Athletics Books

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I am not sure this is the correct style for everyone. I am trying to get strong which is typically done using heavy weight and low reps. And this training is not designed for that. I think you can only get so strong with this style because you will burn out before you build up.

I think this may work for some people, but I am suspicious of any book that tells you that you only have to work out for half an hour a week to get good results. I tried the method detailed in the book (extremely slow and intense lifting without a break for half an hour) and didn't find it to be as effective for me as stated. However, that said, I am sure it does work for some. For me, the main benefit of this book is the detailed instructions he provides on how to use various weight lifting machines.

If you're interested in the idea of lifting weight slowly, there are 3 books, that I am aware of, to consider:

1) Super Slow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol, by Hutchins
2) The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution, by Hahn
3) Power of 10, by Zickerman

To sum up 1-3: lift weights slowly to help lessen momentum so you are lifting the weight using as much muscle as possible, which will lead to muscle failure, and can help reduce the possibility of injury. Also be wary of the stress caused by aerobics. Work out less per week so you have time for a real life, and follow a sensible diet.

Note that 1-3 all are preachy about weights being superior to health over aerobic exercise, although 3) is much less so. Also note that they don't seem to say 'get rid of' cardio, but that weightlifting provides some cardiovascular benefits itself, and to do aerobics as a supplement never as a substitute.

Some miscellaneous comments:

1) reads like a dissertation or a scientific manual, while 2) and 3) are popular reading, 3) moreso.

I like the comparison to taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan) that 1) makes.

Dislike the endless "this worked for me!" anecdotes in 1-3.

3) seems to have zero references.

2) and 3) take a lot of material from 1).

3) doesn't seem to be against stretching, but rather says stretching is built into the slow moving full range of motion system.

Final verdict? Get 3) because it is less preachy, costs less, and presents the main ideas from 1) in a more accessible form.

I was recommended this book by a guy from my church who lost something like 50 lbs on the program. I checked it out and was impressed that the program was both simple and yet also up to date with contemporary fitness research. It takes much of what I've read in books on fitness and nutrition and what my trainer has told me and puts it into a program that is simple to follow and easy to remember. It is probably not for the intense athletes or serious body-builders, but for those who want to stay or get into shape and stay there while still living a relatively normal and busy 21st century lifestyle, it is quite good.

This program has helped me lose the "last 10 pounds." My muscle tone has improved by leaps and bounds as has my balance and flexibility. As an added incentive, I lost 10 pounds! I recommend this program because it is well blanced, fun, and challenging. As an "over 50" R.N., I can see the benefits even for disabled patients I work with. The only weakness is compiling all the exercises into a book for use in the gym. I tore apart a book and copied each page, enlarging at the same time, and then arranged in a notebook according to the daily plan. A benefit is the web site where you can actually see the exercises demonstrated as well as the CD that is available (info in the back of the book)

This book is great for beginning fitness levels and experts alike. It is very detailed and thorough. I recommend it to coaches, trainers, and athlete

I was very excited about the workout routine and really think the concept makes sense.He was good at getting your attention and reminding you that it's not all about looks but about health for years to come.
What I didn't like was that it was very confusing to me. The way it was laid out and the terms used were kinda of tricky for me to remember.
I felt like I had to plan out what I was going to do for 15 minutes before doing a single exercise.
I also didn't see any mention about how to customize exercises for those that have knee problems or other issues someone may have. I know he cannot address everyone's problems but there doesn't seem to be any advice in that area.
I think I would have rather borrowed the book from a friend/library but now that I have it I will continue with the program.

Like alot of the excersices but some are a bit to advanced. Lost a few pounds tho. :-)

I originally checked this book out at the library thinking it would just be another repeat of other core books I have read, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have been a certified personal trainer for 4 years and some material can get pretty redundant, so I'm always looking for fresh new ideas on fitness. This book was very informative on not only exercises for strengthening the core, but also proper nutrition and recovery tips. I share a lot of the author's ideas and beliefs regarding all of these issues, so I decided to buy this book from my favorite online store- Amazon. You will wear this book out, it's great.

An avid runner, I enjoyed the book immensely. Read it before you hit the roads.

i am always interested in reading about successful athletes. pre was a great read, simple easy read, some great insight on pre from some of his running partners. i enjoy the statistics and he had many.

Taken too young from us - will always be a hero to us.
Read this motivational book.

