Take a photo of a barcode or cover
18 reviews for:
The Cool Impossible: The Coach from "Born to Run" Shows How to Get the Most from Your Miles—and from Yourself
Eric Orton
3.73 AVERAGE
18 reviews for:
The Cool Impossible: The Coach from "Born to Run" Shows How to Get the Most from Your Miles—and from Yourself
Eric Orton
3.73 AVERAGE
One day I should stop reading books about running and simply do it but I find hearing the stories directly from the coaches and learning their approaches priceless. This book is no different.
I loved how Eric Orton takes the reader by the hand and runs him through his camp. I can understand if some readers feel annoyed but for me it worked. There is no denying that Eric cares for his runners and he has a strong confidence that with his method everyone will improve. He has learnt from the Tarahumara Indians, one of the best runners in the world, and integrated his findings in the daily training.
By far the most useful thing for me was the strength program for foot/leg/glute. I have built my own Slant Board based on Eric's design and boy were my legs sore after the first exercise day! It's a great way to prevent injuries and I have also noticed that my glutes are suddenly active. The hints to improve running form were also effective although it takes time and effort to make them second nature.
The running program itself left me less excited and is in my opinion presented terribly. After a more careful examination I found that the structure is sound (1 long run per week that increases in length over time, faster repetitions, short pickups every 5min as part of normal runs, drills, hill sprints) but for me as recreational runner it's overkill. Unfortunately the author doesn't give additional advises, e.g. "if you just start then do the pickups once per week" or "do sprints to improve economy and speed" so you have to rely on other sources to build your own program.
4 stars out of 5
I loved how Eric Orton takes the reader by the hand and runs him through his camp. I can understand if some readers feel annoyed but for me it worked. There is no denying that Eric cares for his runners and he has a strong confidence that with his method everyone will improve. He has learnt from the Tarahumara Indians, one of the best runners in the world, and integrated his findings in the daily training.
By far the most useful thing for me was the strength program for foot/leg/glute. I have built my own Slant Board based on Eric's design and boy were my legs sore after the first exercise day! It's a great way to prevent injuries and I have also noticed that my glutes are suddenly active. The hints to improve running form were also effective although it takes time and effort to make them second nature.
The running program itself left me less excited and is in my opinion presented terribly. After a more careful examination I found that the structure is sound (1 long run per week that increases in length over time, faster repetitions, short pickups every 5min as part of normal runs, drills, hill sprints) but for me as recreational runner it's overkill. Unfortunately the author doesn't give additional advises, e.g. "if you just start then do the pickups once per week" or "do sprints to improve economy and speed" so you have to rely on other sources to build your own program.
4 stars out of 5
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
very short, inspiring read. I enjoyed the story telling and how he built the book. Haven't tried the routine yet, so we'll see
The style was a little odd, I don't really like the make believe element where I get to pretend I've actually flown over to Jackson spend a week training with Eric but the content was excellent.
I've built my slant board and I'm ready to wobble and I can't wait to do the heart rate tests so I can start the full program.
I love the way the program is customised right the way through for the 4 minute miler to the 10 minute miler and to be honest it would be easy enough to adjust if you were even slower.
I'm convinced this will make me a stronger runner.
I've built my slant board and I'm ready to wobble and I can't wait to do the heart rate tests so I can start the full program.
I love the way the program is customised right the way through for the 4 minute miler to the 10 minute miler and to be honest it would be easy enough to adjust if you were even slower.
I'm convinced this will make me a stronger runner.
This is interesting if unpractical advice! I find the style a bit irritating "picture yourself running up a hill in Jackson Hole..." but overall I think some of the exercises are interesting and worth thinking about adding into my life.
I looked into buying the slant board and other stability do-dad from the author's website and had a giant case of sticker shock! So...unless I can find something less than $89 to replicate a slant board, I think I will probably never do any of these exercises.
One other tidbit: I got the "deluxe version for Kindle" and I think it might be better than the print book because the videos of the exercises are more understandable to me than the still photos.
I looked into buying the slant board and other stability do-dad from the author's website and had a giant case of sticker shock! So...unless I can find something less than $89 to replicate a slant board, I think I will probably never do any of these exercises.
One other tidbit: I got the "deluxe version for Kindle" and I think it might be better than the print book because the videos of the exercises are more understandable to me than the still photos.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I'm not sure what I think of Eric's running plan yet- it's so dense with details and I don't know that they are all necessary- but I'm starting with his strength training, and I'll see where that takes me.
medium-paced
Eric Orton was Christopher McDougall's (author of Born to Run) running coach and inspiration behind the now famous book. Eric knows his stuff. Wow. I listened to this on audio book but now I wish I bought the book as he has training guides and strength programs/exercises that would be nice to reference. His passion is infectious and his knowledge will make you want to jump on a plane to Jackson Hole, WY to one of his training camps. Highly recommend for runners looking to up their game at a longer distance level - marathons/ultras. As more of a 5K/10K runner there is still a wealth of goods to be gained here.