The Athlete's Bookstore
The Athlete's Bookstore __ _ _______________________________________ _ __
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__| | | | | THE ATHLETE'S BOOKSTORE BOOKNOTES | | | | |__
/ /| | | | | July 97 | | | | |\ \
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/ / | | | | | http://www.stevenscreek.com/books | | | | | \ \
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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o Fixing Your Feet, by John Vonhof
o Water Workouts, by Steve Tarpinian and Brian J. Awbrey, M.D.
o The Quotable Cyclist, by Bill Strickland (ed.)
o The Literary Cyclist, by James E. Starrs (ed.)
o The Wheels Of Chance: a Bicycling Idyll, by H.G. Wells
o The Essential Runner, Marathoner, Swimmer, and Triathlete
o Training Lactate Pulse-Rate, by Peter Janssen
o The Athlete's Diary Version 3.2 Released
HOT OFF THE PRESSES
-------------------
FIXING YOUR FEET by John Vonhof ($14.95, paperback)
-------------------------------
Runners, and especially ultrarunners, are as dependent on their
feet as they are on their legs, heart, and lungs. John Vonhof, an
ultrarunner and ultrarunning race director, spent two years
researching the subject and talking to dozens of ultrarunners,
podiatrists, and others, and has produced a book which promises to
be THE definitive word on the subject of foot care.
Despite the title, the book focusses as much or more on preventing
problems as it does on fixing them. Socks, powders, lubricants,
skin tougheners, tape, orthotics, hydration, anti-perspirants for
the feet, gaiters - hundreds of relevant products and their uses
are discussed. Using socks as an example, Vonhof first discusses
the six different types of material used for socks, and their
properties, follows that with general advice on buying and wearing
socks, and then lists seven major brands of socks and describes
their particular characteristics. He then completes the discussion
with other solutions, such as wearing ankle-high nylons as an inner
sock, or not wearing socks at all. You never knew there was so much
to know!
Vonhof finishes the prevention section with discussions of various
lacing options and their effect on feet, along with advice on
changing shoes and socks during ultraruns. Then comes the treatment
section, with chapters on hot spots, blisters, stubbed toes, toenail
problems, Morton's foot, heel problems, plantar fasciitis, Achilles
tendinitis, Morton's neuroma, corns, callouses, bunions, athlete's
foot, plantar warts, and foot care kits. We told you this was an
exhaustive (but not exhausting) treatment of the subject!
For ultrarunners, or for anyone doing long runs or otherwise
spending long periods of time on their feet (marathoners, hikers,
adventure racers), this book is a must. For those who think that
foot care begins and ends with duct tape, you'll find you have a
lot to learn!
WATER WORKOUTS by Steve Tarpinian and Brian J. Awbrey, M.D.
-----------------------------------------------------------
($14.95, paperback)
Most athletes probably think about water workouts as a way to
maintain fitness when they're injured. Fewer realize that healthy
athletes can actually use water workouts to improve performance.
And fewer still know where to begin if they want to start working
out in the water, since there really hasn't been a good
introductory book on the subject. There is now.
Swim and water-training coach Steve Tarpinian and Brian J. Awbrey,
M.D. have authored this guide which first explains the benefits of
water workouts, and then gives detailed explanations of the various
types - aqua aerobics, deep-water running, swimming, water
strength-training, and more. For each type of exercise, the authors
describe the equipment you need (or might want), the various
movements or exercises that are possible, and the types of workouts
you can do. The chapter on swimming is hardly of the depth of the
author's Essential Swimmer or Terry Laughlin's Total Immersion, but
for a quick introduction for the beginner, it's quite good.
HOT OFF THE PRESSES - THREE NEW CYCLING BOOKS
---------------------------------------------
THE QUOTABLE CYCLIST by Bill Strickland (ed.) ($19.95, hardcover)
---------------------------------------------
The long-awaited companion to the best-selling QUOTABLE RUNNER
provides hundreds of quotes from people ranging from Mark Twain to
Mario Cipollini. It's divided into chapters in case you're looking
for a quote on a particular subject or want a good stopping place
when you read through it, although you can enjoy it equally well
just opening it up randomly and reading a few quotes (dare we say
it? - in the bathroom ;-) ).
Topics include: Love, Mountain Biking, Road Riding, Climbing,
Descending, Speed, Sprinting and the Noiseless Rush, Training,
Fitness, Racing, Winning and Losing, Crashes, The First Ride,
Riding with Style, Desire, The Tour de France and Other Great
Races, Legends, Myths and Champions, Paid to Pedal, Adventure,
Equipment, Everything is Bicycle, A Vehicle for Revolution, Women
in Cycling, and Hate.
The editor, Bill Strickland, is a contributing editor for Mountain
Bike magazine, and a former editor at Bicycling and Writer's
Digest. Amidst all the great quotes he's collected he seems to have
missed our personal favorite, recollected from the email signature
of a friend of ours: "On a bicycle, there is much suffering." -
Jacques Anquetil, 5-time Tour de France winner. Here's an Anquetil
quote he did find, though, which gives an interesting perspective
on the mind of a French cyclist: "To prepare for a race there is
nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne and a woman."
THE LITERARY CYCLIST by James E. Starrs (ed.) ($16.95, paperback)
---------------------------------------------
A brand-new anthology of great bicycling scenes from literature.
Nearly fifty excerpts from novels, short stories, poems, and fine
nonfiction, from writers including Twain, Hemingway, Joyce, Shaw,
Conan Doyle, Alan Sillitoe, and many, many more. The editor (a
professor law and forensic science!) pitches in with scholarly
contributions - an introduction which sets the stage, and
informative and stage-setting introductions to each of the included
pieces.
