Athletics Books

This book is a marvel of reporting. A tightly written exposure of eth Yawkey traditions and how the cronyism of the Sox ownership was teh real "curse" of the Sox. Sheds a whole new light on many Sox ball players such as Teddy, Joe Cronin, Pumpsie Green, Reggie Smith, Jim Rice, Yaz, Fisk, Ellis Burks, and Mo Vaughn. Bryant does a great job of weaving teh Red Sox pight witrh that of the Boston news media (Globe was a rag apparently not all too long ago) and teh city itself. As a new resident to the Boston area, I can still see the deep racial segregation that Bryant speaks of today. The odd thing as that the "economics of winning", meaning you pay for teh top player regardless of race, may be the end of racism in baseball. Capitalism trumps racism. Whooda thunk?

For all the talk of curses and other such nonsense, there is a very simple reason why the Boston Red Sox didn't win a championship for eighty six years. Racisim and poor managment. Howard Bryant reporting is impeccable. Whether Tom Yawkey was an outward racist isn't really the point. His orginization employed people who used race as a barometer for judgeing talent. Bryant brings to light in vivid detail Yawkey's penchant for handing over the keys to men of dubious character. Pinky Higgins a well known and notorious racist was repeatedly rehired over and over. Obviously signing a Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays wouldn't have guaranteed a championship, however the racial practices continued for years.Howard Bryant has done a compeling job of how race and plain stupidity kept the Red Sox SHUT OUT FOR EIGHTY SIX YEARS.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING BOOK AT TIMES AND VERY TRUE. THE AUTHOR SEEMS TO KEEP TELLING US ABOUT THE WORKOUT JACKIE ROBINSON HAD WITH THE RED SOX THAT WAS STAGED TO COVERUP THE TRUTH ABOUT PREJUDICE ON THE RED SOX. I GOT TIRED OF HEARING THE SAME THING TIME AFTER TIME IN THIS BOOK. ON THE GOOD SIDE HE MAKES A LOT OF POINTS WITH BILL RUSSELL, PUMPSIE GREEN, JIM RICE ETC. HE TRULY SHOWS HOW THE RED SOX HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES SLIP THRU THEIR HANDS BECAUSE OF THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD BLACKS. WORTH READING.

In my opinion, the exploration of racism in the Boston Red Sox baseball organization is just an awesome, interesting topic for a book. Unfortunately Howard Bryant, the author of "Shut Out", is a man not nearly proficient enough to tell the tale.

As has been mentioned by numerous previous posters, his writing style is that which annoying repetition replaces clear and intelligible writing that would require him to make a point only once. (I figured out that Larry Whiteside was the first black sprotswriter for the Boston Globe on the first time I read it, but Bryant reiterates THE SAME EXACT POINT roughly another dozen times.)

His fact checking as well leaves a bit to be desired--to wit, Ken "Hawk" Harrelson played for the Sox in 1967-68, and was not--repeat, NOT--ever a teammate of Jim Rice, who first made it up to the big club in 1974. A quick perusal of baseball-reference.com could've confirmed that fact for Bryant.

Also, whoever it was that edited this book should consider finding another line of work. Rarely have I read a book from a supposedly "legitimate" publisher (i.e., not self published) that contained so many misspellings, grammatical and punctuation errors.

According to the book's jacket, Bryant is a journalist covering the Yankees for the Bergan Record. This tidbit tells me one of two things: either (1) Bryant's writing style is inherently more suited for 600 word newspaper articles than a 250 page book, or (2) the Bergan Record is a crappy newspaper that will hire just about anyone who wants a job.

This book isn't all bad...but it's a whole lot more bad than good. I don't think I've been more dissapointed in a book in quite some time. I give this two stars; it would've been one, but I'll give Bryant credit for coming up with an intriguing topic, despite his inability to do it justice.

