Three Years, Three Letters: From the Couch to the Alps

Description

If you have not tried - how do you know you cannot?---A gripping personal journey rich with challenges, crises, and peaks. A journey of self discovery, of coping, and of creating change. A journey around the world, including snow-covered mountain tops, exotic forests and wild landscapes in Japan, the Alps, the Dolomites, Iceland, Costa Rica and more. A journey that provides a unique insight into the world of mountain "ultra" runners.---Another day on the 30th floor of Google's Tokyo Head Office. I am staring out the floor to ceiling window toward Mt. Fuji, unaware exactly how much this day is about to change my life. My self-image as "fat" has been fixed since childhood, I always hated running. Shocking news from a local physician are about to shake me out of my stupor and lead to a series of actions, and in fact turn out to be the very catalyst for my setting out on a journey of significant change.This is my account of that three-year journey that began with me weighing over 120 kilograms, and culminates in my participating in one of the most challenging mountain races in the world - becoming the first ever Israeli to finish the "Tor des Geants", a race of 340 km that takes place on a treacherous route deep in the Alps. It is a testament to the human spirit and our ability to achieve the "impossible"."Three Years, Three Letters" deals with the questions and ideas that trouble many of us - the desire to find the inner strength to accomplish change, coping with crises and our own fears - both old and new, setting targets, and chasing dreams that once seemed impossible.---About the Author:Ari Veltman divides his time between Tel Aviv and mountain ranges around the world. An economist with a Doctorate in Game Theory from Tokyo Institute of Technology. Worked for eight years in Google's international offices in various management roles. Over a few years, Ari was the first Israeli to have finished some of the toughest mountain races in the world. These days, Ari is working with startups as a business mentor and advisor, combining his insights from the business world and those he gained conquering "ultra", "impossible" challenges.