Runner’s World Guide to Injury Prevention: How to Identify Problems, Speed Healing, and Run Pain-Free (Runner’s World Guides)
by Dagny Scott Barrios

Publisher: Rodale Books
ISBN-13: 978-1579549718

The front of the book claims it will instruct the reader in “how to identify problems, speed healing, and run pain-free”.  It does seem to be a pretty thorough resource for those issues.

Yes, there are topics that can be found in just about every running book around, even many from Rodale and as part of the “Runner’s World Guide” series.  But this one does seem to be set-up in a nice order and there are a few key points that were kind of surprising to me, in a good way.

The first was a section on “alternative” methods for treating injury.  From chiropractic, to acupuncture, to massage… the book touches on reasons why a runner might want to consider those options or even introduces them to someone who may not know of their benefits.  Before I ran, I always thought chiropractors were just there to crack the backs of people who were in car accidents.  Since starting my evolution to being a runner, I’ve realized that they have a lot of skills that can help runners (or athletes of any kind) keep their entire bodies in alignment, it’s not all about a good back cracking.  (Although, I’ve come to realize that can be really good too.)

The next section I thought was particularly noteworthy was the section about the emotional side of injury.  We all know the anguish that can come from being derailed from our training.  But this talks through what is a healthy level of commitment to the sport and when it becomes a problem addiction.  Being down and out for a period can lead to depression, but in some people that can become a much darker period than for others.  The book provides some tools that are based upon sports psychology approaches that can help the runner move through their recovery without getting into a too deep of funk.

Other interesting sections are focused on running’s effects on children and women, special needs that may arise in either of those audiences.  The woman issue has been touched upon in several books, including ones devoted entirely to the subject of women’s running.  But the kids running issue might be a good thing for people to read if they have young children who want to run with mom and/or dad, just to make sure they are not pushing them too hard or doing something that could harm the kid.

Overall, it’s a well-done book.  The information is presented in a very readable format and I even had a couple of “A ha!” moments, despite the large amount of running-related material I’ve read.  And it’s always good to re-read things you’ve already seen… sometimes having it presented in slightly different wording can make all the difference in how it sinks in!

This review was not prompted by free product, but by my own interest in the book and topic.