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Home > RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel
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RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel
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By Matt Fitzgerald
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 (15 Reviews)
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List Price: $18.95
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Publisher:
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Velo Press
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Date:
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December 31, 1969 |
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Binding:
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Paperback
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Pages:
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224
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Most serious runners don?t realize their potential. They simply stop getting faster and don?t understand why. The reason is simple: most runners are unable to run by feel. The best elite runners have learned that the key to faster running is to hear what their bodies are telling them.
Drawing on new research on endurance sports, best-selling author Matt Fitzgerald explores the practices of elite runners to explain why their techniques can be effective for all runners. RUN:The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel will help runners reach their full potential by teaching them how to train in the most personalized and adaptable way.
Fitzgerald?s mind-body method will revolutionize how runners think about training, their personal limits, and their potential. RUN explains how to interpret emotional and physical messages like confidence, enjoyment, fatigue, suffering, and aches and pains. RUN guides readers toward the optimal balance of intensity and enjoyment, volume and recovery, repetition and variation. As the miles add up, runners will become increasingly confident that they are doing the right training on the right day, from one season to the next.
RUN marks the start of a better way to train. The culmination of science and personal experience, the mind-body method of running by feel will lead runners to faster, more enjoyable running.
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Customers' Reviews:
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 Probably the last book you need to read, September 11, 2010
By Sean Flanderhijn (Leiden, Netherlands)
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I am a 150 lbs, 58 year old, 5K runner. I changed my running by reading Danny Dreyer's Chi Running, found my training method by David Holt's 10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing. These helped me a lot, but still I was not able to get the pleasure and comfort in my 4 weekly runs. Matt's book RUN gave me what I needed most; the real insight in running. It is definitely the last book I needed to read.
I recommend RUN for anybody running, she or he will attain the best understanding how to gain from pleasure, I did! My Long Slow Distance running is now taking significant less effort at the last 20% of it. The day after I do twice the normal distance of my hilltraining, I NEVER felt better! Thank you Matt for writing RUN.
Sean, "there is no run without a purpose"
21 of 23 people found this review helpful
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philosophy meets physiology meets neurophysiology, July 26, 2010
By timnz
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I enjoy Matt's writing and his insights into different approaches to running. 'Run' looks at running as a brain driven and controlled activity. Matt combines the latest research in brain development with the 'coal face' action of coaches and elite athletes to provide a new approach to training. You essentially teach your brain that it's ok to run fast and to run far. Matt shows that it's brain activity that governs endurance and speed limits. He then takes you through the key research findings from the lab and also the training track to explain how and when the brain controls your running limits. But best of all, Matt provides the insights to enable you to find the best methods that work for you, to raise your performance - by working with the brain's physiology and how it likes to work best.
You won't find prescriptive training schedules but you will be able to develop, through your own intuition, the best training approach for you. Matt's book helps you do this.
Great book and an excellent read after Brain Training for Runners
18 of 20 people found this review helpful
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A new approach that makes good sense, September 19, 2010
By JH (CT USA)
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I've been running off and on since high school but only within the last 5 years started to run long distances(marathon). Now in my 5th decade, and having completed 5 marathons in the last four years, I've been searching and experimenting with different approaches to "training up". Most of the books I've read have strict training programs that seem to just wear me out. So I find this book to be refreshingly different. Wow, I can actually go by how I feel rather than "got to get in that 20 miler today" or "got to meet my target of 55 miles this week". I now refer to my "adaptive" running schedule rather than "training" schedule. That's what it's really all about, adapting the body to new levels of running performance & not beating it up. I will use this approach in my quest to BQ this coming year.
Great insightful book with a lot of common sense once you understand the mind/body connection to running. Thanks Matt! Will buy two more copies for my running friends.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
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 Back to basics, July 13, 2010
By Falcon Coach
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As a long time high school distance coach I can recommend this book as a resource. I agree with its premise that the best way to improve running form is by putting in lots of miles. However, it should put more stress on developing core strength.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
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A great resource, May 5, 2011
By Matthew McCulley (Hoffman Estates, Illinois United States)
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Run by Matt Fitzgerald is an incredible resource for anyone who is stuck in a training routine they want to get out. In the book Fitzgerald explores the idea of how to assess your running based on feel. Yes there must be structure to a training plan, but it does not have to be rigid like most beginner plans are.
