I want my readers to see the love, respect and deep bond that the dog driver and dogs develop over a lifetime on the trail. To get a feel of the quiet language spoken through the lines off the team. Most importantly I want you to experience the courage and determination that the sled dogs posses. They are the ultimate adventurers. This story is written in both the voice of lead dog Casper and dog driver Pat, giving the reader a unique insight into the sport of sled dog distance racing, thoughts and emotions shared by both man and canine when matched against the elements of Mother Nature. What starts out as a simple sled dog race quickly turns into something so much more for both Pat and his canine buddies and you the reader. I hope you enjoy the ride with both the highs and the lows of being out on the trail that "Song of The Runners," will take you on.

A collection of Military Strength and Conditioning Programs for reaching Combat Readiness. In this book you will learn about Combat Readiness and the the specific nature of the Conditioning required to reach it. You will find: 12 WEEK SPECIAL BOAT SERVICE PROGRAM -Rope Workouts -Load Training -Unit Specific Endurance -Body Weight Conditioning -Strength Circuit Training 8 WEEK US MARINE PROGRAM -Doubles and Triples -Running Endurance -Kettlebell Conditioning 12 WEEK PRE-SELECTION PROGRAM -Body Weight Conditioning -Strength Circuit Training -Load Training -Specific Endurance

The Iron Butt Rally (IBR) is the world championship of long distance, endurance, motorcycle riding. It is held every odd year, and covers all of North America. It is billed as "11 Days, 11,000 Miles" and claims proudly that finishers are "The World's Toughest Motorcycle Riders." As of this writing, since the Iron Butt began in 1984, worldwide there have been 403 people who have finished. The author finished this ride in 2009. He was fifty-seven years old. The motorcycle was a thirty-three year old BMW. It started the 2009 rally with over half a million miles on it. The organizers put them both solidly in the Hopeless Class. This book, which includes 65 photographs and 6 maps, is the story of the author's long distance riding experience, from the time when he considered riding three hundred miles a day an incredible achievement, to his covering over 13,000 miles in 14 days in 2009. The total mileage is 13,000 because after he finished the IBR, he had to travel over 2,650 miles in two days in order to return home and be on time for work. The author rode an average of nineteen hours a day for eleven days to gather points needed to be declared a finisher. One hundred and one riders started the rally in 2009. Seventy finished. Prior to this Iron Butt Rally, the author had been riding motorcycles as his main form of transportation for over forty years. He bought the BMW R60 new in 1976 and it was his only motorcycle for a third of a century. Over that time he decided that riding endless miles was a great way to relax and see the world. Think of the IBR as a giant scavenger hunt covering the forty-nine states and Canada. The riders are hunting for bonuses that are described by the organizers. The harder it is to ride to and from a bonus, the more points it is worth. At the start of each leg of the rally, the riders are given a list of bonuses. Each rider has to figure which bonuses he, or she, can ride to and still be on time at checkpoints. No two riders follow the same route. Bonuses can involve walking across the sea floor at low tide to take a photograph, or a visit to a historical location, or meeting a specific person at a specific time. Wind, rain, desert heat, traffic, illness, or mountain cold does not stop these riders. The author had ridden the same motorcycle in the 2007 IBR, but due to poor planning, inexperience, and dehydration, he lost an entire day during the rally. One can't lose a minute during an IBR, and he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that there was no way that he could be a finisher. However, he developed a route for the last three days that covered over four thousand miles and seven states to try and gain enough points to somehow be successful. The IBR gives no quarter for bad luck or poor health. He was a DNF (did not finish). During the 2009 IBR the author had good days and bad. Some days were spent riding on beautifully paved roads in perfect temperatures. Other miles were done on gravel roads, or in storms that damned well seemed to approach biblical proportions. Riders must be ready for anything. On day five the author stopped for a few hours sleep at eleven o'clock on a Friday night in Mississippi only to find that his footpeg and sidestand had broken loose from the motorcycle. Unable to ride, and knowing that no one would have parts for a 1976 motorcycle, he thought that his rally was over. Three hours later, with the help of a mobile welding service, he was back on the road and back in the rally. This book is written for those who ride motorcycles for long distances, short distances, and for those who have never wanted to ride a motorcycle at all. It's about the adventure that can still be found by pursuing the love of a sport and a dream.

The nature writing of Gary Ferguson arises out of intimate experience. He trekked 500 miles through Yellowstone to write Walking Down the Wild and spent a season in the field at a wilderness therapy program for Shouting at the Sky. He journeyed 250 miles on foot for Hawks Rest and followed through the seasons the first fourteen wolves released into Yellowstone National Park for The Yellowstone Wolves. But nothing could prepare him for the experience he details in his new book.The Carry Home is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Ferguson and his wife Jane, who died tragically in a canoeing accident in northern Ontario in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature. Confronting his unthinkable loss, Ferguson set out to fulfill Jane's final wish: the scattering of her ashes in five remote, wild locations they loved and shared. The act of the carry home allows Ferguson the opportunity to ruminate on their life together as well as explore deeply the impactful presence of nature in all of our lives.Theirs was a love borne of wild places, and The Carry Home offers a powerful glimpse into how the natural world can be a critical prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process of saying goodbye.

All proceeds from sales of The 27th Mile go to support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. The 27th Mile is dedicated to everyone who loves running or runners-first and foremost to those who were killed or injured at the marathon, but also to the people who, even as they eat dinner with their family, put in another eight hours at work, or sit and read this book, have already planned when they'll go out for their next run. Within this book, you'll find stories that extol the spirit that first got us out on the roads to run, that brought us to Boston on a sunny spring day, and that will bring us back to Hopkinton next year, and in the years that follow. It's the spirit we celebrate every time we go for a run, whatever the distance. The 27th Mile includes a mix of fiction and non-fiction contributed by a wide range of talented writers who run. They're marathon champions and weekend warriors, ultramarathon racers and fitness joggers, running magazine pros and bloggers, best-selling novelists and indie publishing standouts - well, take a look for yourself: Amby Burfoot, Ben Tanzer, Caryl Haddock, Chris Cooper, Chris Russell, Cristina Negron, Grace Butcher, Hal Higdon, Jason Fisk, Jeff Galloway, Jesse Parent, Joe Henderson, Julie Greicius, Kathrine Switzer, Lawrence Block, Lorraine Moller, Mark Remy, Perry Romanowski, Ray Charbonneau, Ray Sespaniak, RJ Walker, Vanessa Runs, Willy Palomo