This is an excellent read for anyone. You don't have to know who Steve was to enjoy this book. The book has a lot of information and details that were not in the movies.

This is one of the few negative reviews I have ever given. But I bought this book because I think Pre is interesting and I love Track and Field.

This book is sooooo boring. I forced myself to finish after a few months of reading it on and off. This is basically a book just listing times from races and people talking about how much they loved Pre.

Do NOT buy this book!

Neal Bascomb's account of the race for the first four minute mile was produced (just) in time for the 50th anniversary of this mile-stone (pun intended). It is a very easy read, and a highly enjoyable account of the intertwining events of three very different athletes. A factional account, the book is very much based on the events of the early 1950's, but with events described from the viewpoint of the three protagonists. Like a race, the book wills you to get to the end.

There are undoubtedly a few liberties taken with the details, but, after all, the aim is to tell a story; a story very much based on events that many would recall details of, or have seen old cinematic or still pictures of. Australian John Landy, American Wes Santee and the British Roger Bannister had all failed to meet expectations at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. If not failing to meet the expectations of others, then certainly they had failed to fulfil their own dreams. Yet their ensuing race against time caught the imagination of many, not limited to the three countries of their respective births.

Almost every schoolboy of 30 years ago would know that it was the Brit Roger Bannister who had the distinction of being the first to dip below the magical 4 minutes for the mile. In that, the book reads like a detective story in which, like Lieutenant Columbo, readers know the end. However, this does not take away from the telling of the tale. It seemed to matter little that the centre photographs show the result of the 1954 Empire games 1 miles race before you get to the narrative, so even that particular race has no mystery in it.

The world of the mid-1950's seems to be a long way from modern professional athletics. The training schedules and diets simply cannot be compared to those enjoyed and endured today. This is what makes the book for me, a harking back to the days of amateur athletics, little or no expenses or appearance money, and ambition as the primary motivation. Not only were the three athletes raving against `the clock' and against each other (albeit against each other's shadows, not on the same track for the most part). Both the Englishman, and the Australian knew that they had limited time, both before the record 4 minutes was first broken (for ever), and before they had to finish with athletics to move on top the next stage in life.

This is a different era, the dying days of the gentleman amateur, before athletics was taken up by the countries of the former Soviet block, as a political weapon. It was before the win-at-all-cost drug cheats, before corporate sponsorship, and massive investment in strict training and dietary requirements. You could not have a career as an athlete, because there was no money available.

Part of the success of this volume is that it is undoubtedly nostalgic, it is a good story told well, and it touches upon events that have a place in the collective culture of those who lived in the third quarter of the 20th century in Britain. The final parts of the book review what has happened in the years since May 6th 1954. The total amount of pages for the progressive lowering of the mile record after Bannister takes less space than used to describe `The Mile of the Century' at the Empire Games in Vancouver, when for the first time ever, 2 athletes broke the 4 minute barrier. This mile race is partly the perfect mile in Bascomb's title.

The book will inspire readers to persist, to begin again and to achieve. It will also prove to be a good read. Well done Mr Bascomb.

Peter Morgan (morganp@supanet.com)

If you enjoy running and reading. This is an awesome story. I didnt want to put the book down.

A very well written book on an extraordinary feat of running. I true page turner!

I'm not a track fan, but this book was recommended to me as being very well written, and I have to agree completely. Following the story of these three men from very different backgrounds as they all strive to be the first to break a previously considered unbreakable human feat, you get a sense that you were there watching it transpire. Even though it's a recounting of historical events, the narrative is so compelling that you find yourself mentally urging on the runners as the races are described. After reading this book, I immediately got myself a copy of "Chariots of Fire". :-)

3 atheltes; 3 continents; 3 training methods; 1 goal.

Roger Bannister - trained by Franz Stamfl (heavily influenced Mihaly Igloy and the LATC). Emphasis on intensity and speed endurance. A meticulous athlete who believed in measurement and gradual improvement.

John Landy - trained by Percey Cerutty (Herb Elliott's coach). Emphasis on longer intervals and higher volume. Ran most of his races solo; talented and agressive.

Wes Santee - trained by Bill Easton (coach of Billy Mills). Old school methods. Heavy racing schedule. Santee was a gritty competitor who liked to race, and had little patience for the patronizing AAU.

The book details these three atheltes attempts to break the "unbreakable" barrier. A number of close attempts are described in agonizing detail, in particular Santee's 4:00.2

If you have ever tried to break any running "barrier" - 5:00 mile, 4:00 marathon, etc. you will understand how this text captures the solitary focus that envelopes a runner as s/he pursues a goal.

