I’d seen Mark Remy’s book on the shelves many times before I actually picked it up. I thought to myself, “great, another book telling me how I’m supposed to run” – so I avoided it like a cheeseburger. As time passed, I saw snippets here and there. Then, runner’s like Ryan Hall and Josh Cox were tweeting about it. OK, there has to be something behind that red cover that’s actually worth reading. Let me rephrase that. If you’re a runner, YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

“The Runner’s Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know – And Then Some” is one of the funniest and most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time!!! Mark Remy also writes for Runner’s World and in the January 2010 issue (p. 75), you can get a taste of what’s in store for you in the rest of the book.

To somebody who doesn’t run, a lot of this book will go right over your head. Most of it would need some explanation or at least confirmation from a runner that this stuff is true and really happens. It’s a quick read and is laid out as a bunch of rules. I found myself going back and rereading a bunch of them over again. I don’t want to give to much away because I think every runner needs this on their bookshelf but here are a couple of my favorite examples:

Rule 1.18
Learn and Love the Farmer’s Blow
Mastering the Farmer’s Blow is a must for every runner. A good Farmer’s Blow is a wonder to behold, satisfying, efficient, and brilliant in its simplicity.

Rule 1.9
Pass Gas, Not Judgement
(the bullet points for this rule are instant classics)

Rule 2.32
Do Whatever It Takes to Finish Ahead of a Costumed Runner
Because being outkicked by Elmo is too much to bear.

Rule 3.5
Save the Race Shirt for Postrace
Wearing the official race shirt during the race is like wearing a U2 t-shirt to a U2 concert. Not cool. Don’t do it.

RMFR

Tags: Josh Cox, Mark Remy, Runner's World, Ryan Hall, The Runner's Rule Book

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Books, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.