A Journey to Rediscover the Forgotten Essence of Human Movement
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Average rating2.5
One man's journey across six continents to rediscover the lost art of running. The Lost Art of Running is an opportunity to join running technique analyst coach and movement guru, Shane Benzie, on his incredible journey of discovery across six continents as he trains with and analyzes the running style of some of the most naturally gifted athletes on the planet. Benzie believes that in analyzing these highly efficient yet increasingly forgotten running styles we can all access our body's natural elastic energy and unlock our true running potential. Part narrative, part practical, this running guide will take you to the training grounds of world record holding marathon runners in Kenya; racing across the brutal cold of the Arctic Circle and the mountains of Europe, through the expansive sweltering sands of the Sahara and the hostility of a winter traverse of the Pennine Way, to witness first-hand the incredible natural movement of runners in these environments. Along the way, you will learn how to incorporate natural movement techniques into your own running and you will hear from some of the athletes that Shane has worked with and coached over the years to understand how they have successfully adopted these techniques to improve their own performances, including two times Marathon des Sables winner, Elisabet Barnes, Team GB 24 hour athletes, Robbie Britton and Dan Lawson, mountain runners, Nicky Spinks, Damian Hall and Tom Evans and three times winner of The Spine race, Pavel Paloncy. Whether you're a veteran runner or just tackling your first few miles, this ground-breaking book will help you discover the lost art of running.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not a bad book! Great as an intro or reference for runners, especially in the latter half, in which the author gets into the technicalities of gait, cadence, and form.
My major gripe is that there are lots of theories on form that are put forth strongly, but with really only anecdotal evidence to back them up. In contrast, Lieberman's book about exercise (absolutely amazing book) backs every claim up with scientific publications, and the reader can draw their own conclusions.
I realise that not all sports writers can have a PhD in evolutionary physiology, but I do expect some level of rigor in the scientific aspects of the writing, otherwise I am likely to dismiss it as opinion (which I think it is in this case).
Still a good intro and still has some interesting thoughts and observations, and with it being a quick read, I do recommend it to beginner runners even if only for the inspiration and basic technical knowledge.