This book was recommended to me by a relative, who at the time was a doctoral student just like myself. We both desperately needed to fight off the stress of graduate school and to combat the bodily effects of endless hours of sitting in front of a computer. He had found the way to do it. Soon, I also knew what it was thanks to him. This is an excellent book for beginning runners. It is absolutely worth your time and money. The most valuable part of this book is the amazing 13-week program. I have gone through this program a few times now and keep coming back to it. Its promise is to put the least amount of pressure on your body to prevent injury, allowing your bones, muscles, and cardio system to adjust to running gradually. You can start the program if you have never run before (as I did the first time), and it will get you running 60 minutes straight if you follow the 13-week program without undue pressure on your body. The typical training session lasts about 40 minutes and you do three sessions every week.

In my experience, the program holds up to this promise. I have felt that each training session gave me exactly the right amount of challenge. I wasn't intimidated, I wasn't in pain, I wasn't worried about failing to run for the recommended time or about hurting myself (and I worry quite a bit about sensations coming from my body) and I wasn't bored either. I felt great after completing each session, and as a result, my feelings of competence and my belief in my ability to discipline myself increased naturally.

Besides the program, the book has many useful tips and lots of information about running. You will find something useful for you. The 13-week program is also supplemented by other kinds of programs, such as programs for those who want to run faster or farther once they finish the basic program, or a program for those who want to just walk.

The only negative thing I will say about the book is that it doesn't really address what to do when there are disruptions in your following the program (e.g., you miss a few sessions during week 8, where to start again now?). However, you intuitively figure it out, so it's not a big deal.

I am very pleased with this purchase and I'm keeping it in my library. I keep coming back to this program every spring when the weather gets better and I can run in the park. Overall, I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to make a solid exercise program a part of their routine, but don't know quite where to start.

I bought this book when I decided to get back into running after 5 years of not doing much of anything. I really do not enjoy running, but find it is the best way to get into shape and lose weight. This book made it enjoyable! The weekly sessions are very doable and make you feel like you are really accomplishing your goals. I started out barely able to run 30 seconds, and now feel totally comfortable running 5K's or more. Great buy for someone just starting out or looking to ease back into the "fitness" scene. Great buy!!

I've just completed this program and I can't say enough good things about it. Other reviewers have knocked this book citing changes in the program from previous editions. I question the motivation behind such reviews. I've never been a runner and this program has taken me from barely being able to run for 1 minute to running 5 straight miles. The program seems to do a good job of challanging you, then backing off a bit. The ONLY complaint I could lodge is enough attention isn't given to what pace you should run at. This book is not the end all be all running book, there's certainly better books out there once you get started, but this is a great place to begin.

My wife and I (both non runners) picked up this book at the end of the summer based on the promise of getting into a regular running program without getting injured.

Prior to starting, neither of us could finish a mile without walking. At the conclusion of the program, we're both running 30-60 minutes at a time, 3-4 times per week. We've recommended this book to many others and they've achieved the same success.

If you're looking to "become" a runner, there are many programs to help you start, but none better than this simple, proven book.

Before I started reading this, I was a slug - never exercised and was 70 lbs. overweight. I started a weight loss program and was walking religiously, but found that I became used to the intensity so I needed something more. My daughter recommended this book as a way to "learn" running and I've been following it ever since. I've now lost 54 pounds and am about 25% through the program. My goal is to run a 5k on my 53rd birthday the end of March, and I am confident I will be able to do it with the help of this program. I'm amazed at how easy it is to follow. That doesn't mean it's not tough - obviously it requires exertion. However, I've never felt like it was anything I couldn't handle. The best part is that it's allowed me to get that "runner's high" that people talk about. I actually enjoy exercise now.

I would recommend figuring out how you like to run. Some people like to run outside (my daughter does this) - others prefer the convenience of a treadmill (that's my choice - I love watching DVDs while running). Some do a combination - outside in nice weather and inside during bad. Don't give up, though - keep trying and I guarantee that this book will make a runner out of you.

This book dived into the upbringing and background of all facets of the Maravich family. You really began to understood why things went the way they did for Pete based on his upbringing. I knew Pete as an athlete but had no idea as to the internal struggles he faced throughout his life. I still remember Pete coming to the Omaha Civic Auditorium for a game against the Kansas City/Omaha Kings and scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter! He was an amazing athlete who (as an NBA player) was not utilized to his full potential. It would of been great if he could of stuck around the Celtics and got the ring. One of the best books I have ever read.

