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Micah Ward · Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2002 3:01 pm Post subject: Running Book

A couple of years ago one of my supervisors brought a box full of old paperbacks to the office for anyone who wanted them. I saw a copy of a 1984 edition of Running Your Best Race by Joe Henderson so I picked it up, took it home and promptly forgot all about it.

Yesterday while looking through a box in the garage I ran across the book again. I decided to look at it and when I opened it I realized that this copy was autographed by Henderson himself!

It's probably not worth much monetarily but I thought it was cool to have an autographed copy. Cool

Paul · Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2002 3:16 pm Post subject:

That is pretty cool, but I'll hold my breath for DG's unbiased remarks on that!! Wink

Paul

Distance_Guru · Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2002 6:06 pm Post subject:

My opinion of Joe Henderson (or any other Joggers Digest author) not withstanding that is pretty cool Smile

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Time is the fire in which we burn

Micah Ward · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 12:48 pm Post subject:

For what it's worth...I ran across an interesting quote from Henderson describing the Runners World policy in the mid 1970's. He said that they would rather see 10,000 people on a track running a 7 minute mile than 10,000 in the stands watching one guy run a 3:50.

Since we have all taken a few shots at them in the past, I guess it would only be fair to say that it seems their policy has always been one of promoting mass participation as opposed to supporting elite competitors. If that is the case, then they have probably done a good job of that.

Distance_Guru · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 12:58 pm Post subject:

As much as the elitest, "If I can't break 15:30 for a 5k I stink" competitor in me gets annoyed by their joggers mentality. Joggers Digest has done a descent job of promoting road racing for fun and running for fittness to the masses.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

Micah Ward · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 3:56 pm Post subject:

I stopped subscribing to RW several years ago but I still look through each issue at the book store just to see if there is anything that might be of interest. I do subscribe to Running Times and Ultrarunner. They seem to fit my interests the most.

Track & Field News does an excellent job with race results and I also like the Masters News. I guess that comes with getting older. Wink

Dan · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 4:02 pm Post subject:

I don't hold any grudges against Runner's World. They're good at what they do, which is all we really have a right to ask of them (unless you're a subscriber, in which case you have a right to ask why you still subscribe if you hate what they do so much... Smile

). I just haven't experienced much of the side of things DG describes with coaches taking RW articles as coaching science...

Dan

edited typo

Distance_Guru · Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2002 5:55 pm Post subject:

I never said that they were good coaches, but there are people coaching distance runners (particularly cross country teams) that don't know any better.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

Hammer · Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2002 5:22 am Post subject:

I think a lot of the misusage (sp) of Runner's World takes place at the High School level. Since that is the early training ground for our Distance Runners I can see how it has had, somewhat, of a damaging effect on running. I have personally talked to HS coaches who say that they read Runner's World and use the workouts in their programs. Most of those coaches are not very successful, but many HS programs could be improved with better coaching.

This goes back to an earlier discussion of placing blame on coaches for the state of US Distance running.

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