Feet in the Clouds Reviews - Page 2 - General running

Fell Running

30/11/2005 at 14:33

Agreed lardass

But

I'm genuinely dissapointed if it has put anyone off fell running. Folks should give it a go if they ever get the chance. being a flatlander isn't an excuse - I was born and brought up in Cambridgeshire....

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

30/11/2005 at 14:36

Being a "flatlander" isn't my excuse.

My excuse is that I wouldn't bloomin' well like it. I suffer from vertigo and going down a near-vertical scree-covered slope does not appeal.

Different strokes and all that. You can't force people to like things, I guess.

Maybe if fell-running appealed to you as you were reading it, you'd enjoy the book, but if it didn't, then the faults in it became more apparent?

Duck Girl

pirate

30/11/2005 at 14:49

I really liked the book.
Also meant that I get a bit less confused when talking to the hardcore fell-types in club. (Living in York with no transport, I don't get much chance at hills so i just dabble - but is probably the most enjoyable stuff i do - but then again, i get bored after two laps of the track). Having been brung up in Cambridgeshire too, and being something of a wimp when it comes to heights, I'm not exactly classic fell-running material (downhills are usually accomplished to sounds of 'Oh Shi-Owwch-arrgh-SPLAT') - but the sort of uphills that make your legs wobble leave me grinning ear-to-ear, and getting awarded a special box of chocolates for 'Muddiest Runner' meant I could still manage an excited squeak even after 9m of one slippery scramble after another.

holly-go-lightly

30/11/2005 at 14:57

I loved the book, even had dreams about fell-running. I found the background information really interesting and put it all in context, without it I don't think the passion of those individuals would have come across.

Anyway, gave it to my best friend who found it dull as ditchwater.

Minks

30/11/2005 at 16:12

Good thing we're all different. I'm an avid reader and always have been, but have never been able to get beyond the first few chapters of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Too much description and too many characters necessitated wading through previous chapters to try and remember who was who. Couldn't be bothered in the end and gave up.

The other half, on the other hand, hardly ever reads but has read 'Lord of the Rings' in its entirety and loved it.

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

30/11/2005 at 16:15

I read teh first page of "The Hobbit", thought: "This is a complete bunch of ####" and put it down.

I did get halfway through Catch 22 then put it down, got distracted, then never got the motivation to pick it up again.

The Bobolink

30/11/2005 at 18:46

I loved "Feet in the Clouds" and I thought the balance between his own attempts at the BG Round and the history and characters in Fell Running was about right. I also found the stuff about Amateurism and Professionalism very interesting if only to show how ludicrous and shameful the whole situation became especially when it discouraged kids from running at their local galas ! What a disgrace. The rest of the world must think we're potty at this sort of thing.

The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner I found a bit boring and self indulgent in places and the kind of humour all too familiar in books like this these days. Championed by Bill Bryson ?

RunningCommentary

30/11/2005 at 20:51

I enjoyed Feet In The Clouds. It did what running writers find it hard to do -- say something new.

It's disappointing to hear so many people complaining about Askwith writing about northerners and northern communities. That's where the book and its characters exist. The author doesn't pretend to be anything other than a southern softie (like me), and manages to squeeze a fair bit of self-deprecating humour out of the culture clash. Like when a southern journo asks one of the northern champions about his diet when training. "Oh, I'll eat owt", says the runner, leaving the journo thinking that the guy eats only in restaurants.

I found it touching. The book guarantees that some of these fascinating characters and their incredible feats won't be forgotten. I'm particularly glad that it was put together while it was still possible to meet and interview these legendary runners in person.

I've never run on a fell or in a fell race, but it's made me curious to try. So I guess the book did its job for me at least.

Definitely recommended by me!

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

09/12/2005 at 09:49

Just read some of the latest reviews.

One particular person read it three times over - very weird.

I think that says something about fell-runners.

candy ollier

09/12/2005 at 09:55

but so long as they are at home reading their boring old book, at least the poor local sheep get a bit of respite

Barnsley Runner

09/12/2005 at 10:18

Like the response from `not a townie'. Couldn't have put it better myself...

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

09/12/2005 at 10:54

I think the review before it does show the insular nature of the sport though.

It does seem to be very much a case of "no-one likes us, we don't care".

I mean, doing the BGR, no-one takes any notice, other than similarly committed nutters. Askwith bangs on about how fit these guys are, but it's a sport with limited appeal (he notes the only place you can spectate is the start/ finish), and it seems to be "ageing".

