How important is it to learn about runners and running through reading to complement?
Posted by Ray Gill
Filed under Running Answers
the amount of time spent on training? I know training should come first, but without knowledge of how the body works, recovery time, and such, it could be wasted effort. Am I right? I have been running for about 5 years now and I have had a good time at it, but I would like to get better and eventually run a marathon. Thanks.
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Depends on how seriously you take your running.
Some people in high school can get by with their coach essentially reading for them — they don’t always have time (or ability) to read and adequately comprehend running books constantly.
But yes, your average "recreational" grade runner who wants to do more than just burn calories, and perhaps wants to build to a marathon, etc., is usually well served by keeping up with at least the major running books. There really aren’t *that* many of them in the significant read category, and there is a lot worthwhile in those that are. And yes, those who keep training with insufficient knowledge can waste a lot of time.
On the other hand, the literature is constantly changing, and some books do go way more in-depth than the average runner needs, and there is a point at which one needs to decide how their time and goals are best served. It’s a balancing act. And frankly, a good intersection for many is keeping up with a periodical magazine like Runner’s World where they can quickly skim anything interesting and decide if something is worth more looking into (and no, I don’t work for them or anything — that’s just where a lot really truly end up and why).
You read and study on the day you’re supposed to be recovering/resting. Oh, and you never listen to the people around you that don’t believe you can do it. They’re HOPING you can’t because they know they never will….
Chi Running by Danny Dryer
Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin