Customer Reviews

Run for Life: The Injury-Free, Anti-Aging, Super-Fitness Plan to Keep You Running to 100

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here's a backhanded compliment. On the one hand, in Run for Life author
Roy Wallack has produced what looks like a very effective life plan for
running, with new ideas and tools that ought to make you a healthier,
stronger runner. Although many ideas were new to me, I found myself
nodding to myself at times "of course that makes total sense-----I'm
going to do that from now on' ------ such as those "Ultra-Interval"
30-second sprints, which I did on land and in the pool, and felt
stronger after a week. After three weeks, I beat my best 5k time over
the last 5 years on a treadmill by 12 seconds, and wasn't even really
pushing it. I can't wait to do a real race and see what happens. On
the other hand (here comes the backhand) , Wallack shot himself in the
foot with his marketing hook of "Running to 100'--- which will make
people think the book is only for old people. Listen people: It's
definitely not. It's not even just for people over 35, "when the body's
natural deterioration begins, as Wallack puts it. I would go as far
to say that a 16-year old beginner highschool cross country runner
would do himself a lot of good to use this book as his bible. The
detail about non-heel striking form, pedulum arm swing, and barefoot
running is invaluable, and thats just the tip of the iceberg here.
But alas, "young" people ---- and I mean fit, non-injured runners under
40 probably won't pick up this book because of that "age 100" angle.
Even older runners may not, like Bill Rodgers, who in his fascinating
interview said "Run to 100? That's so far away I don't even think about
that." That said it all to a marketing man like me. Bill's over 60 now
(just finished Boston the other day in 4 hours) and has even broke a
bone his tibia due to over-running, but the "100" angle still does not
resonate with him yet. It's a shame. The book could have stood stonger
on its own without this angle. Run for Life IS a great book, engaging
from the get-go even merely as entertainment, but it's fatally flawed
marketing hook may scare away the running masses of ALL AGES who could
benefit from it.

I have seen a lot of books about how to run faster, or how to run better in specific events, but this is a book about how to run for more years without injury and about how to keep enjoying a sport that has become such a big part of my life that it is worth learning some techniques to safeguard my future ability to participate both recreationally and competitively. The book has a strong emphasis on what the author refers to as a "soft running form". He talks about his own experience learning to run soft using the e3 hand grips and some coaching. He briefly reviews the Pose method and refers to Chi running as well. He also talks about barefoot running as a way to acheive a soft running form. There is less emphasis on the downsides of these techniquees, but they are mentioned for fairness sake. I found this part of the book the least helpful since I am a forefoot/midfoot runner already, and tend to find it leads to problems with plantar fasciitis which one of his experts reports as a downside to these methods. The remainder of the book is really excellent and very motivating. There is a lot of good information about strength training/weight lifting in a way to stimulate the natural production of human growth hormone which may work to keep our bodies youthful and strong; flexibility/stretching & yoga to keep us from becoming bent out of shape, hobbled, hunched over; crosstraining to preserve our joints and prevent osteoarthritis, and other injuries; innovative ways to do interval training so we can stay fast despite getting older. There are multiple interviews with some great running pioneers. Its hard to say which is my favorite. Each has something to offer. They talk about their running careers, their injuries if they have any, their contributions to the running community, which many have made. Mostly they give their advice of how they stay fit and active and one can learn what one should avoid and what one should do to stay healthy and competitive for the duration.

I bought and read this book after it was mentioned positively in Runner's World. Unfortunately, there is a fundamental flaw in the book, which advocates low mileage training that includes sessions of high intensity sprints. The rationale for the sprinting is that it causes release of human growth hormone, which has multiple "anti-aging" effects. The evidence for this comes from controlled experiments, cited in the book. I took the trouble to read the original scientific papers, and found that the data were based on strictly on young persons. A follow-up study by the same scientist reported NO HGH surge in older persons, contrary to the long term "anti-aging..plan" promoted in the title. Sadly, then, the premise for this advice is based on naive reading of the scientific literature.

