Book Review: SMART RUNNING by Jen & Sim Benson

*I was sent a copy of the book to review by Vertebrate Publishing. I wasn't paid to review it and as usual have written exactly what I thought!*

What do you want from a running book?

What you get from this book, will depend entirely on what you are expecting. If you want a jokey, blog-style book with anecdotes and pretty pictures, this is not the book for you. However, if you want a comprehensive guide to all things running, then read on ...

First Impressions

This is a chunky and weighty book. It looks like a textbook and even the graphics on the front look like a school workbook. It has a wipe-clean cover and instead of reviews or blurb on the rear cover, it has a list of contents. Bullet-pointed.

Everything about the exterior of this book says it is a SERIOUS running book.

It even calls itself the ULTIMATE guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner.

In other words, don't pick up this book unless you are prepared to take it seriously. The contents listing takes up three pages and the bibliography at the back listing the sources takes up four. It is titled 'Smart Running' snd intends to give the impression that you should take this book seriously if you wish to take advantage of the knowledge and advice it has to impart.

Why I like it

Despite the pages with tightly packed 10pt text in columns, this book has a friendly voice. The authors are experienced runners and Jen is a mindfulness coach and this is reflected in how the book is written.  And much as the book seems to take itself very seriously, it is well written and sensitive and you like the authors through the tone of the writing. They cover gender and menopause in the chapter about diversity, something which is often skipped over. 

Something that they touch on  - which is close to my heart' is how the authors refer to Type 2 fun;

‘running should be fun - at least retrospectively’ (page XIV). We get a lot of posts flooding our social media pages telling us how amazing running is and showing these people with perfect hair and makeup smiling and high-fiving each other. That's not my usual run experience. Mine tend to be falling in holes, regretting ever entering the event and getting lost. But after the event, I'm pleased I've done it. Type 2 fun. It was nice to have this touched on in this book. 

There are lots of really good sections, one which appealed to me was the sport and exercise psychology - such an interesting topic. It would be really good to have a ‘further reading’ list for this or links to the bibliography so I can look into this further.

I liked Chapter 15 which was about finding routes and giving something back. I liked this but ifelt t could have been expanded on so much more, for instance by maybe suggesting companies like Good Gym who workout around community benefits such as litter picking. I understand the authors don’t want to link to specific companies but this would be handy as suggestions for ways that runners could give back to their communities.

Overview

How valuable you will find this book depends on what you want from it. If you want a guide with many, many subjects touched on and a fair overview and evaluation of these, this is a very good book. Smart Running's USP is that it's based on solid science but explained in a very accessible way and I think it hits this target. if you're looking for in-depth information, this is not the book for you. However, due to the number of topics touched on it really does cover a lot of subject matter and it's a great way to get an overview of a topic. I believe it would benefit from suggesting further reading, but it does have a bibliography of sources at the back of the book if you want to go more in-depth on a topic. 

I like the way it's written. It's set out in a logical way and covers most things I would expect to be in a running guide. Despite looking like a textbook, it has a friendly voice, and while you wouldn't necessarily sit down to read this cover-to-cover, it is a good guide to dip in and out of. I would like some graphics or pictures though to break up the dense text a little. 

A good gift for the runner in your life and a good book for the bookshelf to dip into when you need some guidance. I like it and it will have a place on my bookshelf. 

Want to have a closer look? Link