Customer Reviews

The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not just the Courage to Start, it provides the Motivation to Keep Going, especially if you're new to the sport. If you're a late bloomer, adult-onset runner, or just thinking about it, this should be the first running book you read. Waddle on.

This book will inspire your inner athlete! An active life style involves mental as well as physical conditioning. Wanting to be more active is the starting point. Getting started takes an act of your courage. Set your mind in the right direction, and the body will follow. Bingham's writing style is entertaining and encouraging. The dedication to a goal that one learns through running/walking can be used to focus on non-athletic goals in life.

I found myself in this book. When things get rough for me I pick it up again. I found my mantra in the introduction and repeat it while running. "Yes I am round! Yes I am slow! Yes I run as though my knees were tied together! But I am running! And that is all that matters!" Truly inspirational!!

After reading such fabulous reviews of this book, I was eagerly anticipating reading it. I was very disappointed. Many of us have tried and failed and tried and failed and tried and failed at running. In my case, this was because I really didn't know how to train. I would try to do too much, and wind up doing too little, and quitting before I ever improved.

This book told me many times, it's OK to be a slow runner, but keep trying. It didn't tell me HOW to increase my stamina so that I could actually achieve anything. The only practical information I got was about buying running shoes.

If you're looking for a lot of wordy inspiration, you might like this book. But if you want to know what you need to DO to progress from a non runner to a runner, Bob Glover's "A Runner's Handbook" is a much better bet.

Think you can't go from half a lifetime of being a couch potato to an enjoyable lifetime of running? Read this book! Through his own personal story, John inspires us to begin a running program to not only better our health but find ourselves in the joy of running.

John Bingham writes an excellent and often funny book about how running can empower a person. He discusses his progression from overweight couch potato to slow but fit runner. His story is an inspiring one. As someone who lost 100 pounds through running and now frequently competes in road races, this book was like reliving my journey to fitness. It made me feel nostalgia.

Bingham discusses what is the essence of running - pushing through discomfort to become more content. He is funny, eloquent, and willing to be proud of his accomplishments. The Courage to Start is a book that I wish everyone would read just once. There is something in it for everyone - from the 15 minute 5Kers to those who seek a more active and healthy lifestyle. The book conveys a message that so few people in America don't hear enough - go for your dreams and don't be afraid to fail. I highly recommend this book.

I have tried becoming a "runner" many times in the past..I was on the "brink" once again when I read this book and have now been running 4-5 days a week since reading the book about 2 months ago.

The author makes you realize how anyone can enjoy, and even become addicted to this elusive, seemingly insane activity. Unlike many other running books, he doesn't ever say "you just have to really want it", he just tells his story, in which, after many years of inactivity and weight gain, he took up running at age 43.

The focus of this book is on enjoying the process, not the end result (how many min. it takes you to run a mile) of running. If you are looking for nutrition or speed advice, this is not the book for you. If you want an inspiration easy read, this IS the book!

I reviewed all the reviews, and was shocked to see I hadn't added mine. After all, I've only bought 10 copies and distributed them to many friends and coworkers, and YES, I have my own.
As a fairly new runner (3 years now) with a marathon, half-marathon (Disney, just this past weekend), and a few other races behind me, I can vouch that this book puts things into perspective. After hearing John speak in Orlando this past weekend, I am even more convinced that his attitude is much needed in new, and seasoned runners.
Granted I don't boast my PR, or downplay it either, but John writes from the point of view of a person who has gained wisdom through his journey of becoming a runner. The mental mind set is very important, and I believe John provides a less "gotta shave those 3 minutes off my PR" approach. I don't mean that those who want to shave those extra minutes are not right, but to the mere average mortal who is not gifted with the speed of a gazelle, or the powerful legs of a cheetah, those three extra minutes may not be the "end all - do all". To each his/her own, and John brings a lofty goal of a 10k, 21k, marathon to those who may not have thought it possible. Isn't that the joy of running? To also inspire those who may think it beyond their grasp...

and frankly, does anyone not find penguins cute and cuddly?
I can't wait to get his new book, and John, if you read this, I'll proudly keep on handing out your book!
Cheers, Sylvie (someone who has read just about every book on running/marathoning on the market!)

Good though this book is, I think people are overy-hyping it. Just reading it won't instantly make you a runner - we have to do that ourselves, and it's hard. And although it is insightful, it certainly won't turn you into a zen master!

This book is a wonderful mix of encouragement, wisdom, and enlightenment blended with extraordinary humor in all the right places! If this book doesn't make you think "Okay, well I could do that", then no book will be able to give you the motivation you need to start, continue, or enhance your existing running routine! I read through the book laughing out loud and re-reading tidbits of precious wisdom to anyone who was within earshot! I finished the book and immediately started it again. I raved about it to a friend who was going to loan it when I was finished but I couldn't part with it so I bought her a copy of her own. I have even placed quotes from the book on my refridgerator so I can read them often. You can't go wrong with this book! Enjoy!