Master the Art of Running
by Malcolm Balk and Andrew Shields

Published 2006            160 pages

This is a follow up to "The Art of Running" with supplemented material.   It aims to teach us how to approach running in a new and refreshing way.  We are encouraged to look at running as an art rather than just a way of getting fit.  Balk and Shields have developed a way of understanding running that is based on the principles of the Alexander Technique.  In the book running is broken down into components: going into movemnet, how the feet hit the ground, the position of the arms, what happens to each body part when running, balance and posture.  The primary aim is that we think about what we are doing so that we run with greater ease, efficiency and grace.  The book is full of tips on how to improve technique and is aimed at a range of runners from long-distance to track.  Also includes analysis of the techniques of world famous runners and inspiring case studies.

The blurb on the back says...

"Running for miles and miles isn't intelligent. All it does it turn you into a zombie - and a marathon runner! So how do you create the spice of life? You have to be curious. You have to be looking for things. Don't shut the doors. If work and more work was the be-all and end-all of producing success, all the bloody labourers would be millionaires. It's intelligent work which builds progress.

You've go to use your brains. Be guided by your heart but follow your brains. Now let's get stuck into it."  Percy Cerutty, Olympic coach

About the Author
Malcolm Balk is a qualified Alexander Technique teacher, specialising in working with runners of all standards, and a Level 4 track coach in Montreal, Canada.  Andrew Shields is Sport and Fitness Editor of Time Out magazine in London.  He has twice been a runner-up in the British Sports Journalism Awards.