I picked this up on the Kindle Daily deal for £0.99. Having read it I would have happily paid full price. Finn writes a beautifully human tale which takes the reader right to the heart of the Kenyan culture as well as providing some useful and inspiring secrets related to Kenya's dominance of endurance running.
When I read the blurb I thought it was worth a punt. A keen runner myself, I was expecting a scientific account of running technique and nutritional information. In fact, it was more of an autobiographical novel of Finn and his family's move to Kenya. The narrative of the family scene; how his children found it, the support of his wife and the friends he made, was refreshingly characterful and succinct. This allowed the reader to become fully immersed in the Kenyan way of life and understand the true reasons they run.
I won't ruin the story by giving away the secrets Finn discovers but I will say that they have given me a real insight into the true life of a long distance runner and it is not what one expects!
One piece of advice I would give to anyone inspired by the book to run more is that barefoot shoes have to be treated with caution as does the style of running they promote. Proper running trainers should always be used in practice (you can still practise the technique in those) and barefoot shoes should be treated as the "sunday best" of running shoes (mainly for races) as otherwise injuries are very easily picked up. Your feet and calves will also ache terribly the first time you try the technique but I do disagree with Finn in one respect - you can use a combination of both barefoot and normal running when training yourself, indeed I would recommend it.
In summary, I would recommend this to anyone with anything from a vague interest in running right up to a professional athlete for both its wonderful literary narrative and also its tips and tricks on how to run faster and with better technique. Well worth the £8 it is currently selling for on Amazon.
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About the author
Not my idea of “very good” but still perfectly acceptable if described as “good”
Not sure that it is “very good” quality, but the spine is unbent. Maybe it happened during delivery as it came in just a bag no protection. Other than describing it as “good” instead, I have no other complaints and hope to enjoy the book.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2012
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2013
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2012
Top reviews from other countries
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Stephan WiesnerReviewed in Germany on 24 May 2013
Unterhaltsam, informativ, motivierend
- ArvindReviewed in India on 22 July 2017
It is not a self help book for becoming a better runner, but fit certainly made me think about ...
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