My rating of four stars is based on my interest level while author Howard Bryant deserves five stars for his in-depth effort on the subject of the Boston Red Sox and the racial problems that have cast a cloud over the storied franchise. The author relates the story of the farcical tryout of Jackie Robinson at Fenway Park along with two other blacks in 1945 with the Red Sox using the excuse they couldn't sign Robinson since he would have had to report to a minor league team of theirs located in the south where he would have had to deal with a segregated society. The same held true for Willie Mays who could have been patrolling center field for the Sox. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey purchased the team in 1933 and surrounded himself with a trio of cronies and drinking buddies named Eddie Collins, Joe Cronin, and buffoon racist Mike "Pinky" Higgins. It is certainly true that racism was not limited to the Red Sox during the 1950's, but they were last in integrating their team with the signing of Elijah "Pumpsie" Green in 1959, and as long as the specter of Collins, Cronin, and Higgins were involved nothing was going to change. Yawkey, as owner was certainly no leader, as he entrusted his franchise to these three men and passively accepted their beliefs. Author Bryant also goes into detail on the experiences of Reggie Smith, Jim Rice, Ellis Burks, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, Luis Tiant, and Mo Vaughn during their stays in Boston. Some of the book covers non-baseball racially related incidents over the years, and how the team has suffered in trying to get free agents to sign with the Red Sox. When Pumpsie Green joined the club in '59 Ted Williams sent a strong message to teammates and other bigots by warming up with Green prior to the games. Seemingly little things like this can loom large when someone is trying to gain acceptance. Green, himself, summed things up quite well in the year 2000 by saying, "Sometimes when I think of the things people like me had to go through, it just sounds so unnecessary. When you think about it, it is almost silly, how much time and energy was wasted hating." This is not simply another baseball book, but one that provides a look into the Boston Red Sox' role in race relations involving their storied ball club. You need not be a fan of the Bosox, I'm not, to enjoy the book.

Great book on nutrition, and inforative on his experiences and journey with body building. Enjoy the book, not just from the informational aspect but also learning of his journey and the things he had experienced!

I have read a lot of book on nutrition for athlets.
This one has exceeded my expectation.
Very symple to understand and " back to the basic" type of approach.

This book is amazing,not only suggests what to eat, but also tells one how much to eat, and the reasons why he recommends it, taking into account that everybody is different all at the same time.
Again great source of information.

I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing how the body works. As someone who is interested simply in cutting my body fat level and staying in shape, rather than body building, I found it to be extremely valuable. I lost several pounds in a week or so after reading the book simply by following some of the general ideas alone.

This book is the worst book on nutrition that I have ever read. Imagine recommending 3 large meals accompanied by beer or wine as an appropriate nutritional regieme for a modern athlete. The only value this book has as is an historical document which demonstrates how ignorant we were about nutrition not all that long ago. If you follow the advice in this book you had better be on steroids if you think you are going to get big. Absolute rubbish.

This is an "OK" book. If you want to know about Miami football, this book is a good start. It traces the history of the program, from its inception to the the first championship season in 1983, all the way to the end of the 2004 season. Along the way the reader encounters many of the players and personalities that made UM what it is. And from that perspective, it's a decent book.

However, even though I am a UM fan, I found it to be somewhat biased. Referring to the team as a "dynasty" is a bit much, especially in light of the team's recent struggles. UM had a nice run, but all teams have their rough stretches too. One could make the argument that USC or a few others are just as much of a "dynasty" as UM.

Still, it was easy reading, and it was mostly fun to read. But I warn anyone who is not a UM fan - you should not read this book, because you will get turned off by its favortism for the U. But for those who don't mind, it is informative, and helps you remember some of those championship seasons!

Three stars.

If you are NOT a fan of the Miami Hurricanes, you should really be a sports junkie to invest the time in reading this. But if you are, this book will be endlessly entertaining, even though it's a little (maybe a lot) rough around the edges.

I ordered the book an I had it in my hands within 3 business days. Excellent service. I would definitely recommend this seller 100%. The book is great; it tells great stories about players, coaches and the program itself. It is amazing how the U became a powerhouse.

Hmmm... let me guess... Bruce Feldman went to the University of Miami? He did? Shocking!

The only reason I continued reading this book is because I am a big college football fan. The book goes something like this...

Feldman spends a few hundred pages defending the thuggery, classlessness, and corruption that is the University of Miami football program. It is a boring and pathetic defense, in which he blames administrators (wow, people actually want to emphasize academic integrity and sportsmanship?), the media (EVERYONE is just out to get the "U"!) and America (they hate us because we're black). Feldman, fess up: Miami is a pure embarrassment not only to college football, but to anybody with a degree from "Suntan U". Move on, folks. Some things just don't deserve a defense-- Miami football is one of them.

(Also, try to avoid listening to this guy whine when he's on ESPN. Brutal.)

