Customer Reviews

Run Strong

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

 

 

In Run Strong 13 writers, with expertise and experience as coaches, trainers, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and runners (four Olympians among them) contribute 12 chapters covering all the topics essential to achieving success in middle-and long-distance running.

As a runner who has been competing for over 30 years, and as a certified running coach for 17 of those years, I believe that in order to be the best runner you can be, you should incorporate a number of other factors in your training besides running farther and faster. Once you understand the importance of efficient running mechanics, both for injury prevention and enhanced performance (well presented by several of the authors), you are prepared to include the activities that lead to the neuromuscular coordination that good form requires: core-strength; running-specific strength; balance; and dynamic flexibility through the full running range of motion. You are willing to learn as much as you can about fueling your body, allowing it ro recover from training and racing, and maintaining it should injury or illness strike.

Run Strong covers all of these essentials, and does so in manner easily accessible to the non-scientist. It includes a generous supply of photos illustrating key strength and stretch moves, tables summarizing recommendations, and sidebars adding interesting highlights. The editor has done a good job of cross-referencing chapters when the authors mention areas covered in another chapter. And yet the chapters can stand alone, so that the busy runner/reader can pick one topic here, another there, and come away with useful suggestions to be tried in the next workout or program design.

As a long-time coach, I have many how-to running books on my shelves, not to mention all the running fiction, biographies, autobiographies and combinations thereof. Run Strong will definitely find a place on the shelf nearest my workplace.

This is not a traditional training book like Daniels or Coe and Martin, nor is it one of the scores of "Explain Everything About Running to the Beginner" books out there. Instead, it focuses on the aspects of training with which even experienced runners may be unfamiliar. For example, it discusses lifting weights, stretching, dietary concerns, etc. in addition to topics directly related to running such as peaking for a race, improving leg speed, addressing long-term aerobic development, multi-pace training, etc.

This is a valuable book because even if you know a lot about running, you will probably find something new in here. Keep in mind what many of the authors say must be taken with a grain of salt. The jury is still out on whether lower-body exercises and form drills will make you a better distance runner, for example. If you tried to do all the supplementary training discussed in this book, you would probably be working out three hours a day at least. You'll have to try different things and decide for yourself if they are helping your running or just wasting your time and energy. But hey, if you're like most serious runners, you're willing to try almost anything if it will keep you healthy and make you faster. So check the book out for yourself.

Regardless of your running level, this concise collection of essays addresses many issues and will surely provide useful information and inspiration from which the runner can pick and choose. Interesting and informative, it will reinforce or realign your current regimen with clarity and effective advice.

I received the book very quickly and in great condition. Will definitely order more. This is beneficial to my running/training program.

I learned several new stretches and ways to add a little bit more efficiency to my running style. Very Helpful

This is not a single running "plan", but 12 articles relating to distance running, and related subjects.
Some of the articles - maximizing recovery (Pfitzinger), Maintaining Fitness While Injured (Douglas - coauthor of several books with Pfitz), Supplement Guide (Pfeffer), are very focused and well written. They directly address the question for any serious runner - "Are certain activities going to improve my running, by how much, and is it really worth it?"
Others such as Rubio's training plan are anecdotal and rambling. "I qualified for the Trials using this plan, so you can too". This is non-specific nonsense that is of no use.

The listed references are not sorted or even footnoted in the text - weak. There are 5-6 websites listed, again with no guidance.

The editors obviously solicited articles from a wide range of practioners and published (in realtively unedited form) the 12 best, covering what they believed were the most current subjects in distance running. It is a stretch to call this a "book", but still quite useful.

Purchased the book because of Kevin Beck. Funny guy and a great runner. He had a blog for a couple of months and every post made me laugh out loud. The book is good too.

This book is easy to read, yet has very good explanations of techniques and exercises to improve your running. Very good information.