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33rd out of 72 books
—
78 voters
The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." Take your first step toward fitness and a happier, healthier life.
Has the idea of running crossed your mind, but you haven't acted on it because you don't think you have the body of a runner? Have you thought about running but quit before you started because you knew that you would be bre...more
Has the idea of running crossed your mind, but you haven't acted on it because you don't think you have the body of a runner? Have you thought about running but quit before you started because you knew that you would be bre...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
April 7th 1999
by Touchstone
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I'll start this review by saying that I have seen the author John 'the penguin' Bingham speak at many rock 'n' roll marathons. During my first-ever marathon in 2004, his speech was so motivating that I felt I could conquer the world one step at a time and knew that it would not be my last race, but the first of many to come.
This book is meant to be solely motivational to the couch potato or beginning runner looking for motivation. John tells his personal story of getting off of the couch at age...more
This book is meant to be solely motivational to the couch potato or beginning runner looking for motivation. John tells his personal story of getting off of the couch at age...more
Great book for beginner runners to read, helped me feel like I wasn't alone, and it was ok that I was running at the speed I was. Looking forward to reading the next one!
This book showed me that running can be fun. The penguin approach to running interests me because I'm running now (1) because I want to be able to outrun the zombies in the Zombie Survival Dash I signed up for, (2) I used to be able to run forever without stopping and now I can't, and (3) as a social activity, since I have people in my life who run. The penguins -- as described in this book -- do put everything they have into the race even though they know they aren't going to win. They are havi...more
I wanted to like this book, but found it rather dull and not nearly as humorous or light-hearted as I'd expected. I enjoy the author's writing in smaller doses (i.e. magazine articles), but over the course of an entire book he became a bit preachy, repetitive, and as cliched as a Melissa Etheridge song. You could invent a fine drinking game by downing a shot every time Bingham-the-psychotherapist goes on about "every journey begins with a single step and you can't get anywhere unless you put one...more
This wonderful little tome is short on concrete training advice but long on motivation. John "The Penguin" Bingham took up running later in life in order to improve his health and lose weight, and he has become a spokesperson for "running for the rest of us." This book will not turn you into an Olympic Athlete but it will help turn you into an athlete, which is were it all starts. A great, inspirational book!
I do not attach as much emotional significance to my running as the author does. I've been running on and off for years. I do it to stay healthy, and I thought I'd read this as inspiration. I just don't have anything in common with this man who seems like he led such a sad and unhealthy life for so many years. He credits running with changing his life. I'm sure some people identify with him, just not me.
Many times it's not a matter of how great a book is that makes you love it, but the time in your life that you read it. As I am training for my first half marathon (slowly), this was the perfect book for me right now. I plan on keeping this book for a long time and hopefully finding more inspiration from it at various points in my running career.
This book along with my Mom inspired to me start running nine years ago. I recently re-read it. This book is about John "The Penquin" Bingham (from Runner's World Penquin Chronicles) journey from overweight inactive middle age lifestyle to becoming a 'penquin' marathoner. It's great! Bingham takes a funny self-depracating approach to telling his story in this memoir.
I recently completed a 5K running program, and am currently obsessed with all things running. As a beginner runner, this book was just right - advice, lessons learned, motivation - perfect for reading in chunks while resting tired legs at night. It is the "What to Expect When You are Expecting" book for newbie runners.
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This might be my new running bible. Bingham is philosopher, coach, cheerleader. I love his attitude. Wish I had written down some of my favorite quotes, but I got it from the library and returned it way too quickly. Might have to buy it just to read it again often. Whether you're new to running, coming back after a layoff, or just need some inspiration, this is a go to book for anyone who might not be fast, but who has the heart of a runner.
This is a great book for beginner runners. The focus of the book is enjoying the process, not how fast or how often you run. If you are looking for advice on nutrition or speed, this is not the book for you. If you want inspiration, this IS the book.
I'd just participated in my first 5K when I started reading this book, so the timing was perfect. I have a tendency to discredit myself, because I am really slow and just a beginner, and this book dealt with a lot of feelings that I could relate to.
It was also inspiring to see someone start from very out of shape, to eventually run marathons. My favorite moment in the book was when the author came to the realization that he'd need to find a reason other than winning to keep on going.
The author...more
It was also inspiring to see someone start from very out of shape, to eventually run marathons. My favorite moment in the book was when the author came to the realization that he'd need to find a reason other than winning to keep on going.
The author...more
One unlikely man's journey to becoming a runner. This book is packed full of the experiences of a fellow penguin. I will laugh inside every time I begin to feel self-conscious when I run. There are tips on shoes, injuries, clothes. This was a very helpful book.
I read this once years ago, and have recently pulled it off the shelf again in an effort to motivate myself to start training for a marathon or half-marathon. Still undecided.
Loved this book and totally related to the author. I started running this summer - I've always wanted to be a runner but was never very good at it. I learned that we are ALL runners; like in life, we are all different and there are different types of runners. This was very motivational for me - I ran my first 5K last weekend! Yay!
A must-read for beginning runners, wanna-bes, and those who are tired of their tummies inching closer to the keyboard.
Aug 11, 2008
Erin
marked it as to-read
I've read this one before, mnany years ago when I first started running. It was given to me by a friend who runs and it helped me get the right mindset about running...as it's written by a kinda slow pudgy runner.
I just ran my first 10K (only my second race) yesterday and thought I'd dig this book out again for a second read. At the time of my first reading, working on speed and endurance were far from my mind. I was working on being able to run just one mile without stopping.
Maybe I'll find so...more
I just ran my first 10K (only my second race) yesterday and thought I'd dig this book out again for a second read. At the time of my first reading, working on speed and endurance were far from my mind. I was working on being able to run just one mile without stopping.
Maybe I'll find so...more
I liked it a lot the first time I read this book while I was training for my first half.
Apr 15, 2011
Jada
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Slow runners and anyone who has even thought for a moment about running
Shelves:
running
I picked up this book after reading a couple of good articles by John Bingham about being a slow runner. Despite the embarrassing title, this is an excellent book and I couldn't put it down. John is humble w/ a touch of self-deprecation, honest and a little nerdy, which is a combo I cannot resist. Though I noticed some repetition throughout, I was able to forgive it since I got the impression the book is mostly a compilation of articles; no big deal.
Good reading for anyone considering becoming a runner. Very inspiring!
It's like this book was written FOR me. I started running after my 42nd birthday--the author started after his 43rd. He had to blaze his own trail of discovery about "adult-onset athletics," including a generous allowance for running at your own pace, finding enjoyment in the running itself, not worrying about time or pace, giving yourself a break when you "fail," and all the rest. I think I heard about this author from running blogs, and some Amazon searching led me to try this one first. It wa...more
Good read and inspiring for a beginning runner like me.
This one was hard to read, some of the points were great but I found it somewhat dull and my mind wanted to wander.
This book was great for a new runner like me. It normalizes a lot of thoughts, goals, aches and pains. Penguins/back of the packers unite!
A motivating read for runners at any level.
The book that started my adult athletic career.
Inspirational to a novice runner and aspiring penguin.
Good beginning running book.
Love this book!!
This was a great book. I needed a little motivation in my quest to become a runner because it really sucks sometimes!
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aka 'The Penguin'. John Bingham became well known for his 'The Penguin Chronicles' in Runner's World where he told in detail about his development from couch potato to runner and how that changed his life.
More about John Bingham...
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