Here's a brief excerpt from one of them, an article written by
Stephen Crane (author of The Red Badge of Courage) for the New York
Sun in 1896 which illustrates the gems lurking in this book: "There
is a new game on the Boulevard. It is the game of Bicycle Cop and
Scorcher. When the scorcher scorches beyond the patience of the
law, the bicycle policeman, if in sight, takes after him. Usually
the scorcher has a blissful confidence in his ability to scorch and
thinks it much easier to just ride away from the policeman than to
go to court and pay a fine. So they go flying up the Boulevard with
the whole mob of wheelmen and wheelwomen, eager to see the race,
sweeping after them. But the bicycle police are mighty hard riders
and it takes a flier to escape them. The affair usally ends in
calamity for the scorcher, but in the meantime fifty or sixty
cyclists have had a period of delirious joy." Critical Mass had
nothing on these folks!
THE WHEELS OF CHANCE: A BICYCLING IDYLL by H.G. Wells ($12.95, paperback)
-----------------------------------------------------
H.G. Wells is best known for his science fiction writing (The Time
Machine, The Invisible Man, etc.), but he also wrote several
brilliant social comedies. Wheels of Chance is one of his earliest
(and funniest) novels. The entire story takes place as the
characters pedal over dirt roads through the English countryside,
in the too-brief era between the invention of the bicycle and the
advent of the automobile. The shy Mr. Hoopdriver perceives that the
Young Lady in Grey is being seduced by a cad (also on a bicycle),
and over the course of several days and many miles of cycling,
gallantly comes to her aid. A delightful way to return to the early
days of cycling.
NEW IN THE BOOKSTORE
--------------------
THE "ESSENTIAL" SERIES
THE ESSENTIAL RUNNER by John Hanc ($12.95)
THE ESSENTIAL MARATHONER by John Hanc ($12.95)
THE ESSENTIAL SWIMMER by Steve Tarpinian ($12.95)
THE ESSENTIAL TRIATHLETE by Steven Jonas ($16.95)
All four of these books are aptly titled - they present the
"essentials" of each sport and are written for the complete
beginner. Each covers not just the what, but the why of the sport
as well. If you like, think of them as an FAQ on the subject, but
written by a professional writer or coach. None of them is as
extensive as some of the other "beginner's" books on the market,
but each of them presents their material in a straightforward
manner and can easily be read cover-to-cover in one or two sittings.
The advice in the books is mainstream. Hanc bases his marathon
advice on Galloway's popular program, with the important exception
that he advises against running more than 26 miles in training (one
of Galloway's more controversial opinions), so as to save the thrill
of accomplishing the distance during the race itself. Tarpinian's
swim advice is similar to what Terry Laughlin advocates in Total
Immersion (body streamlining as the key), but he does a better job
than Laughlin explaining the basics of swimming (Laughlin seems to
assume you already know them).
All four of these books are written at the "recreational" level,
which will apply to most new runners, marathoners, and swimmers,
but probably not as much to new triathletes. If you're an
experienced competitive runner, cyclist, or swimmer looking to
branch out, we'd recommend one of the other introductory triathlon
books (e.g., books by Dave Scott, Glenn Town and Todd Kearney, or
Sally Edwards). If your goal is to do a triathlon for fun and you
aren't concerned with "optimum performance," however, then Jonas'
Essential Triathlete provides an excellent introduction to the
sport, taking you step by step through getting through your first
triathlon with a minimum training program. Our biggest quibble with
the book is that twice the author discusses "knowing when to stop,"
and says things like this: "You must be able to recognize when it's
just too hot, or when the headwind is too strong...or that you don't
have it in general that day." Encouraging people to DNF is not our
idea of good sports psychology; "toughing it out" on days like
that, no matter what your finishing time, will in the long run
toughen your spirit. Throwing in the towel once will only encourage
you to do it again another time.
TRAINING LACTATE PULSE-RATE by Peter Janssen ($19.95)
If you have a heart rate monitor (note: "pulse-rate" in the title
of this book means "heart rate" in conventional parlance) with
download capability, this is the book for you. The author, the team
physician of the PDM and Panasonic pro cycling teams, presents
literally hundreds of heart rate charts with commentary. Central to
the book is the Conconi test, which uses heart rate to
scientifically determine anaerobic threshhold. Other books are much
better at helping you to design a training program around heart-rate
concepts, but this may be the best at explaining and illustrating
the scientific principles underlying those programs.
THE ATHLETE'S DIARY VERSION 3.2 RELEASED
----------------------------------------
Stevens Creek Software released the lastest version (3.2) of THE
ATHLETE'S DIARY SOFTWARE (for Macintosh and Windows). This new
version features several major enhancements:
o Year 2000 ready! All features of the software will now function
properly into the 21st century. Starting to plan for "Boston 2000"
or for the 100th Dipsea in the year 2010? The Athlete's Diary is
ready. :-)
o PalmPilot compatible! Using our new software for the PalmPilot
handheld PDA, The Athlete's Calculator for Pilot, and the latest
version of The Athlete's Diary, you can enter data into your Pilot,
transfer it to your desktop computer using the HotSync method, and
then Merge it into your log! Travel with just your Pilot, record
your workouts, and pop them into your log with no more typing.
o More useful Select By Route functionality
o Easier one-step switching between logs.
o Less confusion when starting new logs.
The price of THE ATHLETE'S DIARY remains at $59.95. Of course, upgrade
pricing is available for current registered users.