I am sorry to say there is nothing much new in this book. Sprint workouts can have benefits, but not the one claimed. And older runners need to approach full-out sprints with care for avoiding biomechanical injuries. The most interesting parts are the interviews with various personalities from the running world.

Having read, liked, and reviewed Run for Life's sibling, Bike for Life, four years ago, and being as much runner as cyclist (triathlete, actually), I feel compelled to review the new kid. My take: It's as good or better than the old one.

Run for Life talks about a very serious subject--how to get fitter than ever and stay that way to age 100--in a very entertaining way. As a result, I raced through this 300+ page marathon of tips, clinics, interviews, magazine-style feature stories like it was a 5k. Its basic thesis is both radical and logical: Author Roy Wallack, a seriously fit 52-year-old with a wild streak of George Plimpton in him, says you can run into old age--but only if you DO NOT continue with your regular, steady-state, regimen of 65% VO2max endorphin-high running. That wears you out, causes injuries, and does nothing to fight the breakdown of your muscles, which starts around age 35-40, leaving you on the sidelines for good by 65 or 70.

Sure, you can argue that steady-state running isn't the cause of our decline, but a fact' is a fact that most running careers are over by 65. So it's worth listening when Wallack argues that, to blow through the tape on your own two feet at age 100, you have make some changes; cut out most long runs and replace them with super hard, short intervals that build-up muscle with human growth hormone, stop all heel striking (a great "soft running" tutorial here), hit the weights with great intensity, crosstrain, stretch and do posture drills (good pictures here), and run a lot in the pool. And, to show you that he isn't just making this stuff all up, Wallack interviews world-class runners who are doing all these things themselves with great success. Would you believe that the Kenyan woman who set the world record for the half-marathon last year spends three hours a week running in the pool? That's one of many examples.

Besides his "run less, run strong, run faster, run straight" plan, Run for Life has wonderful interviews with 10 Big Names of the sport, like Frank Shorter, Bill Rogers, and Rod Dixon, who all talk about their lives in running in very colorful ways, and offer great advice for staying fit as you age. An interview with a funny 84-year-old, 3-hour marathoner named John Cahill give me a couple giant belly laughs. An interview of Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the father of "Aerobics," is quite valuable, in that the 77-year Cooper distances himself from his "more is better" philosophy of the 1970's and appears to agree with the basics of Wallack's plan.

The RFL plan seems radical, but only at first. After Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (which are about Wallack's funny adventure at the Boston Marathon, where he learned about "soft" running, and then a tutorial explaining it ), I felt like Cooper: I had to agree. If you don't EVER want to hang up your running shoes--I'm 47, and I don't!--this plan seems like a very good place to start. Even if you don't care about living to 100, if you are a runner this is a great reference tool and a very enjoyable read. I will definitely buy this book to give as gifts.

Now that you've read Born to Run, the bestseller by Christopher McDougall, (if you haven't you've obviously been under a rock), then you are ready for Roy M. Wallack's Run for Life. When I bought Wallack's book in March, I was blown away by the number of innovative and quite practical ideas it contains for running faster and longer, such as a "soft" running form, a vertical arm swing, the super-intervals, HGH strength-training, even barefoot running drills. Although they are hard to argue with (soft running like the Pose Method is proven to reduce impact and injuries by 50%, and personally, the vertical arm swing worked instantly for me; I felt faster on my first run). I knew that my runner friends would be too tradition-bound to try most of them. In fact that's just what happened, they were quite dismissive when I raised the subject. Typical runners.

But, then Born to Run comes along a few months later on the New York Times bestseller's list and their attitudes do a 180. They read Born to Run and suddenly they are all fascinated with once-crazy concepts like barefoot running. Suddenly they are worried about getting injured and want to run in minimal shoes like the Tarahumara Indians. It appears that "Born" has converted untold thousands to some of the same concepts that Wallack outlines in Run for Life, in quite exacting details. With many photos and drawings, Wallack's excellent manual tells you HOW to do what McDougall's excellent adventure has convinced you TO do. Bottom line: Run for Life is the perfect companion for Born to Run.

