During these Coronavirus time, when you’re not social distance rucking or doing Ruck PT, here are a few books you may enjoy.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
You want to talk about overcoming adversity? Never quitting? Leadership?
Shackleton’s crew gets stuck in arctic ice flows and their boat gets destroyed. No help is coming. Odd of survival are small. So, what are they going to do?
If you haven’t read this book, now is the time. Not only is the true story of Shackleton and the crew jaw-droppingly amazing, but the storytelling and writing are simply wonderful.
As an added bonus, if you’re an audiobook fan, this version is phenomenal!
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
If you are a rucker, then there is likely something in you that likes to push your body physically. But, how far can we push it? How much of our limits are nature and how much are nurture?
Hutchinson’s book is by far one of my favorites in the realm of physical and mental endurance. The science and storytelling make this not just an entertaining and informative read, there are actual lessons that can be applied in things like… say… doing a GORUCK event.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Sleep is weird. I mean, think about it. You lay there in a mostly unconscious state, watch a movie that feels real but isn’t, all while your body goes on autopilot fixing all the things you’ve messed up carrying your ruck for 12 hours and storing memories deep in your brain.
Seriously. Sleep is crazy.
That said, sleep is also one of the biggest tools in your training toolkit and probably the one you neglect the most. This deep-dive into sleep isn’t a how-to, though you may find some tips in there. Rather, this is a fascinating look at… well… why we sleep.
Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness
This one is for all my CrossFit buddies out there.
As I’ve written previously, CrossFit is a big part of my GORUCK training and experience. So much of what I encounter in the gym directly translates to how I perform mentally and physically during an event.
While I’ve read several “CrossFit” books, this is the one I remember enjoying the most. With lots of stories about the start of CrossFit, it is filled with numerous examples of DFQ and pushing yourself to your limits physically and mentally.
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
You want to talk about overcoming odd and DFQ? Madam C.J. Walker was born shortly after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to former slaves in the deep south. Her early life was as rough as you might imagine.
However, Walker didn’t give up. Despite the challenges faced as a black woman in the early 1900s, Walker built a beauty empire that not only propelled her to the upper echelon of wealth (she built a mansion right down the street from Rockefeller) but her business helped raise thousands of women out of poverty giving them a job that often paid 2-3 times more than the average wage of black women at the time.
For me, this book was a fascinating look at overcoming adversity and not giving up, no matter what the odds.
Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration
You feeling alone? Isolated? Tired?
Well, just add freezing, starving, exhausted, and dangling over a crevasse.
This book will provide some context to help you push through your social isolation as you follow Mawson on one of the most epic tales of survival you’ll ever encounter.
What about you? Any good recommendations for isolation reading? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.
