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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Track & field sports, athletics
Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell is one of Britain's most successful and popular athletes, yet the real story behind his success has not been made public, until now. Track Record, his long-awaited autobiography, reveals how a boy from painfully humble beginnings in Moss Side, Manchester, and who suffered bullying at school, was inspired by Carl Lewis at the 1984 Olympics to harness his athletic ability and break out of a cycle of misbehaviour and petty crime to enjoy huge success in sport, business and as a broadcaster. Despite his early promise as a young sprinter Darren explains how, totally disillusioned with the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics, he turned to football where he played at a semi-professional level for Cwmbran Town, Weymouth FC and was offered a contract at Plymouth Argyle. His realisation, however, that he could either continue to be a decent lower league footballer, or return to the track and become a world class sprinter, saw him link-up with coach Linford Christie and achieve great success, winning a host of gold, silver and bronze medals at major championships, including silver in the 200m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and gold in the 4 x 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics Spurred into finally telling his story after suffering a life-threatening condition in 2018, Track Record is the heart-warming and inspirational life-story of a talented, principled and determined man who overcame economic poverty and racial prejudice to triumph on the athletic tracks of the world.
You're 43, cruising through life when suddenly you're diagnosed with cancer. What do you do next? When Paul Smith found himself facing that question he decided to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 more and then run a marathon. There are tears and laughter in this brutally honest, good-humoured and intensely personal account of Paul's inspiring journey from being at death's door to conquering a triathlon. Join him on a life-affirming mission encompassing exhilarating highs and painful lows. After his devastatingly rare one-in-a-million bowel cancer diagnosis and his time in hospital confronting an operation ominously dubbed the 'Mother of all Surgeries', Paul has just ten months to train his broken body to peak fitness and fulfil his dream of completing one of the world's toughest and most intimidating triathlons, Ironman Wales. Paul lays bare his physical and mental battles in vivid detail. If you think completing an ironman triathlon is an impossible dream, read this truly inspirational story and think again.
Athlete. Runner. Marathoner. Are these words you wouldn't exactly use to describe yourself? Do you consider yourself too old or too out of shape to run a marathon? But somewhere deep inside have you always admired the people who could reach down and come up with the mental and physical strength to complete such a daunting and rewarding accomplishment? It doesn't have to be somebody else crossing the finish line. You can be a marathoner. "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" is based on the highly successful marathon class offered by the University of Northern Iowa, which was featured in a "Runner's World" article titled "Marathoning 101." The class has been offered five times over 10 years, and all but one student finished the marathon. That is approximately 200 students -- all first time marathoners and many with absolutely no running background. This book follows the same 16-week, four-day-a-week workout plan. What makes the success rate of this program so much higher than any other? The special emphasis on the psychological aspects of endurance activities. You don't have to love to run -- you don't even have to like it -- but you have to realize that you are capable of more than you have ever thought possible. One participant in the program explained it like this: "I'm doing this for me -- not for others or the time clock. I just feel better when I run, plus it helps me to cope with things in general. The skills we've learned in this class don't apply just to marathoning -- they apply to life Just like you never know what the next step in a marathon will bring, so too, you never know what will happen next in life. But if you don't keep going, you're never going to find out. By staying relaxed, centered, and positive you handle just about anything that comes your way." This is marathon running for real people, people with jobs and families and obligations outside of running. "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" has proven successful for men and women of all ages. Now let it work for you.
Running is one of the world's most widely practiced sports and
recreations but until now it has intended to elude serious study
outside of the natural sciences. John Bale brings the sport into
the realm of the humanities by drawing on sources including
literature, poetry, film, art and sculpture as well as statistics
and training manuals to highlight the tensions, ambiguities and
complexities that lie hidden beneath the commonplace notion of
running.
Running Up That Hill is a celebration of endurance running. Of running ridiculous distances - through cities, over mountains and across countries. Distances most people couldn't even imagine. But sports presenter Vassos Alexander is hooked! Why else would he run an ultra in Paris, backwards, having missed the start? Why head to Wales for the world's hardest mountain race with a badly sprained ankle? And why follow in some unforgiving, ancient footsteps and attempt the oldest and toughest footrace on earth, the 153-mile Spartathlon? There's joy to be found here. Really there is. Vassos recalls his own assaults on these gruelling races, along with ultra-running legends including Scott Jurek, Jasmin Paris, Kilian Jornet, Mimi Anderson and Dean Karnazes. They all testify to the transformative power of endurance running. It's about the astonishing highs that come from pushing your body to the limit. The confidence and peace when you challenge yourself and succeed. All told, this is a cracking tale of what keeps ultra-distance runners running, mile after mile after mile.