Fair enough, accomplishments are for your own satisfaction, but there's something of a hollow ring to doing something like the BGR (if you ask me), since it can't really be shared with people outside the fell running community - no-one would really know what you'd done!

"I've just done the Bob Graham Round"
"Fantastic - is that when you drink a single out of all the bottles behind the bar?"

Minks

09/12/2005 at 13:22

B, I think to be fair, running generally is a sport with limited appeal. Say the letters "FLM" to anyone outside the running fraternity and no-one will have a clue what you're talking about - although most people will have heard of the London Marathon. They won't necessarily know how far it is though, nor that all marathons are the same length!

So in that sense, there's something of a hollow ring to doing something like a half marathon - in my experience my finishing time and/or sense of achievement doesn't resonate with anyone other than other runners.

"I've just done the Turkey Trot"
"That'll teach you not to overeat on Christmas Day"

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

09/12/2005 at 13:41

Ah - but what's the road-running equivalent of doing the Bob Graham Round? Not the Turkey Trot methinks.

Although admittedly you do make a fair point. Was thinking about this over lunch. It's harder to share the sense of achievement for solo pursuits with other people because they wonder why you do it. Whereas for team pursuits there is the social aspect, so although you have no pretensions to being world beaters, you can still take it seriously. And of course, you have others to share it with.

Yes, it's hard to share your running achievements with non-runners, but perhaps fell-running suffers even more because it has a narrower constituency and is limited to relatively few parts of the country.

Although an achievement like swimming the Channel doesn't need explaining I guess, it has an instant cachet.

I guess teh thing that bugs me is that once you've achieved something, what do you do afterwards? And if you achieve something greater, does it devalue your prior achievement? And is that taking it too seriously, in which case would you still get satisfaction if you weren't so keen?

candy ollier

09/12/2005 at 14:49

although to be fair the letters "FLM" are only used on this website because the tab would have been too long had they written the whole thing!

serious point, i never get why people would want to 'share their running achievements' with other people. i mean, if somebody comes up to you and said they knitted a great jumper, spotted a great train or collected an absolutely brilliant stamp, you would probably want to get out of there as soon as you could. so why would anybody else want to hear about your hobby?

Barnsley Runner

09/12/2005 at 15:01

Exactly, Andy. The bits of Feet in the Clouds which send me to sleep were his own personal bits. About as interesting to me as my training would be to him.

Minks

09/12/2005 at 15:05

Actually, Candy, I think you're probably right. In terms of geekiness running is right up there with stamp-collecting and train-spotting (well, maybe not RIGHT up there ...) But I only have to start talking about training in front of family and friends and their eyes glaze over.

Which is fair enough. All hobbies are only interesting to the person obsessed by them and others with the same obsession. To everyone else they're just boring/geeky.

Hence the popularity of these forums, where running geeks everywhere can share their dreams, hopes and fears.

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

09/12/2005 at 15:08

It's nice to get some sort of recognition that you've done something not all of the population can do.

Doesn't take much effort to spot a great train.

Maybe my ego is running away with me, but it's sometimes nice to be asked what race I've done recently. It's not as if I give a boring race report, and I do wait until asked.

I don't print my own "Ewok Gazette".

"Read all about it! Ewok's mate starts race and gets to the end of it! Shocker, stunna, cor blimey mate, what a sizzla!"

Broadsword Calling Danny Boy

09/12/2005 at 15:10

Christ, I'd never talk about my training - that bores ME, let alone everyone else!

RunningCommentary

10/12/2005 at 01:34

Some readers of running books are runners (first) who like to read.

Other readers of running books are readers (first) who like to run.

This explains most of the stuff above. It explains why friends of mine who are competitive runners thought the Paula Radcliffe book was "brilliant", while I found it horribly tedious. It also explains why I found Julie Welch's book on the London Marathon, "26.2", the best running book I've ever read, while those same competitive running mates found it "basic" and "boring".

I liked Feet In The Clouds because it did for me what all good books do. It took me out of myself and transported me somewhere else, and allowed me to peer into something that's normally invisible to me. It doesn't matter that I don't do fell-running; it doesn't matter that I'm not a northerner. It was an insight into something beyond my normal experience, and for me, that isn't a reason to dislike the book, it's a reason to cherish it.

Maybe it's BECAUSE I've never run a fell race, and would never even consider doing the Bob Graham Round, that I'm interested in reading why it's a big deal for others.