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1 to 4 of 4 reviews.

Runner's World Complete Book of Running: Everything You Need to Run for Fun, Fitness and Competition by Amby Burfoot (Editor)

Posted: 29/11/05

'SOME GREAT INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, BUT NOT SO GOOD AS A WHOLE'

Strengths:
A wide mixture of opinions, styles and subjects.
Most training books have a "coach knows best" tone, whereas this one has lots of different contributors, so is easy to dip into.

Weaknesses:
Odd structure, as it's really a collection of different articles - jumps from fitness concepts to Oprah Winfrey in a bewildering manner.
Main weakness, however, is a very strong bias towards the marathon distance, with few useful tips for shorter races. There is an irritating underlying assumption that all runners run marathons, and that shorter races, if they exist, are just warm-ups.

Overall:
Am I allowed to be rude about this one on the RW Forum?!

Some good articles, but the whole thing is a bit of a mish mash, and not very well structured.

Readability		80%
Usefulness		60%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

67%

Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas

Posted: 29/11/05

'IF YOU JUST RUN MARATHONS, THIS IS THE ONE TO GET'

Strengths:
Concise and to the point - you can read the whole thing fairly quickly
Clearly explained and well written
Good examples of leading runners and how they train
Comprehensive schedules which cater for a wide range of runners, including multiple marathons (and not just "advanced" either)

Weaknesses:
As the title suggests, covers just the marathon distance, and is perhaps of limited use to the complete beginner.

Overall:
Nice, short, useful
In particular, if you want schedules, this is the place to get them.

Readability		80%
Usefulness		80%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

87%

Lore Of Running by Timothy Noakes

Posted: 29/11/05

'A MUST-READ IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TRAINING ACTUALLY WORKS'

Strengths:
If you want to know what actually happens to your body when you train, you need to read this.
Hugely detailed and persuasively argued.
Challenges many of the basic beliefs/myths on which our training schedules are based.

Also has a brilliant section on running greats from past and present, how they trained, and what we can learn from them. Worth buying just for that bit.

Weaknesses:
Enormous weight.

Overall:
If you're interested in the science, you have to read this.
If you just want a schedule and some training tips, go elsewhere.

Readability		60%
Usefulness		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

80%

The Competitive Runner's Handbook by Robert Glover, Peter Schuder and Shelly-Lyn Florence Glover

Posted: 29/11/05

'ALMOST ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW'

Strengths:
Punchily written and entertaining
Covers all distances, not just marathons
Covers all aspects of running and racing, from training to simple practical things to remember before a race

Weaknesses:
If you want to know more about physiology, this isn't really the place.

Overall:
Excellent - if you only had one training book, it should probably be this one.

Readability		80%
Usefulness		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

87%

See entire review section


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