Armed with a toilet trowel and a converted Mazda Bongo called Roxy, self-styled 'ordinary' ultrarunner, Gavin Boyter, embarks on his latest long-distance challenge: to run the 3400km from Paris to Istanbul along the route of the world's most illustrious railway journey, the Orient Express. And, despite work on Roxy having hampered his training programme, Gavin remains undeterred and plans to run through eight countries, to cross 180 rivers and to ascend 16,500 metres, through forests, mountains, plains and major cities - aided all the way by temperamental mapping technology and the ever encouraging support of his girlfriend, Aradhna. En route, Gavin will pass through urban edgelands and breathtaking scenery, battlefields and private estates, industrial plants and abandoned villages, and on through a drawn-back Iron Curtain where the East meets West. He will encounter packs of snarling, feral dogs, wild boar, menacing cows, and a herd of hundreds of deer. But he will also meet many fascinating characters, including a German, leg-slapping masseuse, music-loving Austrian farmers, middle-class Romanians, itinerant Romanies, stoic soldiers, and boisterous Turks. However, confined to the cramped conditions of Roxy, and each other's company, Gavin and Aradhna's journey is not only a test of the endurance and stamina required to put in the hard miles, but of their relationship, too. After all, if they can survive this challenge, they can survive anything. But will Gavin's legs make it all the way to Istanbul, where he has planned a special surprise for Aradhna?
The historic 1928 ""Bunion Derby"" was a cross-country footrace from Los Angeles to New York City. In a supreme test of human endurance and fortitude, runners pounded the pavement for 84 straight days, covering more than 3,400 miles. Starting in Los Angeles, the competitors tracked the path of old Route 66 to Chicago. From there they followed a twisting 1,000-mile trail to New York City. That journey is the subject of this book. While previous books and articles have been written about the race, most have concentrated on the promoter, C. C. ""Cash and Carry"" Pyle, his runners, or the Route 66 portion of the race. In The 1928 Bunion Derby: A Historical Tour and Driving Guide, Chicago to New York City, author James R. Powell takes a more robust approach - including a turn-by-turn driving guide from Chicago to New York with historical background on the route and the racers. Powell not only portrays the runners and the intensity of such a race, but also explains important events that transpired in the years leading up to the Bunion Derby. His historical tour describes surviving sites along the route and offers stories reminiscent of American life in the late 1920s. More than 200 illustrations - including period photographs, postcard images, and maps - enliven the story of this landmark race. The 1928 Bunion Derby is highlighted by tales of the torturous path runners followed to reach each overnight stop. And reports from period newspapers add color and a sense of the moment to the historic images and stories, both harrowing and heartwarming. A glimpse back in time, with a look at the places along that historic route today and a description of how to get there, The 1928 Bunion Derby has something for everyone - from historians to runners and from road warriors to armchair travelers.
RUNNING Getting Started will take anyone, at any level of fitness, into the running lifestyle. Jeff Galloway, a US Olympian in 1972, has helped hundreds of thousands of people make this journey while reducing or eliminating aches, pains, and injuries suffered during most training programs. Jeff developed the Run-Walk-Run method of training, in which running is repeatedly interrupted by walk breaks, and offers a step by step program that is easy to use and easy to understand. Included are also lots of tips on nutrition, staying motivated, building endurance, shoes, stretching and strengthening, and much more.
Every day people realise that running is one of the simplest, cheapest and most effective ways to feel good, get fit, gain confidence and relieve stress. For newcomers, though, the obstacles can seem fierce: fears of pain and embarrassment, busy schedules, and not knowing where or how to start. Get Running provides all the information aspiring runners need to take their first steps, as well as inspiration for staying motivated. The book presents readers with tips for smart training and injury prevention that enable recreational runners of all levels to achieve gradual, tangible progress while learning to enjoy running. Avoid expensive gym fees, get the endorphins flowing, build your confidence and make new friends with this inspirational guide. 'The best running book ever. Comprehensive, inspiring and beautifully produced'. Irish Examiner
Dean Karnazes has run 350 continuous miles through three sleepless
nights, ordered pizza during long runs, and inspired fans the world
over with his adventures. So what does a guy like this do when he
wants to face the ultimate test of endurance? He runs 50 marathons
in 50 states-- in 50 consecutive days.
