Amazon.com Review
As good a primer as
Running is, it takes a few moments to turn the sense of loss attending author Flo-Jo's premature death into one of celebration of her accomplishments.
Running's triumphant cover and 16-page full-color photographic homage to one of track and field's most spectacular presences serve as bridges over this emotional gap, but, ultimately, it's Flo-Jo's own contagious passion and eagerness to share what she knows that kick this comprehensive, energetic, and entertaining guide into a truly fitting tribute.
Like a good coach, Flo-Jo works to inspire and never condescends; she helps you get started, spurs you on, and then sends you huffing and puffing on your way. She explains running's physiological and emotional benefits in detail (and those of walking, too, if you're so disposed); introduces you to shoes and equipment; and stresses the importance of safety and road etiquette, good nutrition, stretching, warming up and cooling down, and, most of all, making sure that regardless of your health or age to check first with a doctor before beginning any serious running program. With the basics in step, she shoots you into the fast lane with advanced training tips, injury maintenance and prevention advice, and racing suggestions (how to find, prepare for, and run them), from local 5Ks on flat courses to demanding international-scale marathons.
In the For Dummies tradition, she ends with a series of top 10 lists. Two of them, taken together, nicely capture the essence of Flo-Jo as hard-nosed competitor and elegant personality: More Than Ten Ways to Sharpen Your Mental Edge and Ten Beautiful Races. For Flo-Jo, victory and aesthetics were just two legs of the same race. --Jeff Silverman
From Library Journal
Fabled runner Griffith Joyner ("Flo-Jo") died in September 1998, in the midst of this book project, co-written with Hanc (The Essential Runner, LJ 3/1/94). In the familiar, attractive "...for Dummies" format, the usual subjects are covered: benefits, mechanics, motivation, shoes, nutrition, stretches, hill training, safety, weather, regimen, races (leading up to a marathon), injuries, cross-training, and weights. Photos of Flo-Jo enhance the section on techniques, stretches, and weights. Although the book is geared toward both sexes, one chapter addresses special concerns for women, children, and seniors. Overall, the authors have provided the tools beginning runners need while giving more advanced runners sound advice, too. The book is not gadget-happy, except for one superfluous section on cross-training equipment like stationary bicycles. An excellent purchase for both public and academic libraries. (Index and 16-page color photo tribute to Griffith Joyner not seen.)AKathryn Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, BC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
