There Is Only One Finish Line

About the Book

If you are overweight, lethargic and slow moving, imagine a life full of energy where you can do almost anything you want to do and at the same time enjoy good food and wine. A fit and healthy lifestyle can bring with it self-esteem and confidence, better relationships, more job opportunities, ‘joie de vivre’ and most important of all, a ‘can-do’ attitude.If you are a Joe or Jo Schmo — leading a sedentary lifestyle, unfit and rarely exercise this book can put you on the road to a longer, healthier and more fulfilling life. Written for both novices and regular runners, its step-by-step approach motivates first-timers to take the initial step and for regular runners to take the next logical step and really get serious about their training. The book provides a common-sense approach to improving health and fitness to reduce the risk of heart disease and hopefully add a few extra years onto your life that will be less stressful and more enjoyable.The early part of this book is devoted to those people who can identify with Joe or Jo Schmo and wish to make exercise a regular part of their routine but are not sure where to start. The remaining chapters progress through the various aspects of running, such as training for short races all the way up to the marathon, health and nutrition, the science of running, cross training and finally the benefits of a regular running program.

About the Author

On his 55^th birthday, the author stood atop the tallest freestanding mountain in the world—Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.  Nine weeks later he joined 37,000 other runners to participate in the 100^th anniversary run of the Boston Marathon and finished with time in the top 25% of all runners of all ages.  A sub-5-minute miler and cross country runner in his youth, the author did not run for almost 20 years until he took up running again in his mid thirties and has continued to do so ever since.

Motivated by the need to be fit and healthy to meet the challenges of a demanding job, requiring up to 100,000 miles of travel every year, he took his running gear with him wherever he went. In the course of his business career the author rose from a sales position in a remote part of England to the head of worldwide operations of a Fortune 500 company.

Running became and still is an important and enjoyable part of the author’s life, and he has set out in this book to encourage others to take up the sport to improve health and fitness. Concerned by the alarming increase in obesity and with it health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and arteriosclerosis, the author sets out a step-by-step approach on the road to better health and fitness.