1/2 marathon training part 1: research

As you know, I've started training for a 1/2 marathon. I am currently in the learn-how-to-train-with-out-killing-myself stage, so I'm reading.

My first book was No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running, by John Bingham.  In this book, the author discusses how he began running as a 43 year old smoker/drinker who was 80 pounds overweight. He currently runs marathons, and although he is "at the back of the pack," he is no less a runner than anyone else just because he is slow. Slow and steady does win the race, after all.  This book was really inspiring to me - a slow runner.

It is really easy to get discouraged when you are a slow-runner: to think you aren't really doing anything worthwhile, or at least was for me (explaining why I let the heat-wave end my 1st running career). For me, this discouragement often comes in the form of little jokes that others think are harmless (and should be) or well-meaning advice from those who think speed is the only measurement of running success. What I loved about this book is that it is filled with testimonials of other slow runners, talking about their successes.  It is not saying a runner *should* be slow, just that it's fine if they are. That they are still a runner.But beyond that, it asks the reader to really analyze why they want to run.  I found it very inspirational and encouraging. If you are a slowbie, I highly recommend it.

Some things to consider before buying the book (which I think any new/slow runner should do):
The book is actually geared less towards "slow runners" as a whole, and more towards those who are likely to be slow (at least at first):  inactive adults who are looking to change their lives and become more active. Because this is not me (although I am an adult who is less active than she should be), some of the advice didn't apply to me, but it was a good read none-the-less. Additionally, it can be repetitive at times, but when discouragement is all around you (or even just all inside your head), it can't hurt to hear stories encouragement more than once. In fact, I think that may have been the author's goal.