Book Review: Marathoning for Mortals by John "The Penguin" Bingham

I first heard of John "The Penguin" Bingham through Runner's World magazine, where he writes a monthly column. About John from his website:

Once an overweight couch potato with a glut of bad habits, including smoking and drinking, at the age of 43 Bingham looked mid-life in the face—and started running. Since then, he has completed 40 marathons and hundreds of 5K and 10K races—and developed a whole new outlook.

So he is a great example to look to for what anybody can accomplish with running if they make the decision to do so.

He has written two other books on his own: The Courage to Start and No Need for Speed. Marathoning for Mortals is co-authored with his wife Jenny Hadfield, M.A, C.P.T and they both have another book out called Running for Mortals, as well as an inspirational training log called Training for Mortals.

If you are just thinking about running, and wondering if it is something you could do, I would say read The Courage to Start. I was just looking for any of his books to read, and the only one I could find through our library system was Marathoning for Mortals, but this seemed appropriate since I had already done a half marathon and was planning on doing a full marathon this year. From what I have seen, much of the information in his various books is very similar, but from different angles, and then some things are different based on the purpose of the book.

Marathoning for Mortals is broken into four parts:

1. Getting Started
2. Training
3. The Toolbox
4. Game Face

The main purpose of this book is to get you from wherever you are now, to completing a half or whole marathon. John and Jenny will help you accomplish this through walking, walk/run, run/walk or running either of these two events. Including full training plans in the back.

Overall, I really liked this book and thought that it had a lot of good advice. Starting how to recognize who you are and how to set up a training plan that will best help YOU succeed.

The section about training was fairly good, but I felt that there were parts where they could have delivered more in the aspect of details, which I expected them to do, but I felt a bit let down because I still had some questions when I was finished with this section. Though there were definately other questions that they answered.

In the Toolbox section I felt similar. A lof of good information, but it just skims the surface. But perhaps that is the purpose of the book, not a lot of detail because they know that can be found elsewhere. I was most frustrated with their Injury Prevention chapter where they discussed the three most common running injuries. Though I am biased because I am still currently enjoying one of these common injuries, plantar facitis. For this they basically said that this condition often responds well to getting special inserts for your shoes. Not very helpful, especially since I have seen Jeff suffer with PF for years, and he wears inserts! Inserts can make a difference, but even through this isn't the book for going into detail on injuries, I felt that they could have addressed this better than they did. This part of the book also briefly discusses nutrition, gear, and cross training.

The last part of the book discusses the race day itself and strategies all the way down to the start of the race through to the end of the race, as well as the emotions you go through the weeks following your big run. This was well done and made me realize the many things I probably wouldn't think of on my own.

One thing I liked about the book were the small inserts from real people, and how running has affected their life. I find that there is always someone who anyone can relate to when these types of inserts are included, and they help me realize that there are many people who were worse off than I who have accomplished great personal triumphs through running.

One thing I did not like about the book was the recommendation to wait a year after you start running before you start training for either a half or whole marathon. Perhaps that is because I started running last June and completed a half marathon at the end of November. I felt that I built up my training slowly, though quicker than what is recommended by many in the sport. I did many things right, but also a lot wrong. But I tend to be the type of person who decides to do something, and then learn enough to get it done and figure I will worry about the details as I go or when something comes up. Though this has served me well in many areas, it also gets in my way at times. I learned this the hard way with my current injury. I knew I needed new shoes, but figured I was fine for a few more weeks. I knew that I was pushing my training distances a bit hard, but figured that I would be fine because I had a plan and I had goals.

One of the most important things I learned from this book was to listen to your body. I wish I was running again, but I still feel a twinge in my heel and I do not want to aggravate it by running to far too soon. So I need to realize that I have to start slower than I wish, but by doing so will get where I need to quicker than if I do the wrong thing by pushing myself too hard too fast.

So overall, I would say the book was worth reading. The way they address the mental aspect of running was stronger, the details of the nitty gritty is better found elsewhere. If you are thinking about running your first half or whole marathon, this book will give you the courage and basic information to get started and do it.