This book describes the history (mostly recent) of the football powerhouse of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The author, Feldman, describes the beginnings of the Cane attitude, the former players and how they still feel part of the team, the problems that the team and the program have gone through, and the misperceptions. There won't be any incredible insights in the book, but it is a fun, entertaining, easy read. Good for a long plane ride.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is told from the perspective of a working class young Englishman whose greatest ambition in life is subverting the system. Witty, insightful, cynical and yet innocent, Smith, gets sent to a correctional facility (Borstal) after being caught (hilariously) with the money he and a friend had robbed from a bakery. Smith's refusal to be untrue to himself - even though his honesty, it could be argued, does nothing to help him get along in life - is the point of the narrative. It's a story that I think appeals to male and female readers.

Alan Sillitoe wrote in the late fifties The loneliness of the long distance runner. It is about the filthy realities of life in a working class family. Smith is the long distance runner, representing Borstal Essex in the Borstal Blue Ribbon Prize Cup For Long Distance Cross Country Running (All England). Smith is an inmate in possession of a superior ability in long distance running. His tactics are : never be in a hurry during running and never let any of the other runners know you are in a hurry even if you are! He is the favorite of the governor because of this running ability. The governor of Borstal Essex depends on Smith for winning the cup. Smith, aged 17, is not willing to do this favor to the governor. In his race, carefully planned and executed, Smith allows another runner to win. He wants to hit the governor where it hurts a lot. The stakes are high and Smith knows beforehand the consequences. He is getting a rough time the last 6 months of his stay in Borstal. Sillitoe wrote a fine story and in fact he is a long distance runner too. During the fifties he started writing as an angry young man and recently he wrote a sequel of one of his most famous books Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, called Birthday. I recommend Sillitoe as a committed writer.

Luuk Oost

Stilltoe's Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner is a collection of thematically-linked short stories about life in post-WWII London. In this collection, the author's narrative voice is so authentic that the reader is transported into the minds of poverty-stricken young Londoners who are facing the grim realities of their future as factory workers, criminals or longshoreman. The stories helped launch the "Angry Young Man" genre of film and literature that emerged in the early 1960's. The title story was made into a movie, which time has transformed into a classic. This is a great book for students of postmodern literature as well as those who just like a well-crafted tale.

This is not my favorite Sillitoe book, but it's probably the most well known to the people of my demographic (the twenty year old white kid with a passing interest in music) and thank god for that. The title story employs Sillitoe's trade mark semi-stream of conscioucness writing style to smashing effect. It's neither too precious nor too light, but demonstrates how a controlled use of style can result in stunning emotional returns for the reader. This is moving stuff and it's heady stuff, but it's not self indulgent or smacking of "the woe is me i loved an arty girl" adolescent sentiment that sounds so attractive in a song but rarely makes good prose. Not that there are any kind of arty girls in the title s. but, you know, the feeling is across the board applicable to fiction dealing with boys and girls. Sillitoe is a strangely neglected writer, as Christopher Hitchens has recently remarked, though this probably has something to do with the fact that after writing two or three great books, he turned to writing obsessively about blind ham radio operators. Book after book came out, and I've read them, and each one features some variation on blindness or radios. He's king of the blind ham radio genre, but it's an odd title for such a great writer.

I purchased a well worn, musty smelling paperback edition of this book published in 1967 and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful writing as well as the tactile sensation of thumbing my way through the cherished, yellowed pages. Brilliantly executed "tales of working class life and morals" are great to read--but none better than Chapter One about the Runner in the title. So well done, in fact, that my interest in the other stories quickly waned.

For reading pleasure, I highly recommend this collection. For runners, especially, Chapter One is worth the purchase price. Now I'm eager to see the Tom Courtenay movie version, which is apparently excellent, too.

I thought this book was very helpful and believeful and I started out as a total skeptic. I think think these principles are sound, although I find them hard to follow. This book is very easy to understand, even for a lay person and many sports 'self help' books aren't. I find that this book gives enough scientific evidence that makes it good, but not so much that its boring or hard to understand. Definitely a must-have for endurance athletes' reference collection.

I didn't think this book was an easy read. I think many other diet books flow better. I can't imagine eating salmon for breakfast every day!

Highly informative for all athletes and people wanting to exercise on a regular basis.

Basically it teaches you what, when and how to eat your food so that you get the maximun performance. It also has specific advice on fluids. If you are planning to do regular execise, this is a highly recommended book, even if you are not planning to follow the paleo diet strictly.

