Adventures in Running and Ageing
Time is important to a runner. Whether it’s steps-per-minute, mile pace on a watch or a big digital display on a finishing gantry, it can’t be ignored. Such timings hint at another story, a hidden clock.
Athletes are unusual in that their activities make decline measurable, but also - more positively - in that their exercise regimes can help them stay ahead for longer. To do so successfully, it helps if they understand what happens to the human body as it ages.
Philip Jones humorously recounts his own adventures running in the UK and Europe alongside his quest to understand why running gets harder, why everybody slows down and the most effective ways to keep going.
Welcome to the uphill struggle of going downhill.
A must for runners who want to carry on for as long as possible.
What people say about the book:
"It's cracking! Excellently written humorous and informative! Brill!"
Ellie Clement, England
"I wasn't expecting it to have such wide appeal for a non-runner but I am getting on a bit so am finding a lot of the insights very interesting."
Sue Milne, England
“A very good read even for a non-runner.”
Jacqui Morriss, New Zealand
"I am an over-60 runner and found the book very interesting and informative. Philip's writing is very easy to understand and he explains the technical stuff in layman's terms. I was surprised to find the book so amusing - I was laughing out loud at some of his adventures. I highly recommend it to all runners who are worried about how ageing will affect them and who wish to discover how best to prepare and train to keep themselves on the road (or fell)."
Cheryl Stroud, England
"I approached the book with hesitation as I have never aspired to run BUT Philip achieves what all good sports’ writers do: he pulls in the non-specialist reader by establishing common ground (what could be more unifying than an interest in the human body?). He also finds ways to encourage the general reader to think about resilience; about how one deals with disappointments; about the mental as well as physical aspects of ageing. The book is an excellent balance of anecdote and exploration of different elements of the human body. Philip unfolds his adventures with modesty and confidence. As he himself stresses, he is not a specialist in biomechanics, but because of his intelligent digestion of his research he communicates technical matters in an accessible way.The book is infused with humour - puns, slapstick and self-deprecating asides - and there is frankness in the telling of the ups and downs of the year. Philip does not hide injury, disappointment or indeed hubris."
Eleanor, England