Especially being from North Carolina where Michael Jordan is seen as a demi-god, I have come to a conclusion which, for me, is remarkable. I really believe Pete Maravich was the best basketball player of all time. Not Michael. And instead of being "like Mike", I instead want to be "like Pistol."

This book helped me a little to come to that conclusion. Read the book and you'll find out about the lousy teams Maravich played for. Even the one really good team he played on during his rookie year, the Atlanta Hawks, had nearly a whole team which was jealous of him and often worked against him. Michael Jordan never had that problem in Chicago, either in the pre-championship years and during the championship years. Never.
Michael Jordan was a great dunker, but I agree with people like John Wooden who says that dunking the ball is one of the most overrated plays in basketball. I play at the Y with kids who can dunk, but they usually get their lunch eaten by guys like me who really know how to play the game (and defense.) I don't know if Pete ever dunked in a game but, you know, if any player *didn't need to dunk* to be overwhelming and dominate a game it was Maravich.
Go on YouTube and see some of the things Maravich did with a basketball and tell me if Michael Jordan could do those things. H&$% no. Surround Pete with a decent team--and one who didn't try to sabotage him--and see how many NBA trophies he would have won.
What would have been Maravich's legacy if he had *began* his career, instead of ending it, with the Celtics?
Furthermore, I wonder how many NBA trophies MJ would have won with only one blood vessel supplying his heart with blood(instead of two like everyone else.) Would Jordan have even been alive in 1982 when as a 19 year old he took the winning NCAA shot if he had the same physical heart as Pete?
Okay, enough about my recent insight and elevated opinion of Maravich. Pete Maravich was a very interesting human being also. The author of this book does a very good job of helping us to get in Maravich's skin. I also very much like his family systems approach to understanding Pete. If you understand Pete's dad, Press, and where he came from(the coal mines of Pennsylvania)it will go a long way toward helping you understand Pete. The author excelled in this area. The book was almost as much about Press as it was about Pete, but that was how the book had to be written. They were that close.
Just because it is a biography of Pete Maravich, I admit I'm tempted to give the book a "five." Yet, and I'm not going to go into details, the book could have been written a little better. Nevertheless, I could rarely put this book down. I bet I read the last 100 pages in one sitting today.
Lastly, Pete Maravich finally found real peace with himself during the last five years or so of his life. Anybody who reads the book will let out a sigh of relief when it finally happens. Pete was a very interesting and good man before his conversion to Christ, but he really "came into his own" ironically after his stellar basketball career was over.
Very good job Mr. Kriegel.
Rest in peace, Pistol. After reading this book I respect you as an utterly astounding and breath-taking athlete, but as much so as a superb human being.
Rest in peace.

Mr. Kriegel provides an insightful, interesting, serious study of the background to the life of Pete Maravich. I recommend the book, not only to sports' fans, but to anyone who enjoys well-written biography. For thoses readers who wish to understand Maravich's conversion to Christianity and the course of his post-conversion life, the book disappoints as Kriegel seems to understand the conversion as a retreat into religion rather than a confrontation with reality.