This book is not geared for a brand new runner. Someone who has been running and is just getting into racing can benefit from this book, but not someone just starting running. If you are just starting to run, try one of the more structured beginning plans first. Then when you learn how your body reacts to running give this book a read. There is some prior knowledge that the author assumes you have about training and running that you will need to successfully read through this book.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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 Too many elites, too little soul, March 13, 2011
By ElleeH (New York, NY United States)
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This book provides many pages of antecdotes from elite runners on their personalized training and responses to setbacks. I wanted to swim in the ocean of mind-body connection; Fitzgerald gave me a toe-dip. I wouldn't recommend this book to any common-folk runners who've managed a stroke or two on their own.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
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Amazing book, August 16, 2010
By Lubosh
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One of the best books about running I have ever read. A lot of interesting topics, some good expamles of body-mind trainig and stories about training and life of elite runners. Veru helpful. I recommande it for every serious runners and coaches too.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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If you run this is for you., August 15, 2011
By lovetoread
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I read this book because as a 'slow' runner I was always watching my pace and trying to faster. I was becoming a slave to the numbers and disheartened by the fact that I didn't seem to be able to stay at the faster paces. This book was like freedom. It got me back to the why I started running in the first place, which has nothing to do with pace. That isn't to say that pushing and racing isn't part of it but just another step on the road to listening to yourself and trusting your intuition and getting more satisfaction out of what you can do, rather than what you can't.
I have asthma and I refuse to accept it as a factor in my running, though my doctor says each day is different, you have to give it what you have that day and be accepting of it. This book is much the same and it's definately made me a better runner for it.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Run: The Mind Body Method of Running by Feel, July 27, 2010
By diverdan
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Prior to reading this book I followed purchased training plans but never stayed on track. This book explains quite well the bases for improvising the training plan by feel for better performance. I found the discussion of mind-body connection insightful and easy to read for a hobby runner like myself.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
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 Was lost, June 22, 2011
By kes
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So I haven't been running for years and this book just confused me. At the beginning he says not to use a program just run by how you feel then he goes on to talk about programs that you can do but run by how you feel. Lots of interview like quotes throughout the book from elite runners.
After finishing this book here is what i got out of it, run slow and often and for petes sake dont push yourself and don't confine yourself to a rigid workout, do the routine that you feel like doing.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Mind-Body Method: takes traditional training to the next level..., August 14, 2011
By Deborah Morrison
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The book, "Run: The Mind Body Method of Running by Feel" provides experienced athletes with a thoughtful, unique approach to training for endurance events with a method that combines recent scientific studies on athletic performance, proven training principles and `gut feel'. Though the book focuses on running, the concepts are applicable to endurance events in general. Author Matt Fitzgerald is not new to coaching; he is a professional coach, experienced endurance athlete and author of several sports training book including, "Triathlete Magazine's Complete Triathlon Book". For this reason alone I classify this book as groundbreaking. Why? Fitzgerald challenges the status-quo, the timeless and traditional methods of training by suggesting that athletes might perform far better by manipulating their training and relying upon their experience and `hunches' rather than on a set or rigid training program from a book, website or coach. Fitzgerald says, "Develop your own optimal training formula. Each runner is genetically unique, and the only way to find optimal training is through mindful, ongoing experimentation" (p 71).
The strength of this book is the meticulous way Fitzgerald explores how the mind-body method works, the `why' behind it with practical strategies that athletes can use. The science behind this approach includes studies which link athlete thought patterns during athletic performance to results, for example Matt says, "Constantly monitor pace and time in pursuit of workout goals. Doing so will enable your brain to tolerate a greater affective load" (p 112).
Make no mistake the mind-body method does not mean training with `no plan', but quite the opposite. Fitzgerald gives several specific details on types of workouts to incorporate with suggestions for customization based on an athlete's individuality, resulting in a sophisticated training regime. Fitzgerald classifies runners into 4 types, which appear to categorize virtually all runners, for example Type 1 is: Responds to high-intensity training slowly but burns out quickly (one which I fall into unfortunately). The Gift of Injury chapter is another high point in the book. Fitzgerald discusses how to use an injury to examine training practices step-by-step and turn the injury into an opportunity to take running to a new level (p 204).
The one criticism I have of the book is the relentless manner in which Fitzgerald approaches training and workouts that leaves little room for the sheer enjoyment of training. Though he does allude to the need for fun, " Don't ever train so hard that running is no longer fun....balance out the very hard ones, increasing your capacity for both work and suffering" (p 116). Fitzgerald hits home hard the need to maximize every workout, seek constant improvement (even if small) and measure the `suffer' factor, "...ask yourself whether you held back at any point to spare yourself from suffering, If you did vow to do better next time" (p 113).
