I don't know if it was my download, but there was a huge jump from his drug use to running without any type of transition. At one point he is writing about drugs and the next page his aunt is buying him sneakers and he is running Ultra Marathons without a how or why.

A good, quick, and interesting read. Inspiring how this man went from super heavy drug use to super heavy running. I just wish it was fleshed out more.

I did worry when he wrote that he does miss drinking because it was fun- honest, yes, but is it a good message?

Free on Kindle Prime, so try it. I paid .99 and it was worth it. ( )

A very personal universal tale

The long story short is that one very positive habit can realign and even subjugate all the bad habits and toxic people. Personally written but not in an insufferable humble brag but with true pathos and grace. Both a runner's book and also an addict's book but also the book of someone who wants to live rather than kill himself. ( )

This book is very good. This guy, Mishka has been an alcoholic and a druggie for awhile. He has faced many challenges. So when is friend died at the bar he was working at, he stopped doing drugs. He had been sober for six months already though. He decided to run. He ran and ran and ran. He was doing fifty milers every weekend. He mad some friends including his best friend Luis. His knees eventually gave out and he went through a lot of physical therapy.In the end he could run again. His best friend, Luis, was doing a hundred mile run and was trying to do it in under 24 hours. The two guys made it with five minutes left to spare.

This is a fantastic book. Also it is a great learning experience. You learn all about drugs and alcohol from someone who has experienced it.You also learn about how they overcame that and became really good at running. This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. ( )

The Long Run by Mishka is an inspiring story for addicts. It is hard in this account for the reader to separate alcohol addiction from drug addiction. Mishka seems to have done it all. The “thing” that save him was running. This was running in all its forms, from short distances to ultra- marathons and beyond. It would be inaccurate to say that something like running was an epiphany. First had to come the realization that his “present” life of daily drinking and doping wasn’t working. Then he had to come to the reality that sometimes his life was more fun with alcohol and drugs. Then he had to come to the decision point; which lifestyle had the least negative consequences? Which lifestyle, and all conceivable choices had negatives, had the least negatives? Running was an activity that helped lead to an alcohol and drug-free life. But running at the extreme distances Mishka ran in the face of the extreme pain that he forced himself to endure was also an addiction.

His words express his struggle better than the interpretations of a reviewer. Here are some that resonated with me.

At thirty-two, I’d been chasing oblivion for nearly twenty years. I don’t remember my first drink because it precedes conscious memory. (loc 54)

Sobriety was relentless. Sobriety was life without eyelids. Sobriety was a bare white room with painfully bright fluorescent lights, buzzing constantly. At least when I was fucked up all of the time, I felt good some of the time. (loc 298-299)

It’s been two years and change since I’ve had a drink. Fitting for someone who can’t recall his first drink, I can’t recall my last drink. (loc 614-615)

REVIEWER NOTE: The above contradicts long-held beliefs of Bill Wilson and the AA crowd.

Am I happier now that I’m sober? I don’t think so. I was pretty good at drinking— I had what it takes to wake up with the shakes and I could hold down a barstool with the best of them. (loc 624-625)

Well, there is no secret because there has been no miracle. I got better the way everyone gets better: by trial and error and error and error, by fumbling around and making mistakes but not giving up and working incredibly hard at it every day and eventually, through a painful and laborious process of eliminating every wrong turn, finding my way. For me, the hardest part was learning how to care about my life again.

REVIEWER NOTE: The above emphasizes trial and error and error and error. The acceptance of this admits the possibility of backsliding.

I stopped drinking and started caring for no clear reason at all. (loc 641-645)

One hard truth I stumbled upon is this: I drank because I wanted to drink. Every single drink, every single drug I took, I took because I made the decision to get fucked up, and fuck the consequences. I was sad and angry and lonely and a little alcohol made me feel better. It took me a long time to figure out that a lot of alcohol made me feel worse. Whoops. (loc 650-653)

REVIEWER NOTE: In the above Mishka mentions sad and angry and lonely. AA adds “hungry” to this list. Mishka had substituted alcohol for food and decided to ignore the need for food. He was lucky to survive.

This Kindle Single has insights inspired by deep introspection gained from personal experiences gained in the quest for a more acceptable life by one individual. It can inspire others to begin their personal quest to change their lifestyle. ( )

I really enjoyed this story - I just think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been longer, with more detail. It felt a bit rushed and disjointed at times, and I think it would have made for a better book than short story. Otherwise, very interesting, engaging story about a man who struggles with alcoholism and eventually replaces it with long distance running. Recommended. ( )