I have followed a low-carb diet for about 3 years now, and in the last year have gradually become an avid runner. I was looking for info on how to add carbs into my diet to support my running, and this book has specific, useful info on that topic. I do not agree with all of his dietary advice in general (for general info on low-carb diets I would recommend that you read a variety of books to gather well-rounded advice on this diet, as each author contributes a different piece of the puzzle), however I do highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for advice on how to properly integrate diet and sports, or who is suffering some sort of chronic problem during high-intensity athletic training - this book may straighten your problem out, even if you don't currently see it as related to your diet. This book is a valuable and much-needed addition on the topic of nutrition and sport.

Two stars for the Paleo Diet but Zero stars for the "modifications."

I was severely disappointed with this book. I hoped that an athlete would adopt the diet and adapt his training to the demands of the sound science that Dr. Cordain authored with his Paleo Diet. Instead, we have an athlete who has basically adapted the Paleo Diet to the high carbohydrate nonsense that permeates the "endurance world", which leads to good results, but bad health. How many of our great athletes have to continue sacrificing their long-term health for short term goals?

Recovery is not a good enough reason to "adapt" and modify the diet. The goal of training is to race, not more training. I don't think enough athletes understand that. There is a large section in this book about overtraining, but the authors "overcome" this seeming limitation ironically with the very thing that the Paleo Diet attempts to cure us from - - a misplaced reliance on excessive glucose which is responsible for the majority of the maladies that currently afflict us.

"Periodization" is also a problem. I'll leave you this quote by Olympian Gordon Pirie which accurately details the issue:

"Another popular aspect of training which I think is very dangerous is that known as "periodization" - that is, breaking down the training year into various "phases", each of which is divorced from the others. Thus, the beginning of the year may be devoted to a slow distance "build-up", the second portion of the year devoted to hill training, a third part devoted to interval work and then speed training, and finally (though most of these runners never get this far) a racing season undertaken. The difficulty with training in this manner is that you go along quite well with one aspect of training (e.g. long distance running), and then suddenly, on a certain day, "Bang!". You start hill-bounding, or speed-training, or something new, and the body simply is not ready for the change, and invariably, year in and year out, you are more often than not injured. The body should be trained in all aspects of running, all of the time. Only the emphasis should change as you progress through the year; no aspect of training should be entirely given up for any significant length of time. The balance between different types of training (distance running, intervals, hill running and speed training) should be adjusted as the year progresses" Pirie, "Running Fast and Injury Free", Page 86.

This balance can be achieved with adequate rest. When an athlete gives up his dependance on sugar, he will find that he has much more strength and steady energy reserves. Sure, you don't recover as quickly, but this is an indication that training is too hard, and one needs to adjust this training in order to successfully make it to the starting line. The science by Phinney and others clearly demonstrates that athletes, when given sufficient time to adapt to fat burning, were able to repeat their athletic performance. Frequency was a problem, but again, the goal of training is to race, not more training.

I'm disappointed that Dr. Cordain could not find an athlete willing to test his theories with sound and intelligent training, rather than the usual carb-load glucose-laden mess we've been stuck with. There are many low carb runners and cyclists out there who address the issues covered in this book far more intelligently and in a way that does not compromise their long term health as this approach potentially does.

Learn how to keep your body perfectly fueled for any athletic endeavor. Charts will help you compare various health food products to help you make the right decisions for your diet.

Within 3 weeks of implementing the basic concepts I noticed a massive difference in my ability to train productively on successive days and that my soreness after long runs of 10-20 miles was drastically cut.

One of the great things about this book is that you can apply it's concepts in a macro or micro level pretty easilly, from grams to food groups to eating for specific training cycles.

The organization and layout could use some cleaning up, but the content makes up for it. It has plenty of sample diets, though it could use a little more.

Truly outstanding!

