Overthinking the Marathon is an intimate look at one man's preparation for his 21st marathon. Reading Overthinking the Marathon is like having Ray as your partner for a season of training, 17 weeks that culminate in the 2012 Cape Cod Marathon. Some days Ray talks about the nitty-gritty details, other days, it's about the things that make running interesting and fun, even - no, especially - when it hurts. Training for his marathon is important to Ray, but he leavens his obsessiveness with a dry humor that acknowledges that one mid-packer's race isn't going to change the world. "Ray Charbonneau insists he hasn't written a marathon guide, and he's right. Instead, he's loaning himself out as a thoughtful, veteran, and funny training partner. You couldn't find a better one as you get ready for your next 26.2-miler." -Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner and Editor-At-Large, Runner's World "Marathon running is the easy part. It's the thinking that's the challenging part for the long-distance runner. Ray shares his internal dialogue with us as he readies himself for one more attempt at 26.2." -Dave Goodrich, the "Marathon Maine-iac" (Marathon Maniac #238) "Ray is the opposite of me: he's speedy, understands math, and cares about the weather. I have instructed his cat to keep him awake until he agrees to pace me." -Vanessa Rodriguez, author of The Summit Seeker: Memoirs of a Trail Running Nomad

A series of short running stories by an accomplished Midwestern runner, who has been running for over 50 years. The stories are inspiring for new runners and also for those runners who have been running for many years. The stories show how a running career evolves and begins with self and later encompasses family members, first son and daughter and latter grandchildren.

Ipeaked: A Reluctant Runner's World is about my 30+ years and over 30,000 miles of running. It's not your typical runner's book since my passion is more about quality of life than running. I am truly a reluctant runner who embraces and enjoys the benefits of the world of running rather than the act. So if you're starting to run or are a seasoned runner or bicyclist: meet my guardian angels, race and train with me, share my life with family and friends, and learn a few things about running (run walk method, paying forward, training schedule, how not to run a marathon and more), cross training (biking and swimming), first triathlon, beginning road biking, and runner gift suggestions. I have mastered the balance of being competitive while adhering to a ?don't hurt yourself? training regimen. It seems to have worked since I'm still at college weight, my butt hasn't fallen off yet, and most of my family and friends are still talking to me.