a runner, and have been for several years, fairly seriously, this is my favorite book I have read from him. He's irreverent and profane about something that usually gets written about with such reverence by such sculpted vegan Buddhist crazies living the unattainable life. Inman is a normal guy, overweight, and yet he has run an ultra marathon for 11 hours, and makes a good case for running in part just because he is not perfect. He's reasonably funny, too, but in this one (vs his books about grizzly bears, etc) he is not just being silly, since he has something useful to say this time. He IS having fun with this subject, but it is a subject he really does care about.
• 
  Brenda

  Back in high school I was very athletic, tan, and outgoing. I joined cross country because the Spanish teacher and my history teacher teamed up to badger the hell out of me until I caved—which I did, eventually.
  
  It was a great idea. It was tough at first, I was good in team sports but had never had to just run for the sake of running. The first run I did I walked half of it—it was three miles and I made it through about half before I couldn’t stand it anymore.
  
  I built up from there, and after doing it every day I was at the point (along with the rest of the team) where I could run 12 miles before noon and feel fantastic.
  
  That stopped when I went to college. I stopped running with any regularity and continued to eat as if I was running 6 miles a day, and gained some weight.
  
  Cut to modern day: I’m 30 pounds heavier than I was and my skill had greatly diminished, though not completely. I can still do five miles at the drop of a hat, but it’s a struggle.
  
  Ingman’s book comes at a great time because I’ve resolved to be more active in any and every capacity. When I get home from work, instead of plopping onto the couch I grab the dog leash and take the dog for a walk. Instead of sitting and reading during my breaks at work, I stand and read or wander in circles and read.
  
  It’s a slow start, but the goal is to build the mentality that movement is good>, and get back into running, and eventually into weightlifting. Step by step. This book has some amazing tidbits and I relate to Ingman SO MUCH on this stuff (including the constant desire to watch Gladiator) and I’ll use it as my unofficial running bible from now until I don’t need it anymore.
• 
  Vishal Katariya

  Inspirational. Off for a run now.
• 
  Jen (The Jenerator)

  Eh.
• 
  Abby Hargreaves

  I'd taken a break from running for a variety of reasons and felt like I needed a bit of a push to get back into it. The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances was exactly what I needed. Humorous, nonjudgemental (except for some self-deprecating, which I think most good-natured and reasonable readers/runners will nod along in agreement with), and packed with the usual crude fun of Inman's work, this graphic...memoir? of sorts? manages to be all of those things while still packing a practical and thoughtful punch.
  
  As is consistent with other work by Inman, Long Distances achieves simple explanation (often by way of hilarious analogy) of abstract concepts and somewhat-challenging philosophical ideas. By couching his sermon (and the book sometimes does feel like a religious experience, perhaps due in part to the way Inman describes running -- and, more specifically, particular runs -- as if they were religious experiences) in boorish humor and illustrations, Long Distances makes even the lofty assertions about running (again, those religious experiences) feel familiar and common in the best way.
  
  Like the title suggests, Long Distances catalogs the reasons Inman runs. Some of them may be reasons the reader has run in the past or still runs, while others may be new to them. I found this especially helpful as I sought inspiration to get back in my shoes and on the road. Suddenly, I had a whole arsenal of reasons to get out there along with plenty of encouragement and an appropriate amount of commiseration. Any reasons I'd forgotten from my first serious go at running were returned and articulated to me through Inman's manifesto. Inman's stance is different from a lot of the motivational runners out there who are all about clean, healthy lifestyles. Instead, he addresses the (and his) reality: that some of us run so that we can indulge in less healthy behaviors elsewhere. This is just one of the reasons that comes up in this graphic work, and Inman's usual specific and analogic approach is spot-on every time.
  
  As an extra, you're also likely to learn a bit in the course of reading this. In a horrifying and hilarious anecdote about a run in Japan, Inman details an experience about murder hornets (believe it or not, the book was published prior to 2020 when murder hornets became a brief concern for Americans). In the anecdote, Inman offers some factual pieces about Japan, the hornets, and other elements of the story, all of which feels like a wonderful bonus that gives the book that extra sparkle.
  