Well for starters let's say this book is a little technical and spread out. There is lots of information but it is spread out all over the place. That is the bad news. The organization is spread out in seventeen chapters over four parts. Some parts are more beneficial than others. The good news is that there is everything you need to know in this book about keeping your body fueled at the optimun level for a top performance, whatever you choice of exercise is. The best section is probably the part entitled "The Best Fuels for the Job." Within this section you can find your guide to carbohydrates, low carb diets, fats, proteins and other useful information about minerals and vitamins and fueling for performance before, during and after. There are charts to compare the different products(protein powders, energy drinks and recovery drinks) on the market for you to choose the one that best suits your needs. There are also many charts with comparisons of nutrients found in different foods to help you make a choice for which is best for your tastes. The training regimen is detailed with suggested meals and is just to linear for my tastes. I like to pick and choose so for me this book was too regimented. I bought this book when it first came out and have read it on and off since but have recently incorporated some of the receipes found in the back of the book into my lifestyle. Since I am more a free form cook, I use many of the ideas as a springboard for my own imagination in the kitchen. However there are several receipes that are great as is. The empahsis on nutrition and the benefits of certain foods is the books strong point and can benefit many people, even people who are not atheletes. If you are into health and are active in some type of endurance sport than this book will be of help you get the most out of your body. If you are sedentary and want to get off your duff this book might help you see you can still eat many of the foods you like(but others you will have to cut)as you begin to become more active. Overall this book can have a good effect on your lifestyle.

I chose this book because I trust Chris Carmichael's knowledge and experience with athletes. He is not trendy or strict, but instead realistic and straight-forward. He helps you design YOUR plan.

Easy recipes in the back, also!

Good ideas, without question, but clearly publicity for PowerBar as much as anything else.

This book takes a sane, low-key approach to triathloning. The author did his first one when he was about 45. Very well written, with detailed training plans and lots of interesting anecdotes. HIGHLY recommended

If you've been wanting to get into triathlon, but you don't know where to start, this book is full of programs for you to get started on.

I love this book because it gives you a normal everyday mojo's perspective on triathlons and duathlons. I recommend it to anyone who is a beginner.

I didn't realize how out of date this book was, or I would not have bought it. The book makes 80s-era references when it comes to diet, nutrition, and other books about fitness. He suggests that you'd better plan to spend a whole $45 dollars on a good pair of running shoes!

The author is readable, and his personal experiences are somewhat interesting. But although he is an M.D., there seems to be no scientific basis for his recommendations - it is all based on his personal experience.

NOTE: This review applies to the FIRST EDITION. I just found out there is a Second Edition. I will oder and review it forthwith.

I rated this book 4 stars because it is an old 5 star book.

First, this book is for rank beginners. If you say, "Gee, I want to try this cross-training thing called a triathlon . . .um, where do I start?", then this is the book for you.

Second, the book IS DATED. It was originally written in 1984 and updated in 1996. A lot has happened since then; distances have been standardized, new equipment and techniqes have evolved, advances in nutrition and kinesiology.

Now, my reivew.

This is a marvelous book in a lot of ways. If you have no clue how to get started, this book will help you a lot. Unlike some of the reviewers here, and as stated by the author, this is TRIATHLONING FOR ORDINDARY MORTALS. Dr. Jonas lays out a program of exercise that rank amatuers can accomplish. He presents this information in a way that you can directly apply without a coach. The object of the book, as stated on page 23:

"This book is for you if you an average recreational endurance athlete of modest ability who would like to do a triathlon of modest proportions [Olympic]. It is also for you if you are not yet 'average recreational endurance athlete of modest ability' but would like to become one, with the goal in mind of doing a triathlon of modest proportions'" . . .This book is not for you if your ambition is to do an 'Ironman' triathlon."

Phase One is a three month prelude to developing an aerobic base, to get you used to exercising. Phase Two is a six month program to get you sufficiently fit to train for a triathlon. Phase Three is a three month program to COMPLETE a triathlon.

The nutrition and equipment discussion in the book are dated. However, the advice he offers, such as going to a specialty shoe store to get fitted, is not.

As to counting minutes vs miles, in one of the previous reviews, the BEST way for an amateur to build thier aerobic capacity is over time. Miles work best for people who are already there and have advanced beyond what this book may teach. You need to practice technique and intervals and that is beyond this book. I reccommend the 12 week walk/run program offered by the British Columbia sports medicene group a replacement for the run program.

I really enjoyed reading this book 5 years ago and again now. Science and technology have moved on, but sage advice is still golden.

Poorly produced with a few radical concepts about sport-specific conditioning as it relates to golf. I doubt anybody on tour uses this stuff, just too funky.

Thougt I was getting a fitness book. Found it to be much, much more. A mental toughness program that makes sense is the highlite for me. I have used most of the exercises now for about 10 weeks, and I have a MUCH bigger shoulder turn. Best of all, my knees and lower back have quit hurting. Happily shooting in single digits now after flirting with them for years...