I should say this up front - The best sports books are always about more than sports. This is the best sports book I have ever read because it is really a compelling story about the love between a father and his son and what binds them together happens to be - a basketball.
Pete Maravich was, quite possibly the greatest ball handler/shooter of all time. If you look at the NBA stats lots of players scored more points but no one could put them up like the Pistol. On a given night, he simply was incapable of being guarded by anyone. He did things with a basketball that Michael Jordan could not do. He shot a basketball as Larry Bird could not do. He passed and handled a ball as the great Oscar Robertson could not do. He was once called the 'white Globetrotter' and there has never before -nor will ever be - another like him.
The book is really about two people - Press Maravich and his son Pete. The author Rick Kriegel, also the author of "Namath" (another excellent sports book on celebrity and the NFL) takes us through Press' childhood and his playing days in PA and, later, Pete's childhood, first as a prodigy and then, in demand, as the greatest high school/college player of his generation. Kriegel deals with the sports memories efficiently and the family issues with great care. The story of Pete's mother will tug at your heart.
The biography unfolds as Press' story slowly merges into Pete's, until the two pretty much become one life - bonded together by the sport. Pete carries Press' pioneering basketball acumen and coaching skills to new heights as the two create "Showtime" long before Kareem, Magic and Riley appeared on the horizon. You will learn much about basketball strategy, but you will learn more about the human sacrifice it takes to mold talent into greatness.
Kreigel covers Pete's career in full and addresses how he was heavily criticized for putting up big numbers on bad teams. Some even have gone so far as to suggest that the Pistol was hyped simply because of his (lack of color). Check out Youtube under "Maravich" and just watch the Pistol play HORSE. You may find yourself saying "WOW" more than a few times. If Jordan was "air," the Pistol was the magician who turned passing into an art form that all current point guards in the NBA can only aspire to. Oh, and he could shoot a little too.
Pete was on the Hawks (a good team but not great) the Jazz (a bad team) and the Celtics (just before their run with Bird) If handled by a great coach and surrounded by good players, Pete could have easily adapted his game to suit any type of team. But in the end, fans always demanded he be the 'Pistol' and in some ways, he could not refuse them. After all, they bought the tickets and he always felt obligated to put on a show for them. Maybe that fact, more than any other led some to consider the Pistol a failure. He created LSU basketball and was responsible for arenas at LSU Atlanta and New Orleans. He brought millions of dollars into the NBA and was part of the push (in addition to Dr J) for the ABA and NBA to merge. He was a basketball star when the NBA was considered a distant third as a national sport behind baseball and football. In some ways, he was the Joe Namath of the NBA. The book covers all that in great detail but the story always comes back to the sad eyed son who was happiest on the court and always struggling to find meaning off of it.
Shortly before the end of his life, he finally found that holding a basketball did not mean as much as holding his child and finding an open lane did not compare with finding someone to share the most important moments in life. Kreigel's handling of the final act of an all too short life are moving and leave a lasting impression that don't have as much to do with basketball as they do with a son making his father proud, but more importantly finding peace within himself in the little time he was given here.
The legend of the Pistol is true. Believe it. But also consider that, in the end, it didn't matter as much to him as holding his son on his shoulders at the amusement park. He was given a fraction of the time with his two sons as he had with his own father. The brilliance of his game combined with that cruel irony make "Pistol" one of the most compelling and tragic stories of our time.
Kreigel should be commended for handling it with such care. Great book.

Along with countless other boys from the 1970s, I wore floppy hair and droopy socks as a nod to Pistol Pete Maravich. But even with my socks pulled down, Maravich was never my favorite basketball player. What he represented was coolness. Maravich was an unrepentant showboat and gunner whose teams generally lost. But he had a trump card to cover these sins that America accepted, Pistol Pete was never boring. Not once.

Washington Post movie critic Stephen Hunter has argued that Quentin Tarentino in his movies defines sin as boredom. Murder is acceptable as long as you are not boring. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, which came out when Maravich was at the height of his fame, manipulated the audience to embrace greed and corruption. William Holden and his despicable crew became the ones the audience rooted for because they were fun. Maravich wasn't evil on the court in the same manner, but he opened the way for new definitions that were contra Herm Edwards, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!" Maravich's desire was to be the show, and in what would be both his exaltation and damnation, he knew it. Like the culture around him, he wanted every eye on him, he needed every eye on him, and yet he couldn't handle every eye on him.

Mark Kriegel's great book, PISTOL, chronicles how Maravich was crashing off the floor while amazing people on it. Kriegel's genius, however, is weaving in the story of Pete's father and college basketball coach, Press. The story of the son can only be understood in relationship to the story of the father. As Kriegel puts it, "The father worshipped basketball; the son worshipped the father."

Petar "Press" Maravich was the only child of five that survived past six months born to Sara and Vajo Maravich. They were Serbians who lived in Aliquippa near Pittsburgh when steel mills and soot so dominated the area that it was depicted as "hell with the lid taken off." NTJ favorite H.L. Mencken bluntly described Pittsburgh's surrounding cities as "unbroken and agonizing ugliness," which created the "most loathsome towns and villages ever seen by mortal eye."