  I'm not likely to forget this one soon and can see myself revisiting it whenever the idea of running becomes less than appealing for me. Recommended to everyone (even if you're not a runner or thinking about running, there's still plenty of reason to enjoy this short collection), but especially those of us who are just one more excuse from refusing to get back out to pounding the pavement.
• 
  Lena

  Motivational
  Earlier this week I was supposed to meet a friend to go over the new restrictive beyond paleo diet her nutritionist gave her, it begins with a five day cleans she had already begun. Unfortunately she had a scheduling conflict and couldn't meet me. I said I'd just work on eating reduction until we could meet. Yesterday, as I read this book I was finishing off a Dominos Fiery Hawaiian pizza; I can merrily eat a whole one in a day. I did not feel bad about this because Thursday I had hit a PR, 8.35 miles/1162 calories burned. While I was running I had not realized I was running for the pizza but there it is, in graphic image.
  
  Mr.Inman, the Oatmeal, just flat out says he runs to eat and secondarily to feel better and for enlightenment, or something like that.
  
  Me, I thought I was running to loose weight and secondarily to feel better. But what is now obvious is that I run for pizza because pizza makes me feel better too. As the scale reminds me, this is not working. Sigh, well admitting the problem is the first step to resolving it. This morning for breakfast I handed back the tortillas that came with my pozole, I don't need them. I will now eat in a reasonable paleo fashion regardless of my runs.
  
  Something I disagree with:
  I need my shit. I have matching name brand (and Walmart brand) fancy color coordinated running outfits for all weather conditions, three types of running shoes (Hoka, Nike, Brooks), an Osprey Raptor Hydration pack, a Wahoo HR strap, and an iWatch. Before all these accessories I had never run more than three miles, now I constantly astonish myself. Cute outfits and gizmos motivate me (and assure me I am not, in fact, dying).
  
  I also disagree with:
  
  I hate listening to my gasping breaths, I always have my headphones on. For speedy runs there is speedy asphalt slapping music. For long distance runs there are audible books. In part this is to distract me from the pain, and no I do not feel bad about that. Stuff your stoicism! Mostly this is to help the mental-feel-good vacation that is running.
  
  What I have learned and absolutely agree with:
  
  I had not planned to run today until I read this and now I am. I will fight the Blerch, I will earn my happy juice, but I will do it in a cute outfit, accessorized, and listening to American Gods.
• 
  laurel [the suspected bibliophile]

  I hate running. Always have, always will. I hated running during high school. I hated running during college, whether with a pack of fitness obsessed Adonises who ran circles around me (no, seriously) or while carrying weight on my back. I hated running in the Marine Corps. I hate running because it hurts, particularly my back. It got to the point I could barely walk due to the back pain.
  
  But. Last year I got out of the Marine Corps. And I got fat. I've hit the point in my life where my back rolls are forming their own back rolls and plotting world domination. I've never had back rolls until roughly three months ago, much less schemingly evil ones. It's to the point where the Blerch has won. I have no motivation. I want to sit on the couch, staring at my computer screen and obsessing over the mountains of homework preventing me from reading my mountains of books while gobbling Nutella, pizza, ice cream and cheese-smothered nachos while my stomach becomes a pale and jiggly JellO monster. Binge eating is a good hurt. I can't even get on my yoga mat. Now is not a good time, mentally or physically.
  
  And this book. Damn you, Matt, you hit on the core of my Blerchness. You gave it a name.
  
  I don't want to die drowning in maple syrup and waffles. I don't want to get to the point where I like maple syrup or waffles, much less die on them.
  
  So here goes. I'm about to dust off my running shoes. Break out my too-small sports bra. Squeeze into yoga pants (chaffage, thy name is inner thigh hamburger meat). Start small. Maybe I'll run a mile. Maybe 30 seconds. Maybe my heart with burst and I'll collapse to the ground in a pile of tears, vomit and feces.
  
  Hey, at least it won't be waffles.
• 
  Megan

  I've read the
  Oatmeal on and off for awhile now. Enough to know that Inman is hilarious. I've already read his online version of The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distance, so when I saw that he was publishing it into a book with even more comics I needed it. My roommate, the ultra-skinny-vegan-friend-who-runs-for-fun, checked it out from the library and handed it to me, with a boys choir singing in the background and the clouds parting to shed light on this book. Or something like that. I grabbed it... and read it all in one sitting.
  
  This book had me laughing out loud several times. This is where I apologize to my ultra-skinny-vegan-friend-who-runs-for-fun. I'm sure I kept her up that night, having started the book after 11pm. Sorry, girl. I just couldn't contain myself. I'm not going to even attempt to describe any of the comic because it will just ruin it. Read it.
  
  It's funny for runners and non-runners alike. You can read the whole book in less than two hours. If you're looking for a laugh, I know where you should turn.
  
  My rating and why: I gave this book four stars! I read it and super enjoyed it. While this is a comic, and definitely comedic, there are these awesome moments where Inman slaps you with some insanely insightful tidbit. I just love it. It definitely solidified why I want to be a runner, for sure.
• 
  Micaila Blankenship

  Read for the 4th time now!
  