Not easy to follow, but a few interesting exercises I have added to my routine. Some of the sections are just not adequate compared to other books/plans, for example, the aerobic/endurance section. Looks like it was thrown together over the weekend at Kinko's.

I love the concept... that the swing was broken down into all of it's phases and the the exercises are designed to reinforce the muscle tone and muscle memory required for a better golf swing. However, the written directions are complex and the visual aids are of poor quality so it is possible to do the exercise wrong with out knowing it. I'm sure the video would be a great supplement to the book.

It's good information, but more than I'll ever need by a factor of 5. There is a very useful technique for scoring your game, so you have a record of exactly what happened on the course, and you know what to work on. But, there is just too much for me, a beginning golfer, and for my brother (I tried to pawn it off on him), who's a mid-level player. I wish I'd returned it.

I found the book very interesting and factual of how good prospective high school athletes can be ground up like chopped beef. The USA top division I coaches have a bad repretation for running and competing the good prospective Olympic athlete in the ground from European coaches. The book was exciting when the races were described and very dissappointing when the results of the biggest and last races of the year were not there because there were thirty-three pages missing in the book and of course at the dmost interesting part. Very dissappointing. WMW

at the end of the book i actually disliked Webb. it was a story about someone who was not patient enough and thougt of himself as above everyone, i actually think him running such great times as a highschooler hurt him,he did not give the coach at michigan a fair chance and found ways to make everything a drama. the part i did enjoy though was reading about the other people from michigan and the fact that chris lear is such a great writer and really connects with the reader.

In a space of several months in 2001, Alan Webb ran the fastest indoor mile by a U.S. high school athlete and then set a national high school record for the magical distance, breaking a mark that reigned supreme for 36 years by the legendary Jim Ryun.

Author Chris Lear takes the reader on the rocky journey Webb runs while carrying his fantastic prep record to the college ranks and beyond. In particular interest is how Webb deals with coaching legend Ron Warhurst at the University of Michigan.

The pressure on Webb from outside the confines of the college campus are chronicled without editorial comment from Lear. It is my feeling Webb comes across as a boorish teenage tennis player or figure skater that must have things his/her way and coaches last about as long as a pair of training shoes for an ultra-marathoner.

Webb's "team" that was around him when rewrote the prep record book seemingly derailed Warhurst's efforts before his star runner went on his first workout as a Wolverine. One must wonder if they had the best interest of Webb in mind or if dollar signs were circling that track.

There was the lure of professional money from shoe companies and race promoters who were certainly salivating at the chance to have the great American star wear its logo or compete on the domestic/international stage.

But the blame for being swayed by so many voices clearly falls on Webb. And if this tug-of-war would have been in a bigger profile collegiate sport, it would have been as big a national story as - for example - Maurice Clarett's public battles with the Ohio State brass and coaches from a few years ago.

Sometimes the biggest search for a young world-class athlete is for those who will provide good advice over what can be profitable today. For every Tiger Woods or John McEnroe - who used brief collegiate careers as a springboard to professional success - there are hundreds like Webb that want it all now, but end up with fleeting glimpses of brilliance.

Alan Webb in this story strikes me as more a baby than a runner who has ran under 4 minutes in the mile. He whines about being hurt and not getting trained right. Warhurst is one of the greatest american distance coaches, if you can't run under him don't run at all. Nate seemed more likeable and more of a team player than Webb did in this book. Being for Illionis I love how Webb lost to Don Sage in 1500 meter final. Towards the end of the book, you knew he was going to quit michigan, now granted Webb has become very big in the sport but for a while he struggled after leaving Michigan and going back to his old coach. Good Book, if you like Webb, you might change your view of him, Nate is awesome, so is Tim Broe

Chris Lear has done it again! Following an exellent debut with "Running With the Buffaloes" he comes back with "Sub 4:00" -- a great account of Alan Webb's first and only season at the University of Michigan.

Lear is the only guy out there writing about the collegiate running scene as most books in the running section at your bookstore revolve around training logs or how to run your first 10K. It's about time someone took a different path and I'm glad Lear has done so.

Webb's tumultuous season at UM is well-depicted. The tough workouts, the injuries, and most importantly, the hot and cold relationship Webb has with his collegiate coach. Webb is pulled in a couple of different directions, whether to turn pro and go back and train under his high school coach, where he had great success; or stay at UM where he has friends and training partners. After awhile one can tell where Webb is going to end up.