The greater Pittsburgh area, however, was not only known for its steel mills; it also had the highest percentage of Presbyterians per capita in the world. Ernest Anderton, an insurance agent who lived in nearby Beaver Falls, was also a lay worker for the Presbytery of Beaver County who converted a deserted Lutheran church in Aliquippa into the Logstown Mission. Anderton had a standing deal: go to Sunday school and you could play on the Missions' basketball court. Teenager Press Maravich eagerly put forth what was needed in this exchange. He read his Bible, sang Psalms and attended Sunday School, but the ultimate prize Anderton sought, a confession of faith, was not recorded. There was also no push to join the Presbyterian Church. Press and his friends who played on the Mission's basketball team, The Daniel Boys, never left the Serbian Orthodox Church. Kriegel puts the impact of the Mission on Press simply, "A Savior he had found. But it wasn't Jesus Christ."

That basketball became Press's religion through the evangelistic efforts of a Presbyterian was somewhat ironic considering that basketball inventor James Naismith graduated from Montreal's Presbyterian Theological Seminary. (Who knew Naismith had Presbyterian roots? Who knew Montreal had a Presbyterian seminary?) The gospel of basketball has spread in the late 1920s to Aliquippa through Geneva College and its star player, Nate Lippe. Turned down by the Pitt Medical School because he was Jewish, Lippe settled for coaching the Aliquippa high school team, and his star player in the mid-30s was Press Maravich.

It appeared that Maravich would play in college for Geneva or Duke (almost assuredly the last recruit the two schools battled over) but eventually he attended Davis and Elkins in West Virginia. After college, he played professionally before and after WWII, but his life changed in 1946 when he married a young Serbian widow with a son. Within a year, Peter Press Maravich was born.

By the early 50s, Press was back in Aliquippa coaching. Young Pete always wanted to be around his father, but his father was always around basketball. Consequently, Pete became all basketball. When the Aliquippa team would leave in the afternoon for away games, the father would turn the lights on the home court and give the son the one word instruction, "play." When the team returned usually around mid-night, they would be greeted by the son still shooting.

The son's ball handling skills amazed everyone. He was a prodigy and the father knew it. At the same time that he was spreading the gospel of Pete to close friends like UCLA coach John Wooden, Press also began climbing the coaching ladder. Clemson called, and then NC State which Press led to an improbable ACC championship in 1965. Meanwhile, Pete was creating his own legend dazzling everyone with his scoring feats and playmaking ability. The problem was that Press would only allow Pete to play for him in college, but Pete didn't have the board exam scores to enter NC State.

One school that didn't see that fact as problematic was LSU. Father and son were taken as a package in 1966 and the cult of Pistol Pete was born. Playing with teammates that were limited in talent, the Pistol started firing as soon as he walked on the court. He led the nation in scoring three consecutive years and walked away from LSU as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. John McPhee's 1965 A Sense of Where You Are extolling Bill Bradley as the model student-athlete had been replaced by Curry Kirkpatrick's 1968 Sport Illustrated cover story on Maravich, "The Coed Boppers' Top Cat." Kirkpatrick wrote, "Everybody in the world, the world that really counts, will know Pistol Pete Maravich. He will make a million dollars playing the game of basketball." The difference to basketball purists, however, was that Bradley made everyone around him better and lifted his Princeton squad to the Final Four. Maravich teammates watched Pete shoot as LSU barely won fifty percent of its games during his tenure.

The Pistol got his million dollars from the Atlanta Hawks, but the superstar who lit up the college game stopped smiling. Turnover prone and often injured, Maravich struggled mightily with both the pro game and his teammates. The worst blow, however, was personal. His mother, who was perpetually drunk the last decade of her life, committed suicide during this time.

After four disappointing and disillusioned years in Atlanta, Pete was traded to the New Orleans Jazz where he blossomed into an NBA superstar. Natives wouldn't say, "Are you going to see the Jazz?" Rather, they would say "Are you going to see Pete?" But, despite otherworldly adoration, Pete never smiled. Finally making his signature between the legs pass late in a game the Jazz was winning, he blew out his knee. He would never be the same and within two years he retired from the game.

The year that followed he rarely left his home, became obsessive about pills and drugs, and played with his two infant sons. He also considered suicide. Then, in the midst of his despair, he accepted Christ. Pete believed Christ died for his sins and had set him free from guilt and shame. He joined a Baptist Church and started holding a summer basketball camp at Clearwater Christian College. He also started to smile for the first time in years.

His wife, Jackie, at first was skeptical about Pete's conversion to Christianity. He had collected many "isms" -vegetarianism, Hinduism, and extraterrestrialism. What she found was that her husband was a changed man, that this was not a fad. She commented, "He was a different person. I saw how happy he was, how he was at peace with everything."

