by Bob Schwartz
"Why we carbo load, fartlek train, hit the wall... and love every minute of it".
Bob Schwartz delves into the world of training, racing, the mindset of the distance runner, the multiple skills of runner's, motivation and recovery, the marathoner, injuries, aging gracefully, competition and effort. This book is hilarious! Whether you are a novice runner or a professional marathoner, this book is for you. Schwartz nails the ins and outs of running and how being a runner is more of a lifestyle then a sport. Unless you are a runner, you would think that his encounters and rational are exaggerated, but being a runner myself, I felt comfort in knowing that I am not alone. As an added bonus, B.K. Taylor's illustrations appear in the beginning of each chapter. Although not your ordinary book on running, this book is a serious look at the total running experience in an honest and comical way. Most running books are stuffy and clinical and humorless, but not this one. Schwartz is able to capture the pitfalls of running, that we do not always hear enough about. He's earnest and funny all at the same time.
Highlights include:
- The intricate art of drinking on the run from paper cups
- Trying to reacquaint fingers to toes after years of tight hamstrings
- Hitting the wall
- Having your heart flutter with the newest cushioned training shoe
- Discovering cross-training contraptions designed to strengthen your gluteus maximus
- Getting excited about the latest flavor of energy gel on the market
- Suffering from RWIA, otherwise known as running watch information addiction
- The addictive nature of high-intensity interval training
- The depths of despair upon learning your favorite shoes will be discontinued
- Embracing the saving grace of age-graded race time calculators
- Attempting to run with a reluctant canine companion
- Trying out running in the oxymoron of barefoot shoes
Available at bookstores everywhere. Human Kinetics Publisher
Click here to preview of some of the hysterical chapter illustrations from the book. BK can be reached at bktaylorstudio@comcast.net.
