To the Finish Line


Book Description

Chrissie Wellington, the world's number one female Ironman athlete and four-time World Ironman Champion, presents her struggles, wisdom, and experiences gained from her hard-won career as a triathlete. With close to 2 million core participants, triathlons of various distances and challenges are attracting more participants than ever before. In TO THE FINISH LINE, one of the sports' greatest legends brings triathlon to life, with guidance for newbies or experienced athletes, to achieve their best triathlons-no matter their ability. Filled with training tips, practical advice and inside information from a champion, triathletes of all levels can benefit from Wellington's experience and insight. Her book will guide readers on their own journey, whether that be a sprint or an Ironman, and encourage them to rise to every new challenge.




Beyond the Finish Line


Book Description

In the 1880s photographers and sports enthusiasts confidently declared the end of dead heats in sporting competition. Reflecting a broader social belief in technology, proponents of the camera stressed that the device could provide definitive proof of who won and who lost. Yet despite this remedy for the inadequate human eye, competitive races between horses, boats, and bicycles ended too close to call a sole champion. More than a century later, when cameras can subdivide the second into ten-thousandths and beyond, athletes continue to cross the finish line in ties. In this fascinating journey through the history of the photo-finish in sports, Jonathan Finn shows how innovation was animated by a drive for ever more precise tools and a quest for perfect measurement. As he traces the technological developments inspired by this crusade - from the evolution of the still camera to movie cameras, ultimately leading to complex contemporary photo-finish systems - Finn uncovers the social implications of adopting and contesting the photograph as evidence in sport. At every turn empirical obsession intersects with the unpredictability of sports, creating a paradox wherein the precision offered by photo-finish technology far exceeds the realities of human performance and its measurement. Separating athletes by the hundredth, thousandth, or ten-thousandth of a second is often a fiction that comes with significant material and cultural implications. A lively biography of a critical technology, Beyond the Finish Line illuminates the cultural role of the photo-finish in win-at-all-costs culture and warn that in our pursuit for precision we may threaten the human element of sport that galvanizes mere spectators into fans.




A Race to the Finish Line


Book Description

Occasionally, a great manuscript is written about someone great, and that great manuscript is A Race to the Finish Line, and that someone great is Barack Hussain Obama, the first African American to be elected president of the United States of America. Rose's work is a brilliant analysis of the struggles that Barrack Obama overcame to reach the Oval Office and as the commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the United States. The book is intellectually stimulating and insightful. It chronicles Obama's life from birth and examines the forces that shaped his life and made him the forty-fourth president of the United States. It explains how Obama defeated three renowned, admired, and experienced politicians--former first lady and Senator Hillary Clinton, former prisoner of war and Senator John McCain, and former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney--to become president of the United States. Rose's work presents fresh insights into Obama's life--from his birth in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961, to Seattle and then Jakarta, Indonesia. The book is a definitive account of Barack Obama's formative years, which made him the man he became. After graduating from Punahou School, a private, elite all-white academy in Honolulu, the young Obama entered Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and after two years, he transferred to Columbia University, an Ivy League college in New York City, and to Harvard University Law School, where he was elected as the first African American president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Dr. Rose's penetrating and captivating work describes Barack Obama's tumultuous upbringing as a young man of mixed race who was raised almost exclusively by his white grandparents, his marriage to Michelle Robinson in Chicago in 1992, and his work as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004, and serving as a US senator from 2004 to 2008 when he was elected President of the United States. The book reveals that Occidental College has had a profound impact on Obama's life, because according to him, it was at Occidental College that he took life seriously and was awakened to the notion that he could make a difference in the world. Rose's epic work is a rich tapestry of a life little known or understood prior to his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, which instantly catapulted him into the national spotlight. The book is a classic narrative drawn from hundreds of interviews, including several of President Obama's advisers, friends, and classmates and a trove of articles, journals, and other documents. It tells the human story of a man--Barack Hussain Obama--who changed the course of history and the world in a way that no one else can and no one expected. As a result, he is considered one of the most significant figures of the twenty-first century. It is a groundbreaking and multigenerational manuscript; a richly textured account of President Obama's life from childhood to adulthood as he tried to make sense of his past, established his own identity as he prepared for his political future. It is a beautifully written and powerful book that captured Barack Obama's time as a community organizer in one of Chicago City's roughest neighborhoods as he grappled with the role that faith has in store for him. It is a fascinating account about a young man born into uncommon family and perhaps unusual circumstances--son of a black man from Kenya, Africa, and a white woman from the state of Kansas in the United States. It is a first-rate account of the human struggles of one of the most interesting and exciting presidents of our time, Barack Hussain Obama.




