The Art of Running: Raising Your Performance with the Alexander Technique

I've been running for over 20 years. I am, and alway have been, competitive; but I also just love to run as part of my day to day life. I guess I've been lucky, as not to have ever been sidelined for long periods with injuries through the years. I've always known my form was never that great, and frequently slipped into periods of good form, and periods of not so good form. In the past few years (I'm 45 now), I decided I wanted to refine my form, so that I can still run (efficiently) as the body starts it's natural decline related to age. That is to say, I know the older I get, the less "the luck" will keep me running healthy.I began studying Chi Running, Evolution running, Pose running, Alexander Technique, barefoot running, and several others. It should be noted that all of these have many factors in common, though they all go about it in slightly different ways. I have made significant progress since I have started to adopt these techniques. Less effort, quicker recovery, no injuries, more natural stride, and starting to see quicker times again (times and pace took a back seat while re-learning the basics).All that said, this book could save someone a lot of time researching and studying all these different options out there. Now I would like to add, if you have the desire and time, it's still worth reading up on all these other techniques. I feel I learned bits and pieces from everything I've read and seen. However, if you are like most, you will appreciate this book, as it does a fantastic job of teaching the common denominators of all these techniques.I honestly believe ALL runners - escpecially those starting out, should read this book. Even if you just take a few things from it, it's well worth it. There's not a lot of extra material here, so it's not an intimidating read; it's meant for everyone.Buy the book. Run better and keep away from injuries, for the rest of your life.

I've read 6 books involving the Alexander Technique and have taken some lessons. I found the running technique useful and have changed my jogging stride.

After implementing some of the techniques offered in this book I am able to run faster times along very familiar running routes with less effort (7 to 13 mile distance). It is all about efficiency of technique. Rid your technique of energy wastage. Some say 'work smart, not hard'...I believe this book says 'work smart and hard' and eventually watch yourself do things you initially thought were not possible.

Compelling reasons to have good use when running

I'm moved to add my positive review after noticing the negative one by S Hadley.I found this book full of insight on the nuts and bolts of the running process as opposed to most of the other books I've read that take form as a given and instead focus on training regimes. I see it as a primer, a well thought out and very useful one: you can read it cover to cover or just open it and pick up some technical point to practice on your next run. It does mention the like of Haile Gebrselassie, Sebastian Coe and Merlene Ottey as role models but I found this inspiring and their form something to aspire to rather than the glib comment S Hadley alludes to.One last thing. I bought the book 2 months ago and although my times have not come down noticably, my recovery rate and overall fatigue after a long run has diminished remarkably. I look forward to a largely injury free running future.

It's hard to write a readable book on a physical skill. I'm a big fan of Alexander Technique, but my takeaway from this book was "go find a Pose Method running teacher." So that's what I did. According to my new coach, the books on Pose Method are also unreadable, so I'm glad I went straight to a coach. For reference, I like to run 3 miles or so a few days a week - recreational, fitness jogging. My interest is injury prevention. I was resistant to the idea of getting a coach for something as lame as jogging a few miles a week, but the fact that this book convinced me to do that was definitely something.

The message of this book is simple: if you want to run better, simply run like Haile Gebr. Of course, there's no hint as to how to run like Gebr, but there are pretty pictures and oodles of "ideas" which totally lack any sort of flesh. The book is sporadic, repetitive and offers no useful examples. The concept of a new, almost holistic approach to running is interesting, but almost completely unexplored after the introduction.I've attempted many of the techniques and found my running to quickly become less enjoyable, more labored and a lot slower. I'm an advanced runner and found only a handful of quotes to be useful. I see almost no purpose at all for a novice runner to read between these covers.

This book introduced me to the possibility of "technique" in running, and started me on a journey (to the Pose Method, and barefoot running) that has dramatically changed the way I run - smoother, with less impact and fewer injuries.I have to disagree with the first reviewer. While the book may not tell the entire story, I did get some very concrete and relevant tips - for instance, remembering to look ahead, and not down (as I had been) while running.

Great book to read!

Analiza la manera de correr usando el cuerpo tal como está diseñado evitando lesiones y mejorando el rendimiento. Sorprende lo equivocados que estamos normalmente en cosas básicas como recibir el suelo con el pie y manera de manejar nuestro pesoSe puede aplicar tambien a la hora de caminar.La unica pega es que está en inglés, aunque es un nivel llevadero

This is very useful for all runners and those wanting to start running.A very easy read and great reference book

This book helps anyone wanting to improve their running. It shows how to run more efficiently, which eventually will lead to better times and hopefully less injuries. I have only been using this for a few weeks and when I get it right I can run as fast as I always have, but with less effort. Not easy, but stick with it and over time it should help

good