The Lore of Running

I recently got this book back from a friend who I had lent it to some time ago. I'd forgotten just how good this book was. I remember when I first met Jonathan, I said something about books on running and he was a little dismissive. When I mentioned the Lore of Running, he agreed that was a different case altogether (I noticed that he had it on his shelf).

What has surprised me is that, everything that I have learned about running in the last four years, even my foray into the apparently trendy world of minimalist footwear - it's all in there, if you look! There is a very interesting chapter on energy systems and fatigue which asks some questions about the practice of carbo-loading and admits that current sports science is unable to explain how Mark Allen and Dave Scott were able to run a Marathon in 2:40 without becoming hypoglycemic. There is a brilliant chapter chronicling the best runners and triathletes of the last century and their training methods, often with excerpts from their training diary. I think the only area that could be improved or expanded upon would be on running technique and biomechanics.

If you haven't got this book and you are at all interested in learning more about running or at least making sure that the time you invest in it is put to good use then really, you must buy this book. It is in a class of its own.