This is a book written by an out-of-shape man approaching 40 as he prepares to run the NYC marathon. I read it because I'm pretty much in the same situation, though right row I'm focused on a 5k not a marathon. It was interesting to read about his training routine and challenges, though the descriptions of the races got a bit tedious - each race filled an entire chapter and read pretty much like the previous race chapters (struggling to find the starting line; overcoming the mental and physical pains of racing; views along the way, which is mostly other runners; the letdown of the finish line). The only difficult part in the reading was that this was written by a Brit for the UK market, so he goes to no effort to explain his colloquialisms or his soccer, rugby, and cricket analogies, so at times the book left me feeling
Ike a foreigner with no travel guide. But mostly it was a fun, if not a bit fluffy and prone to cynicism, read. ( )

05 Jun 2009 - Sensible Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye

How could I resist this title?! This is a likeable and amusing story of one man's struggle to achieve running the New York Marathon. From his first efforts on the treadmill through to Race The Train and other proper races, he manages to be funny and to capture the feelings of the runner, especially a beginner who is trying to work up to something fairly spectacular. I liked that, like me, he is not at his best in the first 20 mins of a run (and therefore doesn't like doing 5ks as they stop before he's got into his stride) and the bits about the feeling of anticlimax after doing a big race. One for the runner, I think, who will recognise bits of the experience and smile wryly. I wonder what the author is doing now. ( )