  As always it made laugh, got me excited for my next long run, and daydream about running into a new void (or in the books case fight a Kraken).
  
  This book is what encouraged me to originally start running (about 5 years ago, off and on).
  
  And then last year I took the advice to just sign up for an event (the Maui Marathon) and I ran my first half marathon. Something that seemed impossible up until the moment I finally crossed the finish line.
  
  And this year I am training for my first marathon (and find this time that I am excited for each and every run).
  
  So read this book.
  
  It will either entertain you vastly and make you laugh.
  
  Or
  
  Encourage you to join a cult (but seriously, drink the kool-aid… once you start running long distances everything in life is infinitely better).
  
  Beat the blerch, fight a kraken, and dive into nirvana!
• 
  Ryan

  Matthew Inman is obviously a very funny and clever guy and enjoy following the comics he posts on his Facebook. That being said I don't always agree with what his comics are saying. Surely the thing that makes a comedian or commentator great is the realisation that the person is saying what you've thought all along, they just do it in a more articulate and hilarious way that you ever could. With this book on running, Inman nails it for me, parts of this book made me think THIS is why I run and he's only gone and said it in a better way than I've managed in my own head, and it's funny too! The bastard!
• 
  Stephanie

  3.5/5
  
  This was a pretty funny book with great illustrations. I could relate to a lot of it which was really enjoyable. There were a couple of sections that I didn't really like or get, that didn't seem to quite fit with the rest of the book, but all in all I liked it. I would recommend it to all distance runners... you won't feel so alone or crazy in your running endeavors!
• 
  Laura

  Fast enough to read in a 20 minute walk on the treadmill. And while it was occasionally funny, I found it more depressing than inspiring. I'm sure he is being hyperbolic, but it seems like he's barely running fast enough to keep his demons at bay and that makes me sad for him... I guess it is about what you'd expect from The Oatmeal.
• 
  Gaby

  I've read this book both as a non-runner and as a runner (if my month of jogging counts). It's funny either way, but it's also preachy and self-congratulatory. You'll like this if you're into The Oatmeal.
• 
  Dion Yulianto

  Jika ada buku motivasi untuk para pelari marathon, buku ini salah satunya. Disajikan dalam bentuk komik, buku ini lebih mirip seperti curhatan si komikus tentang kehidupannya. Jika Anda ingin jadi pelari atau mau berolahraga rutin, jangan baca buku ini karena penulis sedikit agak "menyesatkan." Tips yang disajikan penulis di buku ini lebih seperti "aku cocoknya seperti ini, kamu mungkin nggak cocok seperti aku. Jadi jangan ditiru."
  
  Setiap orang memiliki fisik dan tujuan masing-masing untuk diet dan berolah raga. Jadi lebih baik menangkap sisi humornya saja ketimbang ribet mencari sanggahan dari yang hendak disampaikan penulis. Sebagai simpulan, buku ini mengingatkan kita bahwa tujuan akhir hidup adalah kebahagiaan. Penulis memilih lari karena dia merasa bahagia saat belari. Kamu mungkin punya jalanmu sendiri untuk bahagia, nggak harus dengan berlari. Berjalan santai mungkin.
• 
  Lost Planet Airman

  This is excellent, well worth a read.
• 
  Anežka N.

  - motivační knížka o běhání od člověka, který se rád válí na gauči, kouká na filmy, cpe se jídlem, často se mu vůbec nechce cokoliv dělat. ale ví, že když se přemůže a dokope ke sportu, bude mu skvěle, úžasně, dokonale a rozhodně nebude litovat, že nezůstal doma.
  - neběhá kvůli hubnutí, machrování na soc. sítích, balení holek nebo proto, že je to in. teda možná trochu, ale hlavně kvůli té svobodě!
  - kdybych už neběhala, po tomhle začnu.
  - autobiografické prvky + rady začínajícím běžcům + spousta nadsázky + dost nekorektní humor
  - vtipné, upřímné a fakt dobré.
  
  
• 
  Nikhil Dehlan

  Didn't know it was a graphic one. Turned out to be a good one. Runners would correlate with ease. More importantly, anyone looking out to start it would benefit as well. The storytelling ability of author got this mundane seeming read (my friend said this is too specific after the title) into a fascinating one.
  The author made no bones about his biases (i.e. gym, perfect diet obsession), but stopped right before making it into a so called self help book, mentioning the early day start regime and the so called healthy habits.