RunAthena.com :: Resources

A new women's fitness website, HerActiveLife.com, made its debut today. The site promises to be an excellent resource for women who are exploring and embracing a fit lifestyle.

It's a visually appealing, informative site--we wish it well!

Our recent book review of Tim Noakes' authoritative and exhaustive tome, The Lore of Running, has been picked up and re-published by The Final Sprint.

Visit The Final Sprint to see our review and check out other articles of interest to runners.

'Tis the season for winter slop and icy trails, where even the most rugged looking lug-soled trail shoes can't provide the traction you need to avoid a dangerous slip.

In conditions like these, you might want to try a handy trick: screw your shoes.

By inserting sheet metal screws into key points on the soles of an old pair of running shoes, you can give your shoes some added bite for the slippery streets and paths. The heads of sheet metal screws feature a flanged edge ideal for cutting into the slick surface of the ice.

For instructions on what kind of screws to select, how to screw your shoes, and where to screw them, visit Skyrunner's website. His instruction page includes handy graphics and tips, including a photo showing placement of screws in the sole of a running shoe.

While you're at Skyrunner's site, take a look around -- lots of good links and resources for runners, no matter the weather.

It has been called "the Bible for runners" -- perhaps because of its sheer bulk, or the scope of its reference, or the personal and mostly benevolent voice of the author. But most of the time, when a book is referred to as "the Bible" on a subject, this means it is an authoritative and comprehensive source of knowledge or guidance on a particular subject.

In that sense, The Lore of Running, by Tim Noakes, M.D., is indeed the Bible for runners. Noakes' book, with 710 pages of text and an 86-page bibliography, is biblical in proportion. Further, on every page Noakes offers readers a vast store of knowledge touching on practically every aspect of running.

In Part I of the book, Noakes goes into fascinating technical detail about the physiology of running, discussing everything from how muscles contract to -- more controversially -- how VO2max is not the best measure of a runner's potential.

In Part II, Noakes begins with a survey of some major research contributions to the art and science of training runners. He then lays out training principles and suggestions in fantastic detail. He devotes one chapter of this section to overtraining, an important but often overlooked topic.

In Part III, Noakes discusses health considerations related to running and training, including running injuries, nutrition, weight loss and weight control, the special requirements of women runners, and running for children.

Noakes opinions are built upon scientific research -- his own contribution to research literature on running is vast -- and stated with elegance and wisdom. Further, there is an almost sacred tone to the writing -- not the hushed whispers of a visitor to a great cathedral, but the strong and gentle admonitions of the presiding bishop, tasked with making plain the mysteries of man and woman fearfully and wonderfully made.

This book is not an easy read, but it is a good read.

While reading reviews for Dean Karnazes' book, Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, I came across an interesting perspective from one blogger.

According to "Dadof2," Karnazes' book isn't about running so much as it is about passion:

Passion is visible and attractive, but it doesn't come without cost. Maybe to have passion you have to be willing to make sacrifices, to trade something, to work harder. It appears that Dean took that approach, and it clearly worked for him. I guess that's what I saw in Dean's book. It's a story about passion. He does a wonderful job describing his passion and sharing it with us.

To read the complete review, visit Family Friendly Life