One person that Pete had to tell was his father Press. After Helen Maravich's death, Press had stopped coaching and devoted himself to caring for Diana, the daughter that his stepson Ronnie had abandoned. The confession that Press did not make at the Logstown Mission occurred when he joined the First Baptist Church and was baptized.

Two years later Press learned that he had inoperative cancer. Father and son once more were inseparable, only this time the bond was Christ. They would read the Bible and pray together. Pete would carry his father up and down the stairs and stay with him in his bedroom until he fell asleep. Press died with Pete at his side.

By this time, Pete was garnering attention again, but now it was for his devotion to Christ. Just as his playing basketball had an event, now his testimony was an event. He joined Billy Graham in his evangelistic campaigns. He appeared on television. On the day that he was going to conduct an interview with Focus on the Family's James Dobson, Pete accepted an invitation from Dobson to join in a morning basketball game, something that he hadn't done in years. Talking to Dobson during a break when the other players were getting a drink, Pete collapsed on the court. Dobson and former UCLA player Ralph Drollinger were able to revive him.

The autopsy determined that Pete was born without a complete artery system, a condition that almost universally causes sudden death in young athletes. Of Pete's legacy, Kriegel writes, "Whatever doubts still lingered about Pete's standing in the game or even his place in popular culture ended with his death. His image would be eternally consigned--along with the likes of James Dean, Elvis, and at least a couple of Kennedys--to a celebrity purgatory reserved for the young dead." It could be argued, however, that the more powerful legacy was the joy and peace that marked Pete Maravich as a Christian living in obscurity and quietly serving others.

Loved this book...offered inspiration and some practical advice. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to begin running!

This book is excellent! I used to run back in the '80s and '90s but had 3 different knee surgeries- I gave it up but never gave up the love of the sport. I turned 50 last year and got the idea to try to run one more time BUT, I wanted to do it the "right way" and remain injury free.
The Penguin is my coach! I started a walk/ run program in September and I'm still at it in February. My long run today was 7.0 miles! I run pain free and no longer have any guilt associated with missing a workout- I NEVER run two days in a row which is totally opposite of my old training regimen! I was fit from weight training and cardio workouts but NOTHING beats the satisfaction of completing a run! This is a great first book to read if you want to start running then continue on with John's other books.

Great way to get started on a new fitness project for an old body. Very motivating. Written in a way that is sooooo easy to read. I bought another book by this writer: No Need for Speed. It has good information in it.

"Whether we accept it or not, the bodies we have are the products of what we have required them to be." (pg. 45)

I really enjoyed reading The Courage to Start. I can relate to many aspects of life John talks about in the book. Every day, I am amazed by how running has changed my body in the last four months. I've lost 35 pounds and I feel better than ever!

I was moved by how John mentioned that running helped his relationship with his wife. I've experienced this in my own relationship and I'm so thankful for it.

A must-read for people thinking about giving running a shot!

I looked forward to reading this, because I too feel like a penguin. The book is very encouraging and enthusiastic, but tends to get repetitive very quickly. If you've read the first 3 chapters or so, you might as well stop, because there isn't much new after that. Having said that, I did enjoy it.

I cannot imagine being a successful beginning runner without a plan like those presented in this book. I have tried running before, but with this book, I have been much more successful. It was a great find!

The book has been a great guide for me on how to recover the fit condition I once had, step by step, and without the risk of injury. I have recently started the training program and already feel improvement. The motivation and anti-excuse propositions the book offers for beginner runners really get you to move. A good compilation of medical and technical information support the suggested programs, so it gives you a lot of confidence in what you are doing and what to expect from the exercise.

Probably the most comprehensive book on running that I have ever seen. Not to mention it was without any pressure, Bob and group were relaxed about how things should be done, I never felt like I was pressured to run in a certain way or speed. Helped me to get back into running again. Thanks everyone.

I will not bother going on and on about the book, since there is already such an overwhelmingly positive collection of reviews.

Suffice it to say, this book really kick-started by love of running, and was filled with everything the beginner needs to know.

While it could use illustrations for good stretches, for example, it is still the classic keystone in any runners library, and strongly recommended!