The Race Without a Finish Line


Book Description

"An excellent primer on the most important subject for American business in the 1990's--training its people."--James Flannigan, business columnist, Los Angeles TimesBased on interviews and site visits with twelve Baldrige National Quality Award-winning companies as well as with two winners of the President's Quality and Productivity Award. This complete guide for implementing total quality management (TQM) in all organizations offers lessons learned by leading TQM companies to help managers and executives assess an organization's readiness for TQM and prepare for the cultural revolution required to truly embrace quality.




Racing to the Finish


Book Description

Racecar driver Earnhardt was at the top of his game—until a minor crash resulted in a concussion that would eventually end his 18-year career. In his only authorized book, Dale shares the inside track on his life and work, reflects on NASCAR, the loss of his dad, and his future as a broadcaster, businessperson, and family man. It was a seemingly minor crash at Michigan International Speedway in June 2016 that ended the day early for NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. What he didn’t know was that it would also end his driving for the year. He’d dealt with concussions before, but no two are the same. Recovery can be brutal, and lengthy. When Dale retired from professional stock car racing in 2017, he walked away from his career as a healthy man. But for years, he had worried that the worsening effects of multiple racing-related concussions would end not only his time on the track but his ability to live a full and happy life. Torn between a race-at-all-costs culture and the fear that something was terribly wrong, Earnhardt tried to pretend that everything was fine, but the private notes about his escalating symptoms that he kept on his phone reveal a vicious cycle: suffering injuries on Sunday, struggling through the week, then recovering in time to race again the following weekend. In this candid reflection, Earnhardt opens up for the first time about: The physical and emotional struggles he faced as he fought to close out his career on his own terms His frustration with the slow recovery from multiple racing-related concussions His admiration for the woman who stood by him through it all His determination to share his own experience so that others don’t have to suffer in silence Steering his way to the final checkered flag of his storied career proved to be the most challenging race and most rewarding finish of his life.




Crossing the Finish Line


Book Description

Why so many of America's public university students are not graduating—and what to do about it The United States has long been a model for accessible, affordable education, as exemplified by the country's public universities. And yet less than 60 percent of the students entering American universities today are graduating. Why is this happening, and what can be done? Crossing the Finish Line provides the most detailed exploration ever of college completion at America's public universities. This groundbreaking book sheds light on such serious issues as dropout rates linked to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Probing graduation rates at twenty-one flagship public universities and four statewide systems of public higher education, the authors focus on the progress of students in the entering class of 1999—from entry to graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. They examine the effects of parental education, family income, race and gender, high school grades, test scores, financial aid, and characteristics of universities attended (especially their selectivity). The conclusions are compelling: minority students and students from poor families have markedly lower graduation rates—and take longer to earn degrees—even when other variables are taken into account. Noting the strong performance of transfer students and the effects of financial constraints on student retention, the authors call for improved transfer and financial aid policies, and suggest ways of improving the sorting processes that match students to institutions. An outstanding combination of evidence and analysis, Crossing the Finish Line should be read by everyone who cares about the nation's higher education system.




Run to the Finish


Book Description

Inspiration and practical tips for runners who prioritize enjoyment over pace and embrace their place as an "average" runner In her first book, popular runner blogger Amanda Brooks lays out the path to finding greater fulfillment in running for those who consider themselves "middle of the pack runners" -- they're not trying to win Boston (or even qualify for Boston); they just want to get strong and stay injury-free so they can continue to enjoy running. Run to the Finish is not your typical running book. While it is filled with useful strategic training advice throughout, at its core, it is about embracing your place in the middle of the pack with humor and learning to love the run you've got without comparing yourself to other runners. Mixing practical advice like understanding the discomfort vs. pain, the mental side of running, and movements to treat the most common injuries with more playful elements such as "Favorite hilarious marathon signs" and "Weird Thoughts We all Have at the Start Line," Brooks is the down-to-earth, inspiring guide for everyone who wants to be happier with their run.




Train Like a Mother


Book Description

The authors of Run Like a Mother share a comprehensive guide to race training for busy runners of all experience levels. In Train Like a Mother, elite runners Dimitry McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea offer inspiration and practical advice on how to run a race—from training plan to finish line. Covering four race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon), they discuss pre- and post-race nutrition; strength training; injury prevention (and rehab); the importance of recovery; and everything busy women need to know to add racing to their multitasking schedules. It is all presented with the same wit, empathy, and tone the avid fans connect and identify with.




After the Finish Line


Book Description

Thoroughly investigates the reality of horse slaughter in the United States.




5-minute Star Wars Stories Refresh


Book Description

A brand-new collection of 12 action-packed retellings that span the entire Star Wars saga including two tales from The Last Jedi. These exciting stories can each be read in just five minutes--ideal for galactic adventures at lightspeed! Illustrations.