Robinson takes readers on a globe-trotting tour that combines a historian's insight with vivid personal memories going back to just after World War II. From experiencing the 1948 ""Austerity Olympics"" in London as a young spectator to working as a journalist in the Boston Marathon media center at the moment of the 2013 bombings, Robinson offers a fascinating first-person account of the tragic and triumphant moments that impacted the world and shaped the modern sport. He chronicles the beginnings of the American running boom, the emergence of women's running, the end of the old amateur rules, and the redefinition of aging for athletes and amateurs. With an intimate perspective and insightful reporting, Robinson captures major historical events through the lens of running. He recounts running in Berlin at the time of German reunification in 1990, organizing a replacement track meet in New Zealand after the disastrous 2011 earthquake, and the triumph of Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. As an avid runner, journalist, and fan, Robinson brings these global events to life and reveals the intimate and powerful ways in which running has intersected with recent history.
Strength & Conditioning for Triathlon is an accessible, practical introduction to strength and conditioning for endurance sports, dispelling many of the myths which have led to misunderstanding and misuse of the techniques in the past. With specific chapters on injury prevention, the swim, the cycle and the run, this ideal triathlon companion gives detailed and practical examples of how each aspect of your programme can be enhanced. Each chapter includes information on how strength and conditioning will impact on you, the scientific evidence (in practical language) to support the claims, how much you can expect to gain and practical examples of how to implement the training. An indispensable practical guide, it looks at how to plan your strength and conditioning training throughout the calendar and how to incorporate this work into your regular triathlon training. It also provides a comprehensive resource of conditioning exercises, strength exercises and running drills, all of which are fully illustrated so you can guarantee great technique. This is the essential companion to anyone wishing to improve their triathlon results.
It's normal for a daily run to become somewhat of a chore. Finding out how to get out of the rut can be a challenge. Luckily, The Happy Runner has the answers for you. Authors David and Megan Roche believe you can't reach your running potential without consistency and joyful daily adventures. These can lead to long-term health and happiness. Guided by their personal experiences and coaching expertise, they help you learn exactly how to become a happier runner and achieve your personal best. The text uses proven coaching methods to teach you how to run faster, run longer and stay healthy. There are also real stories from successful athletes who have had personal breakthroughs as they learn to love the process of running. You will also learn how to adapt your running based on personal lifestyle and goals. As well as how to avoid setbacks from injury. Whether you're battling burnout, returning after injury or simply just new to running and want to enjoy it, the science-based guidance in The Happy Runner helps you get faster, go longer and live stronger.
A huge amount of time, planning and preparation goes into creating a world-class sprinter. Sprinting - Training, Techniques and Improving Performance is an essential guide for all athletes at the beginning or development stages of their sprint careers who are committed to running faster. The book covers all sprint events from 60metres to 400 metres, as well as the hurdles and relay; principles of biomechanics, limiting factors and potential areas of capability; training and planning; prehab and avoiding injuries; practical nutritional advice and strength and conditioning. Whatever your level, this book provides valuable advice that will help you achieve your goal.
We are more than a team of great stars, we are more than a stadium full
of dreams, we are more than the goals we’ve scored and more than the
trophies that we’ve won throughout our history.