If you are just starting to run, read his first book, The Courage to Start. Jeff bought this off eBay recently, and it looks really good for someone who is thinking about running, to realize that you can do it! And even though I have been running a little while, I plan on reading this book because I think it will be helpful.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
John "The Penguin" Bingham

Movie Review: Run, Fat Boy, Run

I got to thinking about all the running books and movies out there, and thought that I would start reviewing one every now and again. I decided to start with a movie because, lets face it, you can watch one in less than two hours!

Besides being a running movie, Run, Fat Boy Run, (PG-13) is a British movie with British humor. My mother is English, so I grew up exposed regularly to British humor and quite enjoy it, so I liked the movie (expect a little bit of crudeness and, of course, the bare bum!). Overall, I would give it 7 out of 10 stars.

The movie stars Simon Pegg, who is starting to be recognized more in the US (he is "Scottie" in the new Star Trek movie this year). Pegg plays Dennis Doyle, a down and out security guard at a womens clothing store in London. He is known for not finishing anything, for being a failure and a quitter. This is best shown in the opening scene of the movie where he panics and runs out on his pregnant fiance (Libby) on their wedding day. He has been running from life and responsibility ever since.

It is about 6 years later, he is involved in his sons life, but often a disappointment. You can tell that he loves his son very much, as well as Libby. But she has moved on, has her own business, and is dating a successful and wealthy American business man, who runs marathons for charity.

When Dennis goes to talk to Libby about her current boyfriend, she tells Dennis that he has never finished anything in his life, and he responds by telling her that he will prove her wrong by running and finishing the upcoming marathon.

Unrealistically, the marathon is in 3 weeks, but you can't let small details like that ruin a good story! Just enjoy Dennis as he trains (you gotta love the shorts!) and his experiences as he tries to find a charity to represent (registration closed months ago for the marathon, so it is his only hope to get in).

As any good movie, he almost doesn't run because of various circumstances, but then he is talking to his son who is having some problems. He tells him, "You can't just run away," and his son asks him "Why not?" Like any good father, he knows the right words to say. He tells him, "Because it doesn't solve the problem. You start running, the problem is still there. You've gotta stick at it and then figure out a way to solve the problem, even if its really, really hard." Then his son says the type of thing that any child can say to make you really evaluate your life, he says, "Is that what you do Dad?" How can Dennis not run?

Without giving away the detail, Dennis ends up injured, but he will not quit. It is hours later, and for most the marathon is over, and that is when people notice that there is still a lone runner on the course: Dennis. He has a crowd of supporters following him as well as the media, and that is when it happens: he hits THE WALL.

I would have to say that the representation of Dennis and the wall is great! Though he is in the middle of a park with a lot of people, when he hits the wall, the movie shows him standing all alone with a 20 foot wall in front of him that extends forever in both directions. Breaking through a wall is personal, you have to do it yourself, and it is mental. For Dennis, breaking through his wall is not just about finishing the race, but a way to put behind him a lifetime of failures, of never finishing, of being known as a quitter. In his mind, he backs up and charges through the wall and his past, then the camera cuts to reality with all the people standing behind him, and he just places on foot in front of the other and starts running again.

It makes me think of life in so many ways, not just hitting THE WALL when running. People see you going through life and problems, one step at a time, but the internal struggle: mentally, emotionally and spiritually, is much greater and the part that people don't see. Though others may have a degree of empathy, they can never fully understand your situation because we are all unique individuals influenced by our own personal history.

So, does he finish the race or not? Well, it is a feel good running movie that brought a few tears to my eyes, so of course he finishes! But I will not tell you the details of the climatic crossing of the finish line. But after almost 14 hours, he crosses the finish line, his son his there and says, "Dad, You won!"

Such is life and running. We win and become hero's to ourselves, to our children and families and to others around us who we don't even know, by persevering and finishing; of not giving up when the going gets tough!