Reviews for A Compendious Ecclesiastical History

The average rating for A Compendious Ecclesiastical History based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-01-11 00:00:00 Rahul Gumare It's rare that a running guide does not contain any training schedules for the 5k, 10k, marathon, etc. Rarer still is a running guide that makes reference along the way to Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Spinoza. But both of these are characteristics of this book by Matt Fitzgerald, who also wrote BRAIN TRAINING FOR RUNNERS among other books. RUN is in some ways a continuation of BRAIN TRAINING, though to some extent it's a repudiation of the earlier book. BRAIN TRAINING, whose premise is "running starts and ends in the brain," contains a chapter early on about brain anatomy and related concepts--cognition, motor output, attentional focus, metabolic regulation (drowsy yet?)--but the bulk of its 550+ pages are taken up by multi-week training plans for the standard race distances for different levels of runners. It also contains pages of cross-training exercises and suggestions for technique drills. I can't say I got much of anything in regard to running out of the discussion about neurons, synapses, and other remnants of high-school biology, but I felt the collection of plans, exercises, and drills was a great resource. RUN, on the other hand, while still maintaining that "the brain is the seat of all our possibilities and limitations as runners," doesn't bother much with anatomy. Recent brain research, Fitzgerald says, "suggests that the best possible way to improve over the long term is to run almost completely by feel because our perceptions, intuitions, and feelings...tell us everything we need to know about how to run faster and farther...." In other words, mindfulness in training--keeping plans flexible, based on the mental/physical state at the time the workout starts (or even as the workout unfolds)--is stressed over adherence to plans like the ones detailed in BRAIN TRAINING. Ultimately, Fitzgerald asserts, "the more you enjoy your running, the better you will run." However one may feel about all that, there are some other aspects of the book that are definitely intriguing. There's a chapter about the role of fear in running--fear of failure or humiliation or the pain that attends all-out effort--that is unlike anything I've read before (it's in this chapter that the abovementioned philosophers make cameo appearances). And for the overwhelming majority of runners who have suffered injury of some kind there's a chapter called "The Gift of Injury"--this in contrast to how running injuries are typically addressed (RICE, the 10% rule, the standard stretches, etc). A bonus is a discussion about linear (Lydiard-like) vs non-linear (multipace) training systems that is sure to please the ultimate running geek. There's quite a lot to like here, actually, whether or not one believes (or cares) that the brain is pulling the strings or vice versa.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-06-21 00:00:00 Michael Tazelaar One of the best books on running I have ever read. First of all let me start by getting something out of the way. If you are looking for a book that tells you to just go out and run at whatever pace you feel like without pushing yourself and that you will be a superstar doing that, this is not it. Actually, any book that would claim that to be the recipe for success would be worthless. What this book does do is give you insights as to how to listen to your body and use that when determining adjustments needed to your training plan. Of course, the more experienced you are, the more you will understand about your state and the more you will be able to adjust. Before reading this book, I used to do this sometimes. For example, I would start my warm-up and feel so good that instead of doing an easy run that day I would go for a tempo run. Or I would have a speed workout scheduled but felt sore and switched it for an easy run. I used to feel guilty about some of these changes, but this book showed me that I was following the right strategy. There is a section that deals with the power of the mind and how to overcome situations that are tough, which I found particularly enlightening. As a matter of fact, a few days after reading that section I was racing a print triathlon, I went out hard in the swim and hammered the bike. When I went on the run, the first mile and a half of the 5k was on loose sand. My legs felt like bricks and I was doubting if I was able to finish the run without walking. Then I remembered what I read and I switched my mindset. I accepted it was going to be uncomfortable, but I was just going to keep repeating the motion until the race was over and I kind of turned my mind off. This worked wonders, I kept a nice even pace and then when I reached the second half of the run on asphalt I sped up and finished strong. Many topics are covered in this book: -Listening to your body and using that information to find your optimal training formula -How much repetition to include in your training (cycles vs. intra-week) -How to build your capacity to suffer -Accepting injury and learning from it -Using fear as motivation There is also a section on strength training, which is the only one I really did not pay much attention to. However, he recommends yoga, which I had already incorporated as part of my training. Overall, this is a gem of a book that can help runners of all levels with many different aspects of their running. You will not regret reading this.