All in all this book is an excellent resource for experienced endurance athletes, `experienced' meaning athletes who have followed a training plan for at least one endurance event. There is enough `meat' in the book to call it a training guide, and enough depth to provide guidance for runners and triathletes alike. The caveat is that recreational athletes, even experienced ones, need to take Matt's advice with a grain of salt. Personally I don't find suffering fun, and training to suffer on a consistent basis is not my goal, but I do believe that the mind-body method is the optimal method for performing to your potential and reaching your goals whatever those might be.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Very useful book, June 12, 2011
By Pudd'nhead
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The book seems to be written with the serious distance runner in mind; and though I'm a long way from being an elite distance runner I still learned many principles from this book that I can apply to my running. The most significant concept for me was learning about the "mental" part of running as it relates to fatigue; basically stating that your brain presses the "fatigue button" [my words] when you physically have about 20% capacity left. This is a great safety mechanism to prevent injury, but since I know understand this, it encourages me to push harder through the fatigue and the suffering.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Insightful, Interesting, But Wanted More, August 7, 2011
By Carlos "Wanna Be" Fast (Midwest)
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I have read a few of Matt's books and think that this one is pretty well done. It does have a lot of ideas from elite runners the world over, but those ideas are not expanded upon with how they can be used to enhance our own running programs. I would have liked to have learned more about how these guys actually train by using the sense of "feel." I have recently read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Barefoot Running and found that running without shoes (and eventually minimalist footwear) might be one of the best ways to actually start running more naturally. One can learn a lot about form, feedback, and how to truly "listen" to the body in this book. So, a good addition to my running library, but not one that stands way out. It does offer some insight that will surface as you head out the door to reach for the stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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The Tao of Running, November 26, 2011
By GJC (World)
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This one is a bit personal, but my experiences seem to justify the methods of the book.
When I was 16 years old I had one winter in which I just ran. I had some cross-country and track experience and had a mix of competitive and not-so competitive seasons. I had two specific courses (a 10 miler and a 4 miler) that I alternated every other day. For the 10 miler I was doing good if I could hit about 60-62 minutes, for the 4 miler I would always try to go under 6 was around minute miles (I think my best was around 22:00 minutes one lucky evening). I ran only when I felt like it (which was surprisingly almost every evening.
My dad suggested I try a marathon, so I said why not. For the first 21 miles I was running sub 3 hours; however, at 22 my calf gave out (an injury that still physically haunts me 24 years later), and I literally couldn't run anymore. The following cross-country season I managed to break 17:00 in a 5K, although I often think I could have done better if my coach would have just let me continue doing what I had been doing. Of well.
Aside from the obvious about the marathon and my not having enough distance, I relate the above story because I just ran what I felt was right. I loved the two courses, I loved going fast, I loved pain and racing the clock. In terms of running I never felt freer and stronger, and I still wonder what would have happened if I just would have continued to run this way for a couple of years.
Now 24 years later I am back to my 16 year old philosophy, and Fitzgerald's book proves that I was right when I was just running in the moment. When I got back into exercising in my late 20s and throughout my 30s I always wrote out plans, or copied plans from wherever--the problem was that I never could stick with them for longer than 2-3 weeks [see page 119 for Matt's story and irony in having written a book of 42 triathlon plans, which I bought and have long since donated to a library]. I also made the mistake of wanting to be an Ironman Triathlete for about 10 years (I say mistake because I hate biking (as a way to exercise, not as a spectator sport; I have all the respect in the world for those who can do it well, and all the power to those who can do those 100 mile Sat. rides; I truly envied you for a while).
For the last two months I have been running by feel, and am starting to find both my speed and endurance, and more importantly my enjoyment of the sport. Each workout has a purpose that directly comes from the one that comes before it; most of my workouts are fast and they hurt, but I've decided that the pain actually makes it more fun; almost a quest or adventure if you will.
At almost 40 I find that how I ran at 16 was what I should have done all along. If I am enjoying a workout (and I really only enjoy the ones that hurt and have a purpose) then I stick with it; if I am sluggish, or miserable, I turn around and get home. I am running by feel and have gone from an average weekly pace of 8:20s to about 7:40s in two months; my mileage has increased from around 15-20 miles a week, to 30 (I'll update in Nov. 2012 and let you know where both are at). So this works for me.
If you are looking for a book with detailed plans, then this is not for you. If you are a beginner then this probably isn't the place to start. But if you have been running for a while, and have had moments where you have really felt the runner's high, this book will provide some ideas about how to make the high part of every workout. Remember (and Matt even says this in the introduction) that this book consists of chapter-length essays, and as a reader you are going to have to figure out the answers yourself.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Ok *Read*, September 6, 2011
By Clair (Orlando, Florida)
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I was not too impressed with this book. I was expecting to get some great insights and tips
for better performance but instead its some mental philosophy and although interesting, it
was not helpful for my workout.
I cam away disappointed. It did ship quickly and priced right.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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