Family is what you make it - but is Hannah brave enough to take the chance?A freelance travel writer, Hannah rarely stays in one place long enough to call it home. After a childhood of moving between foster homes, her nomadic lifestyle means no lasting connections, keeping her fears of losing loved ones at bay. So when Hannah's work takes her to Cariad Cove, it's just another job. Will loves being a dad. It's just him and his wilful six-year-old, Beti, but their family of two has love enough to keep them happy. When Will meets Hannah, attraction ignites, but one woman has already left Beti behind - he can't have it happen again. Hannah will soon be moving on, meaning there's no future for her and Will despite their sizzling chemistry. It will take a leap of faith for them to believe in each other. Could one summer at Cariad Cove change their lives forever? A gorgeously uplifting and romantic story for fans of Suzanne Snow, Phillipa Ashley and Heidi Swain. Praise for Starting Over in Cariad Cove 'What a lovely story... I read it one sitting and just escaped. A lovely ending not too cliche. Perfect.' Reader review 'First time reading this author and I wasn't disappointed. A light hearted and funny read, loved the characters and a lovely storyline set in beautiful Wales. Wonderful writing.' Reader review 'Traumatic pasts lead to a happily ever after. Such a sweet read that would be great for the summer.' Reader review 'A gem of a book. An easy read with a gentle storyline about two people with difficult pasts. An excellent holiday read.' Reader review 'What a lovely story. This was a quick, feel-good read that made me smile, which is exactly what I was looking for.' Reader review
On March 4, 1928, 199 men lined up in Los Angeles, California, to participate in a 3,400-mile transcontinental footrace to New York City. The Bunion Derby, as the press dubbed the event, was the brainchild of sports promoter Charles C. Pyle. He promised a $25,000 grand prize and claimed the competition would immortalize U.S. Highway Route 66, a 2,400-mile road, mostly unpaved, that subjected the runners to mountains, deserts, mud, and sandstorms, from Los Angeles to Chicago. The runners represented all walks of American life from immigrants to millionaires, with a peppering of star international athletes included by Pyle for publicity purposes. For eighty-four days, the men participated in this part footrace and part Hollywood production that incorporated a road show featuring football legend Red Grange, food concessions, vaudeville acts, sideshows, a portable radio station, and the world's largest coffeepot sponsored by Maxwell House serving ninety gallons of coffee a day. Drawn by hopes for a better future and dreams of fame, fortune, and glory, the bunioneers embarked on an exhaustive and grueling journey that would challenge their physical and psychological endurance to the fullest while Pyle struggled to keep his cross-country road show afloat. "In a wild grab for glory, a cast of nobodies saw hope in the dust: blacks who escaped the poverty and terror of the Old South; first-generation immigrants with their mother tongue thick on their lips; Midwest farm boys with leather-brown tans. These men were the 'shadow runners, ' men without fame, wealth, or sponsors, who came to Los Angeles to face the world's greatest runners and race walkers. This was a formidable field of pastOlympic champions and professional racers that should have discouraged sane men from thinking they could win a transcontinental race to New York. Yet they came, flouting the odds. Charley Pyle's offer of free food and lodging to anyone who would take up the challenge opened the race to men of limited means. For some, it was a cry from the psyche of no-longer-young men, seeking a last grasp at greatness or a summons to do the impossible. This pulled men on the wrong side of thirty from blue-collar jobs and families."--from the Preface "No writer 'owns' a swath of history the way Chuck Kastner 'owns' the wildly crazy C. C. Pyle Bunion Derbies. The inaugural race was a truly American epic: from its massive scope to the fact that it was dominated by a handful of second-rate runners who decided there was no future in continuing in the underdog role. Chuck's book makes you want to schedule your next vacation for Route 66, there to relive the zaniness and heroics of 1928."--Rich Benyo, editor, "Marathon & Beyond" Magazine "What made "Bunion Derby" an outstanding read for me is twofold: it is about a piece of American history that is today almost unknown. One web site has a fascinating history of it, and there have been a few articles here and there, but for the most part it has disappeared from written history. Why? There is so much that it represents--the character and strength that was an American virtue; the opportunistic hucksterism that defined this country; individuals conquering extraordinary physical and emotional difficulties, petty jealousies, cheating, political and financial agendas, and creating for themselves a personal challenge that each--whether he dropped out or completedthe race--in his own way won. This is one of those books that should be discovered by every reader who appreciates solid research, writing worth reading and a fantastic story. How many ways can I say that it is one every reader of BiblioBuffet should pick up as soon as possible. "Bunion Derby" has my highest recommendation."--"BibioBuffet" ""Bunion Derby's" narrative arc transcends the academic approach one would expect from a university press."--Philip Damon, on the Peace Corps Writers website "We think ["Bunion Derby"] would make a great holiday gift for any of your running or history-minded friends, but get one for yourself, too. It's a great read."--"Northwest Runner"
The definitive, fully authorised story of the record-breaking rivalry between London Olympics organiser Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe presided over the golden era of British athletics. Between them they won three Olympic gold medals, two silvers, one bronze and broke a total of twelve middle-distance records. They were part of the landscape of the late seventies and early eighties -- both household names, their exploits were watched by millions. As far apart as possible in terms of class and upbringing -- Ovett is the art student, the long-haired son of a market-trader from Brighton, a natural athlete; Coe's formative years were spent under the rigorous training routine of Peter Coe, a self-taught trainer who referred to his son as 'my athlete' -- their rivalry burned as intense on the track as away from it. The pendulum swung between the pair of them -- each breaking the other's records, and, memorably, triumphing in each other's events in Moscow in 1980 -- for the best part of a decade, until the final showdown at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 . . . The Perfect Distance is both a detailed re-creation and a fitting celebration of the greatest era of British athletics. |
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