Customer Reviews

Better Runs : 25 Years' Worth of Lessons for Running Faster and Farther

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had been running on and off for years. Injuries here and there and lack of motivation prevented me from attaining any consistency. Late 1996 I decided to run the Chicage Marathon in the fall of 1997, consequently shortly before my 40th birthday. Trying to prove to everyone and myself that I am not really aging. That even though I'm 40, I feel 25. Who am I kidding! I decided that I would become knowldegable on the topic and searched for running books on the amazon.com site. Joe's book came up in the list. I had heard about him in Runners World magazine so I decided to try the book. It totally changed my view of running. Run for FUN!! Run for your health not against your health. So many great tips on how to run but also a wealth of thoughts that changed my mindset that has allowed me to get past the boredom. I love each and every run and look forward to them with a new enthusiasm that I never had before. This book was a great investment in my future health. I will be a runner for life

I am a triathlete, and as such I am always searching for ways to increase both my endurance and my enjoyment of excersize. Joe Henderson, not only makes reading about running fun but offers some unique and worthwhile suggestions for even the serious athlete.

Hey if it isn't still fun to run then read this book and follow his advice. Before long you will wonder why did not think to make these changes earlier and save yourself some unproductive pain.

Also, many of these lessons transfer nicely into other sports so do not be afraid to try them out.

I've only been running for about a year, and I was afraid this book would be too technical, or too focused on competitive/marathon runners. But I've gone through this book with a highlighter time and time again finding helpful tips to make running safer, healthier, and more fun. It's a keeper!

This isn't it what it says. It's mostly reprints of Henderson's columns from Runner's World and other periodicals. As such, it's a good picture of his outlook, warts and all. Unfortunately, it's not as cohesive a perspective as it would be if it were a complete work. Henderson contradicts himself several times, and gives some genuinely bad advice, like training for marathons by running no more than half the distance (even he admits to barely finishing with this approach -- imagine what it would do to a novice!), and drinking soda or sugar water during endurance runs (this can be downright dangerous).

What good information there is to be had here is mostly quoted from Sheehan, Galloway, and others. This gives a good overview of some of the primary sources, but it's marred by Henderson's inconsistency and his obvious ego.

Like the other reviewers, I loved this book. It will keep you interested in running for a long time to come. Henderson makes sense.

But I want to make sure that serious runners know what the book is really about. It's not a book about developing a competitive edge--at least not in the normal sense. It's not about living on the edge--in terms of high mileage training. It's about not falling off the edge--that is, staying healthy and interested in running over the long haul.

As much as I loved the book, I couldn't give it 5 stars because right now I'm in the competitive mode, determined to qualify and run the Boston Marathon. I need more tough training right now than Henderson promotes.

Once I run Boston, I'll come back to this book and love it more than ever.