Julian Goater

It feels like so long since I managed to finish a book and write a review. I really want to have the time to read but I've been quite busy due to the fact that I have just started an engineering degree. Because of time constraints it feels like it has taken me forever to get through this book. I don't recall exactly where I bought it from but I suspect that I picked it up in Foyles due to it's specialist nature.

This book has two parts, each split into a number of chapters, each covering a slightly different, but related aspect of how to train with the aim of gaining speed. Part 1 is based on the technique and skill of running itself and part 2 is about the training methods used to build speed.

At the heart of it, running is a very simple activity and one in which most runners don't receive any training. This make sense as running is a fairly natural action but Goater (and others) argue that you are taught to swim etc so you should learn how to run. Until recently I perhaps would have laughed at this assumption but this book prompted me to see a coach and it's something I wish I had done soon. In just an hour I learned loads about running technique and I am currently trying to unlearn all my bad habits. There is also a really good chapter on stretching and unlike some books it doesn't contain hundreds of stretches just some of the best ones to do.

The second part of the book details things like hill training, fartlek, speed work and recovery runs. Each of these is broken down and explained. There are also a number of examples of how you can structure these types of training sessions. It is also explained when it is best to do these types of sessions and how often, something which is essential to avoid injury.

In the early pages I was worried that I had bought a book far above my ability level as Goater mentions training twice a day. Thankfully this is only an isolated case and at the back of the book there are rough training schedules for all abilities. Another really good thing about the book is that at the end of each chapter there are a number of bullet points highlighting the key information. This is the kind of book you can read all the way through as I did or dip into and out of.

My only slight gripe about the book is that Goater continually talks about his career, races he and Dave Bedford did. I appreciate that at times he is using an example to illustrate a point but after a while this gets very repetitive.… (lisätietoja)

In a sense, this the the memoirs of Julian Goater, in another sense, it is a compilation of what he has learned about running as an elite runner.

He is really big on doing intervals, but not long intervals. Hills are also great training, and not just the uphill, but don't get injured on the downhill portion.

Flexibility is important. He recognizes that runners don't like to take a lot of time stretching, so has a nice short set of stretches.

It is well written because I was half way through the book before I started bumping into British words. I was able to guess their meaning, and it made the book more interesting. I enjoyed reading this book.… (lisätietoja)