Infuriating - Rated 
I thought this book took whole paragraphs to say what could be said in a sentence. It is set out with lots of glossy pictures to make it look attractive, but all the pictures are stupid. For example, there is a half page picture of a man slumped over his desk at work with the words saying something like "If you're feel exhausted at work you're overdoing it"! Why does that need a glossy colour picture? Sorry, but there are much better books on the market.
Great for Beginners to Improvers -- takes people as they are and helps them achieve more - Rated 
I'm the kind of person who reads a lot of different books to get different perspectives on any new task I begin, or to give me fresh ideas and new inspiration to continue in a tough task (like running and getting fit). This book is one of about half a dozen I have on beginning running and getting settled in the intermediate stage. It is one of the best.
I almost didn't buy it because of a negative review I read here on Amazon. But I flipped through a copy a friend got for Christmas and came right home to order my own. The book encourages a sane, lucid walk/run programme (or even just a walk programme) for absolute beginners and takes the new runner, or the runner returning after many years or from injury or other kind of layoff, and gets you to the stage of easily, regularly, and comfortably doing 30 min training runs and entering races.
The photos are not all of perfect models, but also of average people. They are encouraging and, unlike a lot of running books, stylish and fun to look at as you flip through the book over and over as you need.
Unlike a lot of other running books, this one makes running seem achievable and fun (not like dour military training only for the hardcore) -- but without watering down the pure, hard facts of training and consistency to see results. It just helps you choose your own tasks to achieve with running and helps you go for them. The most helpful section for me (and I assume many others with new resolutions) is an entire chapter on running and eating -- inclusive of an entire sample day of how to work in training and when to eat what. Along with a good amount of dietary advice specific to running and losing weight. They even show how to accommodate certain diets that are usually thought of as off-limits for a runner (i.e., low carb) into a running programme.
Quite simply this book takes people as they are and helps them achieve more. The only caveat is -- if you already run and train several days per week, healthily and without injury, for 30 mins or more, even if you still consider yourself a beginner... this book may be too basic for you.
Excellent - Rated
This is an excellent book. It has everything the beginner runner could possibly want. It has lots of motivational tips, injury prevention advice, nutrition advice, training techniques as well as dedicated training chapters for women runners. This book is truly unsurpassed for beginners. One word of advice, if you can already run for 30 mins, then go for the 'Runners World Complete book of running'. It has much of the same advice but in greater depth.
Made me running succesfully! - Rated
Great tips and informations about running, training, diet and much more! I finally made it to run 4 times a week. The great 8 weeks training programm in the book helped me with it!!!
|
