The long run solution

by Joe Henderson

Book by Henderson, Joe

182 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1976

About the author

Joe Henderson is a former US runner, a running coach and writer.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was delighted to see that this book has been reprinted. I believe I was the one who typeset it when it was originally published by World Publications. We worked in an industrial building next to the Bayshore Freeway, did yoga on the tiny postage-stamp lawn at noon, and had a great time. The typesetting equipment: an IBM compositor - you typed each line once, read a color and number from a window, set them into the dials, and typed the line again. It would have been twice as fast to use unjustified text!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Henderson is one of the pioneers of running and his insight is certainly valuable. Sometimes the information seemed dated which is expected because the book IS dated. However, I enjoyed his stories. The book seemed to end rather abruptly and not all of the transitions were smooth throughout, but all in all, this is a nice book that any runner should enjoy.

[Katie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oldie but a goodie

Liked reading this from the 70s/80s and seeing what still rings true. It reaffirms my slow plodding along and has put a small pep in my step. :)

[milind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why we need to run...

Philosophy of running should have been the title of this book. It tells you what it really means to be running. As a runner it's most important to incorporate the activity into one's life as a necessary routine. As necessary as eating and sleeping. Just as you don't always eat or sleep for pleasure, similarly one must run not just for recreation but for sustenance. And why only running? Because it is the most natural, primitive activity. As natural and primitive as eating and sleeping. I would recommend this reading to anyone who has been running or has any kind of excuse for not doing so.

[Clark Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out. I was managing an Adidas store while in college. I wasn't a runner... I played college rugby and baseball and worked out year round. This book inspired me to begin running. Eventually reaching 7 miles a day. Joe's explanation of running long and consistently opened my eyes to this form of exercise and meditation that has lastedis into my 60's as long walking.

The book is a very easy and fast read while explaining why running long helps body and mind.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this lovely little book and enjoyed it immensely. This isn't a book that will teach you how to run and win races, though some of that is there. Ultimately, it's a series of love letters to the act of running from someone you can yeah genuinely enjoys it

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in the mid 1970s and it was a bit dated when I first read it in the late 1980s as a beginning runner. But this book had more impact on my running career than any other. I recently decided to re-read it, and though even more dated now, it was still a great read and still spoke to why I took up running in 1988 and still run today 28 years later. I have always been a bit big and heavy for a runner, some 200lbs or so, and I was never fast. Nor was I ever a good athlete in high school. But when I took up running and cross country in high school my life changed and I developed fitness and self confidence and teamwork skills that have proved invaluable in my life since. When my school running career ended I wanted to keep running but without the intensity. Joe Henderson's "Long run solution" or running long and slow to enjoy running fit me perfectly. When I initially read "Long Run Solution" I said, "This is me!" and it is still me today.

Joe Henderson talks to the many aspects of running long and slow and making running a lifestyle rather than a thing to do. Adopt running slow and long, and you are assured of a lifetime of fitness, with a minimum of injuries. Running long and slow clears your mind and refreshes your body. Stress melts away!

I don't like today's "formulaic" books on running plans and programs, or the opposite, today's trendy "participatory" runs where out of shape people just try to finish. If you want to make running a way of life, read this book.

The last two chapters are the most dated and least satisfactory. Second to last, Henderson rages about the then growing professionalism of running which today sounds quaint and the final chapter talks about longevity with some obviously now discredited information on how long some people live. And the book just "ends" without a summary chapter.

But overall, it's a great read! Runners World today is a shadow of the magazine it was when Joe Henderson and George Sheehan wrote columns that were thoughtful and meaningful. All of Joe's books are good reads, but to me, this one is special and most meaningful.