What makes Lear's books so good is he gets right into the action. Just like his first book, he has intimate access to the team, it's workouts, meetings, and private moments. He's with Webb in the residence halls, on solitary and team workouts, at the meets, and even on the road in his car. Lear isn't an outside observer, he's right there. Also, the main supporting character, Brannen, gets his fair share of coverage.

This isn't just a book for runners, but anyone interested in athletics, particularly college athletics and how the system works and how coaches are under pressure to win -- yes, even so-called minor sport track and field coaches.

I highly recommend this excellent book and hope Lear has more coming down the road.

This book has recipes that are long and use products that I don't have access to in my rural town. I like short simple recipes that offer a bang for the buck with products I can obtain locally and spices that are common to my kitchen. This is more time consuming and complicated than I like. Too gourmet for me.

I was skeptical getting a cookbook like this. I thought it might just be a silly book trading off the Carmichael/Lance duopolistic cycling brand. My skepticism turned to enthusiasm when I read the accompanying text and tried a few of the recipes. They are tasty, easy to make, different, and healthy. And there is enough variety to make this a cookbook I think I will explore for a while.

I have to say this is a good book. The book's chapters are seperated into the Foundation period, Preperation period, specialization period, and transition period. Now at first i found this wierd and annoying because most cookbooks are seperated into breads, soups, appitizers, dinners, snacks, and desserts. After getting used to the book I understood why and appreciate it. Most peoples sport has a "off time" and "peak time" and it gives recipes depending on what period of your sport you are in, which is nice. It also uses icons to tell you what this recipe is actually doing for example. A picture of a match that means it is a firestarter, which means is easy to digest and has ready to use energy which is great hours before a workout. Another example a picture of blocks means it is building blocks which means it is very high in protien. The book explains all of this plus has 6 other Icons. So I feel it spells everything out for the athlete.

Now these recipes are not simple simple. If you need stuff that simple you need to find a 15 min cookbook or a college student cookbook. However these recipes are simple not having complicating instructions. Some of them can take time anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes. But any healthy food will take longer. Just as minute white rice takes 10 minute... but a brown rice takes 60 min to cook. However the brown rice is better for you.
MOst of the hour recipes have alot of not active time or simmering time so you could always excersize in your kitchen while the food is cooking.

I am a vegetarian ( vegan)and these recipes are very easily comverted by switching the fish to tofu or sietan or temeph or even any premade vegetarian protien like tofurkey or boca burgers.

In short i find this book a very good buy for the athlete. If you find these recipes too complited I think it would be best if you stepped away from the stove and gave this book to your girlfriend/ wife.

Sorry, but those who find these difficult in prep/ingredient finding scale are not much experienced as chef. These are at best, medium in difficulty of technique, steps, gredient finding, etc. I find them minimal, but exceptional in taste, uniqueness, and best of all, performace and/or weight loss/maintenance.

With repute of clientle of these two authors, recipe collection is nice variety: Cumin-Roasted Pork Loin with Rosemary Polenta and Creamy Leeks;Sweet Potato and Garlic Soup; Spicy Three-Egg Arizona Scramble;Chicken Tortilla Soup; Quick Muesli with Apples and Dates; Fresh Pear and Pecan Salad.

Great nutrition and training charts and advice as well. Color photos nice.

Wasn't a fan of this book. I found that the caloric intake and the levels of fat were much too high for someone who is a casual athlete. If I'm Lance Armstrong and am training for hours every day, this diet makes sense. But as it is, I am a recreational triathlete who tries to keep her diet near 1500 calories to maintain my weight. More, I gain. Less, I bonk on workouts.

Secondly, I have to disagree with the people who found the recipes as being "too difficult". If anything, I was turned off by the lack of interesting recipes and the simplistic nature of the detail. Maybe some people need a lot of help in the kitchen. However, I don't like cookbooks that could be filled with more recipes instead filled with asinine directions such as "Take a noodle out of the water. Set it on a plate. Let it cool. Taste it. This is how you can tell if the pasta is done." You really can't dumb down the tough task of boiling water, throwing in pasta, and draining it, but Carmichael managed to. I really disliked this to the point where I just sort of glanced over recipes and prepared the ingredients listed in my own way.