I'm an intermediate runner and bought this book looking for running tips, some serious advice on potential injuries, advice on pre and post stretching, etc... I cannot believe there are 726 pages (I thought amazon had sent me Das Kapital, from Karl Marx...) of obvious statements that you can find in any of the specialized magazines. There are no illustrations, (that would've been very helpful for the stretching exercises), only some data tables. The chapter about shoes could've been summarized with a "consult your local dealer" sentence, that is all about in that chapter, no mention whatsoever of any particular brand, model, etc... The chapter about food and nutrition repeats the old mistakes of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, so if you want to become obese just follow the pyramid choices, ...and the comment about cereal being the best you can get for breakfast is another insult, as anybody knows that in today's world it is almost imposible to get the full benefits of cereal as it is sold in such a refined way that it has lost already all its benefits and only gives you the carbohydrate boost with its correspondent consequence on weight.
The chapter about weight is all about calories, another theory that defies inteligence, ..., ok, go ahead, follow the low calorie diet, just to see months from now how your body charges you double for the mistake.
This book is outdated, sometimes you read something interesting here and there but my advice is dont buy it, spend your money in any of the specialized magazines.

This book is full of motivational speeches and brand promotions, but light on actual training advice. As a former competitive swimmer, I noticed that some of the advice in that area was actually wrong, so I started wondering whether biking and running sections have errors too.

I really like this book. It is full of good stuff and the training is mapped out for fitness levels so well. This book proves that training for a triathlon doesn't require endless hours of strenous exercise or months of prep.

This book was more like a motivational speech rather than a how-to for training for a first triathlon. There are some helpful tips, such as a very general outline for weekly workouts, equipment you need to bring to the event, and an introduction to some triathlon training terminology. Other than that, it was mostly motivational fluff. A nice light read, this book is good for someone contemplating signing up for a race. However, if you've already signed up for, or completed, your first race, you're already beyond this book. I would look elsewhere to actually prepare for competition.

I used this for my first tri. Harr used a unique approach and asked about 40 questions to categorize your time availability and your current level of fitness. Then he had a program designed specifically to increase your stamina in each discipline. This book was great for learning the basics and understanding about building a 'base' and strengthening yourself. It was helpful for eating habits but should be supplemented with another source. It was recommended to me and I recommend it to my friends.

unfortunately, the magical transformation of the author into a competitive athlete is a unique event, not one that readers will replicate easily (or ever!), especially following the plans inside.

the author ignores the base building necessary to race the events. athletes need to train their musculoskeletal structure to take the abuse of workouts as much as they need to get their hearts up to speed. this is best done slowly and incrementally. i think if you have been a regular athlete for at least a year before using the plan in this book, you may be fine.

if you are beginning in any of the three sports, i'd advise another book to show the real process of developing the appropriate base needed to compete without injury. Look up the titles by Joe Friel for more complete information on how to structure a training plan.

I have read some running books. This one provides more general information. If you are a novice trying to improve, this book is highly recommended. It also includes the official NYC marathon guide.

I absolutely loved this book. After reading it I felt that I was far more prepared to both physically and mentally take on a marathon. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is starting to run and wants to get ready for any length of race.

Be aware that this is not a comprehensive guide, you should look elsewhere for information on nutrition or lifting. But if you are looking for a solid running guide, this is the right book for.

Kindle Version only: I ended up buying this book in print after I found that many of the charts were impossible to read on the Kindle. This is just one of the reasons I have been disappointed with the Kindle.

This book has an extensive amount of information, race charts, pacing charts, training guides for runners of various levels and for various events (5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon). Special chapters on marathon recovery, mental aspects of running, racing strategy, and so on. I've had this book for over a year and find myself turning back to it again and again. Well organized and easy to flip through and find the information that I need (sometimes with the use of the very handy index).

When I bought this book I was just starting to run longer distances and hadn't been in any races, so I wasn't the target audience. If you are like me. you'll be a little unsure what your 10K pace is, for example, because you may never have run one. But if you think you're going to be in races and care about your time, I would suggest that this book is worth buying and reading even if those are still in your future.

The book is also kind of old-fashioned, based on what I've picked up elsewhere. It focuses on total weekly mileage more than seems to be in fashion these days, for example, and that approach may not work for those like me who are getting into this at an older age (I'm 46). It also talks about calling race organizers on the phone rather than looking at the race's website, which seems kind of quaint in 2007.

What's really good about it is that it covers so much. It gave me a lot of good tips for little things to remember before my first race (the San Francisco Half Marathon). It gives guidance for many different lengths of races. It talks about injuries and other issues that may come up. It even talks about balancing running with the rest of your life.

With a good update this would be a 5 star book, and even as it is, it's well worth your time.