I saw RUN FOR LIFE when it first came out about about 5 months ago and was so turned off by its goofy cover that I wasn't too motivated to buy it. It looks like an Italian flag overlaid with a photo of a happy young woman and man who clearly aren't real runners. Yet its subject matter of "running to 100" and staying "super-fit" as you age intrigued me as a dedicated 43-year-old runner who can't imagine doing anything else for the rest of his life. Plus it has big interviews with famous names like Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. So when I read a nice review of the book in Running Times in May and a couple of rave reviews from bloggers [...] who loved the book but also slammed its looks, I figured I better not judge the book by its you-know-what. After 3 weeks, the verdict..........

RUN FOR LIFE is an eye-opening book unlike anything else out there in the running book market. It supports its quixotic premise that we all can keep running into deep, deep old age with a cornucopia of new ideas and products that I'd never heard of before: there are "hand orthotics" that straighten you arm swing, resistance water- running devices that hammer you hard without bopping your knees, and 30 second, all-out, leave-you-heaving "ultra intervals" that fire up human growth hormone (that's natural HGH, not the artificial stuff that anti-aging freaks pay $1000 a month to inject into their butts). The writer, Roy M. Wallack, who's name I vaguely recalled from a large article about the Pose Method that ran several years ago in Runner's World, starts with the premise that most running careers crumble by age 60 or so because of 2 things: 1. joint wear and injuries due to running, and 2. the body's natural muscular deterioration, which begins at 35. The whole book is basically dedicated to stopping these two things, hence an extensive section on "soft running" techniques (like the Pose method) and strategies for staying running-fit on less running and better technique (through cross-training, sprints, pool running, posture drills, and yoga), plus a large chapter on super-intense strength training, which, like the "ultra intervals" rapidly re-builds fast-twitch muscle fibers with HGH.

Wallack, an impressive researcher and witty writer who often uses himself as a guinea pig (such as doing the Badwater Ultramarathon and the Boston Marathon on hardly any training), backs his "run to 100" plan with real-life examples of big-time people and world champions who are using these novel techniques and gear to great effect. He even gives you a fail-safe chapter called "Bionic Body Parts" which features a radical (to me, anyway) new hip resurfacing operation that is (miraculously, it seems) getting crippled marathoners back on the road and running as fast as ever.

Bottom line: something's going on here. I bought those e3 hand grips, AQx water running shoes, and Vibram barefoot shoes that Wallack writes about, and think they work. I definitely feel stronger and faster.

So......Don't judge this book by its cover, or by some of the typos you may encounter inside (Wallack needs a better publisher, and copy editor). If you want to keep running for another 50 years, as I do, RUN FOR LIFE is a keeper.

I hate to review the paper a book is printed on but I have to. This book is printed on the same stock comic books used when I was a kid. It's the cheap, pulpy, beige paper that has the shelf life of yogurt. When I buy a book, especially a book called "Run For Life," that's supposed to be a long-term reference, I would hope they'd use acid-free paper, not something that's going to crack and crumble. I'm appalled. Can you tell? As for content, the book is a good compendium of current training philosophies including correct running form (they have a chapter on the Pose method, and a chapter on barefoot running), cross-training, high-intensity intervals, and interviews with a number of runners. It feels like a magazine with a bunch of interesting articles on varying aspects of training, and interviews with runners, many of them past or well past 50. The theme of most of the chapters is attaining longevity as a runner. One of the themes that I'm somewhat skeptical about is that we should cut the mileage and up the intensity. Very intense intervals are recommended, as is a weight training to failure program and a "cross-fit" regimen that makes a vomit bucket as necessary a tool as your basic kettlebells. I'm skeptical of the value of all this high-intensity focus because the opposite approach, as prescribed by Maffetone and Stu Mittleman in their excellent books, seems to give me more of what I'm looking for, but I'm certainly glad to know about the high intensity philosophy and, goodness knows, it can be fun to blast the intensity. Whether you agree or disagree with everything, some, or none of the suggestions, it's a fun book to have. If I had to choose between this and, say, Maffetone's "Big Book of Endurance Training", or Galloway's "Running Until You're 100", or Mittleman's "Slow Burn" I would go with one of those. Those guys have proven their methods time and again. That doesn't mean this isn't a good addition to the running shelf, it is. It's great fun with some good info. But the paper . . . I would rather pay a few dollars more and have something that won't become potato chips between covers.

