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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Track & field sports, athletics
In his previous book, Running Hot & Cold, Doug described his
journey from couch potato in late middle age to running
long-distance races across deserts, mountains, jungles and snow
fields in locations as diverse as the Sahara Desert and the polar
ice-cap of Greenland. Having completed major events on four of
Earth's continents, Can We Run With You, Grandfather? describes
Doug's ongoing journey towards his ultimate dream of running at
least a half marathon on all seven continents before his 70th
birthday. Still living with occasional bouts of anxiety and
depression, as well as other health scares, Doug combines his
running travels with motivating and inspiring others, of all ages
and abilities, to discover the physical and mental health benefits
that running can bring. Join Doug as he tackles new adventures
including the villages and temples of central Myanmar, the heat of
the Australian outback and the frozen wilderness of Antarctica.
Chrissie Wellington is the world's No 1 female Ironman triathlete,
a four times World Champion, having recently won the her fourth
title in October 2011 and the World Record holder. In 2009 she was
voted 'Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year' and in 2010 was
awarded the MBE. She is the undefeated champion of Triathlon,
having won thirteen Ironman titles from thirteen races. She set a
new World Record of 8 hours19:13 at Quelle Roth Germany in 2010,
which slashed over 14 minutes from the previous record and where
she was only beaten by six men. She went on to improve this time by
another minute in the 2011 race. She also set a new world record
for the fastest ever Ironman sanctioned event at Ironman South
Africa in April 2011. Chrissie has displayed unprecedented levels
of stamina, strength and competitiveness in becoming Ironman World
Champion in only her second event at Ironman level. Her victory in
Kona, Hawaii in 2007 finishing five minutes ahead of her nearest
rival was described as the 'biggest upset in Ironman history' and
'a remarkable feat, deemed to be near impossible task for any
athlete racing as a rookie at their first Ironman World
Championships'. She defended her World title in Hawaii in 2008 and
again in 2009. However a bout of severe sickness on the eve of the
2010 event meant she was unable to make the start line to defend
her title. She bounced back in 2011 to retain her title in her most
fiercely competitive race to date, which adds another fantastic
chaper to her extraordinary sporting career. This is the remarkable
story of how a Norfolk girl - a 'sporty kid, swimming, playing
hockey, running, but never excelling and always more interested in
the social side of the sports scene' - became a world champion.
Renowned marathon expert and leading sports scientist Professor
John Brewer reveals why many of the concepts surrounding marathon
training and running are wrong -- and suggests how the latest
sports science research transforms the way marathons should be
approached. Run Smart uses the latest scientific research to show
how preparing for, and running, marathons can be made easier, and
in doing so challenges many of the myths that surround marathon
running. The book will draw on the author's experience as one of
the UK's leading sports scientists, his extensive research
background in marathon running, and his experience as a marathon
runner, to provide credible advice to runners to support their
preparation for a marathon. The book will challenge many current
concepts, myths and ideas, and provide science-based alternatives
in areas such as training and nutrition that will optimise and ease
a runner's preparation for, and completion of, the 26.2 mile
distance. This highly accessible book will use the latest
scientific findings to support new runners training for their first
marathon and help more experienced athletes improve and train
smarter.
Ultramarathons don't leave much room for mistakes. Don't learn the
hard way: get a jump on training for an ultramarathon with Hal
Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning, a comprehensive handbook to
running 30 to 100 miles and beyond, written by one of the most
experienced and recognized athletes in the sport. Hal Koerner is
among America's best ultrarunners with podium results in more than
90 ultramarathons. In his smart, down-to-earth handbook, Koerner
shares hard-earned wisdom, field-tested habits, and insider tips to
help you prepare for your ultra. You'll find guidance on exactly
what you need to know to prepare for ultramarathon, including: best
gear for ultrarunningfueling and hydration guidelineschoosing an
ultratrail-running techniquefirst-aid advicebeating altitude,
storms, and heatrace-day game planscrew and pacer tipsmental
strategies to get you to the finish line The guide offers three
detailed training plans to prepare for 50K, 50-mile to 100K, and
100-mile ultramarathons.Start your ultra with confidence and finish
it strong with Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning!
Japanese have been fervid long-distance runners for many centuries.
Today, on a per capita basis, at least as many Japanese residents
complete marathons each year as in the United States or any other
country. Marathon Japan is the first comprehensive English-language
chronicle of the history of this important part of Japanese sports
culture. It traces the development of distance racing beginning
with the Stockholm Olympics of 1912, when the Japanese government
used athletics, and above all the marathon, as a means to continue
its late nineteenth-century project of winning the respect of
Western countries and achieving parity with the world powers. The
marathon soon became the first event in a Western-derived sport in
which Japanese proved consistently superior to athletes from other
countries. During the 1920s and 1930s, Japanese runners regularly
produced the fastest times in the world, and twice in the period
after World War Two - in the 1960s and late 1970s-1980s - Japanese
men again dominated world marathoning. Japanese women likewise
emerged as some of the world's fastest in the 1990s and early
2000s. Meanwhile the general public took up distance running with
enthusiasm, starting in the 1960s and continuing unabated today,
symbolized most recently by massive open-entry marathons in Tokyo,
Osaka, and other Japanese cities comparable in scale and challenge
to major world races in Boston, New York, Chicago, London, and
Berlin. In this book, Thomas Havens analyzes the origins,
development, and significance of Japan's century-long excellence in
marathons and long-distance relays (ekiden), as well as the reasons
for the explosive growth of distance racing among ordinary citizens
in more recent decades. He reveals the key role of commercial media
companies in promoting sports, especially marathons and ekidens,
from the 1910s to today and explains how running became a consumer
commodity beginning in the 1970s as Japanese society matured into
an age of capitalistaffluence. What comes to light as well are the
relentlessly nationalistic goals underlying government policies
toward sports - above all marathons, where Japanese have been so
successful - throughout the modern era. The public craze for
distance racing, both watching and running, has created a shared
citizenship of civic participation among young and old, male and
female, persons of every social background and level of education.
The combination of speedy elite athletes and huge numbers of
general-citizen runners means that Japan today is truly a marathon
nation. Marathon Japan will appeal to Japan specialists interested
in modern cultural and social history. It will engage recreational
runners in Japan and abroad as well as anyone interested in the
history of sports.
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