****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I have been a runner for 30 years, and 10 of those were my marathon years. I did around 50 of them, including qualifying for Boston 3 times. So you can imagine how unhappy I was when injuries received on a 5 week hike kept me from running for an entire year. Well, that year is over, and I have found that walking doesn't hurt me, but running does. So logic is finally prevailing, and I am now a walker. But I refuse to give up my beloved marathons.This is where Dave McGovern's book has come into play. His book, particularly theintroductory chapters, makes me excited about walking, not just resigned to it. Now I have a sport that I can continue the rest of my life, and with many fewer injuries. I figure I have spent at least 25% of the past 5 years injured and unable to run. But, even with my injuries this past year, I could still walk pain-free.And I don't have to give up my marathons! With the passing of time, I had come to the end of an improvement of my times for running marathons, and had to just be content with running for the fun of it. Nothing wrong with that, but I do still like to be challenged. Now I have a new method of participating, and a new chance to challenge myself both in skills and in time.Dave McGovern's book is both inspiring and informational. I learned a lot from it, and continue to re-read it, especially when I slip back into thinking, "Gee, maybe I could try a little running again." Nope! With the guidance of this book, I will now begin my second decade of marathoning, but with a whole new twist...one which, quite frankly, I believe will be much healthier for my body. I was fit when I was running 4 -5 marathons a year (when not injured), but was I truly healthy? I believe that walking marathons will give me both.As a side note, if you wish to speed your walking up a notch or two, I would recommend Therese Iknoian's "Walking Fast: Techniques and Workouts for High-Level Fitness and Performance." I intend to get more into racewalking in the future, so that I will be able to participate in any marathon out there, not just the ones with very lenient time limits.But for good, basic information, Dave Mcgovern's my guy. I plan on attending one of his racewalking clinics in the future, once we move back to the U.S.