This book is full of useful info for aging runners like myself who just hit 60. It's tough to get comfortable with being past my prime, however this book helps alot in giving exercises and stretches that help one be competitive. I've been struggling with trying to run a 20 minute 5k again for several years and this book may help me achieve that - it gives reasons for doing excercises in a way I would not normally have done. Buy it! It's a long read but worth it.

Roy, Thank You!

I think you've outlined the first practical running-for-everyone program that captures how running and the rest of fitness co-exist, and in fact depend on each other.

So my review takes three parts.
1. who this book is for
2. the overall message, and
3. the book's organization and usefulness.

1. WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR
I think this is a must-read for all recreational runners. Elite and competitive runners have slightly different goals, and may be willing to sacrifice some of the overall fitness a person must have in order to have running longevity for the speed and top levels of aerobic output necessary to win races. But the recreational runner, while maybe chasing PRs and podium finishes at local races, needs only to stay healthy to keep enjoying their sport. This book tells you everything you need to know about how to tune in your program for the overall fitness that will support great running now and for years to come.

Also, I use this book with people who are trying to lose weight and people who have fitness as a job requirement (firefighters, police, etc.). The information about how strength training, interval training and flexibility contribute to the body's running ability is a powerful message. The ability to run hard, produce moderate muscular force, and stay limber aren't just ingredients for good running --- you need them for any kind of good overall performance.

2. THE OVERALL MESSAGE
In order to run and be healthy for a very long time, you need to be doing more than just running farther and farther every day of the week. The book explains what those things are, who are the people developing and working successfully with each concept, and how to combine them in an overall program for exceptional running performance, durability, and longevity.

This book is not written from the author's primary experience. It's more like interview-the-experts-and-report, with the author's experience being a keen coaching perspective that helps you sort out all the information into something usable.

There are lots of interviews with people respected runners and people who have driven the modern running boom. It's like hitting bedrock - this is the good stuff. Roy knows he's not the master - that's his strength. He can talk to all the masters and help us learn from all of them. (Funny how they're all sending some of the same messages!)

3. ORGANIZATION AND USEFULNESS
I use this book in my gym for coaching runners, people who are losing weight, and even a couple firefighters. The chapter-to-a-topic format is genius. It makes the information accessible as a cover-to-cover read or in parts. Just check the table of contents and read what interests you.

Or use the cheat sheet. Yeah, the book has a cheat sheet. It's a three page summary to help you understand that all the components in the book EACH contribute to great running fitness. I refer back to it when I get too focused on one thing - you got to keep your eyes open, train your deficiencies, and keep the whole body working good in order to run well and keep running well.

SUMMARY
The only thing I would change on this book is the title. Some more like "How to overhaul your overtraining program and turn it into something that will keep you running strong for a long long time."

Roy Wallack is a guy always thinking about and doing all kinds of exercise. It might be with new products, weird methods & people or just reaching back and finding that last bit of energy to top out a steep climb. His message in "Bike For Life" and now "Run For Life" is, finding a way to be a lifelong athlete. It comes down to expanding ones understanding then interlocking lifestyle & training. Roy offers well researched methods interspersed with his own real world stories & interviews with a cast of characters, including many of my running heroes.

The underlying message is, strength & balance through focused training. Aging means that we have to adjust and broaden our base. Our bodies will no longer tolerate or repair injuries related to bad form, lack of core strength or overindulgence.