Adventures in Running and Ageing

[Tussockface]

If anyone has missed posts elsewhere about this, my book about the travails of being an ageing runner has recently been published.

I wrote it because I wanted to understand why running gets harder, and what causes us to slow down.
It's a blend of memoir and physiology which some of you might find interesting, not least because of my background as a fellrunner (of sorts).
A number of familiar races and faces are featured, and indeed this very Forum and a sprinkling of former and present worthies receive a mention.

It can be ordered from www.whaleandbear.com
(It's on Amazon too, but they take a very large slice of the money. Margins are tight when it's a high-quality product and a short print-run.)

I know a few Forumites who have copies on the way, including Socks and Multiterrainer. I notice that one has also been bought by a certain lady runner whom I last met on a Langdale race, when we were stranded together in the fog, on a rocky ledge somewhere in the vicinity of Crinkle Crags and the Bad Step.

[anthonykay]

I see that Richard Askwith has also written a book on the same theme. So that's two more books that I need to buy (not from Amazon!) and leave languishing on my shelf for a few years before I actually get around to reading them.

[Mike T]

If anyone has missed posts elsewhere about this, my book about the travails of being an ageing runner has recently been published.

I wrote it because I wanted to understand why running gets harder, and what causes us to slow down.
It's a blend of memoir and physiology which some of you might find interesting, not least because of my background as a fellrunner (of sorts).
A number of familiar races and faces are featured, and indeed this very Forum and a sprinkling of former and present worthies receive a mention.

It can be ordered from www.whaleandbear.com
(It's on Amazon too, but they take a very large slice of the money. Margins are tight when it's a high-quality product and a short print-run.)

I know a few Forumites who have copies on the way, including Socks and Multiterrainer. I notice that one has also been bought by a certain lady runner whom I last met on a Langdale race, when we were stranded together in the fog, on a rocky ledge somewhere in the vicinity of Crinkle Crags and the Bad Step.

Priced in Euro. Any idea of postage/taxes/cost in pounds?

[Tussockface]

I see that Richard Askwith has also written a book on the same theme. So that's two more books that I need to buy (not from Amazon!) and leave languishing on my shelf for a few years before I actually get around to reading them.

Yes, our books came out in the same week. You wait all your life and two come along at once. What are the odds on that?
They even have similar covers. I actually considered calling mine ‘Racing Against Time’ at one point, and I’m mightily relieved I didn’t go with that!
Fortunately, the books are very different in style and content. Mine is much more focused on the workings of the body.
I’m not saying that makes it ‘better’ - particularly not in comparison with a great writer like Richard Askwith. I really enjoyed his book, once I recovered from the shock of its existence. Which book will suit which reader will depend entirely on what they want to know.

[Tussockface]

Priced in Euro. Any idea of postage/taxes/cost in pounds?

I’m on it for you. Just double checking.

[Tussockface]

Priced in Euro. Any idea of postage/taxes/cost in pounds?

The postage is €4.20, so the total is €25.20.
Obviously the sterling amount fluctuates slightly, but that currently works out at £22 incl postage.
There shouldn’t be any transaction fee - payments can be made using your credit card through Stripe, and the publisher pays the charge for that. Alternatively you can use PayPal, which is also free to you.
Hope that helps. It’s useful for me to know, too, so thanks for asking the question!

[Llani Boy]

Just ordered one at 25.20 euros, what ever that is in real money!

[Mike T]

The postage is €4.20, so the total is €25.20.
Obviously the sterling amount fluctuates slightly, but that currently works out at £22 incl postage.
There shouldn’t be any transaction fee - payments can be made using your credit card through Stripe, and the publisher pays the charge for that. Alternatively you can use PayPal, which is also free to you.
Hope that helps. It’s useful for me to know, too, so thanks for asking the question!

Thanks - done!

[Mike T]

I see that Richard Askwith has also written a book on the same theme. So that's two more books that I need to buy (not from Amazon!) and leave languishing on my shelf for a few years before I actually get around to reading them.

I really enjoyed "Feet in the Clouds", as did my partner and daughter, despite being non runners. His second book however was a disappointment - it felt like he was scraping around the edges of his running career to get enough material to justify the price. How have people got on with this one?

[Feet In The Cloughs]

Another book on the theme of running and ageing, and the relationship between diet, metabolism, exercise, and age, plus thoughts on evolution, health, and a bit of philosophy thrown in, was published in 2021: ‘Racing the Clock’ by Bernd Heinrich. He’s a retired professor of biology of some note: now in his 80’s, back in the 1980s he set US records for 100km, 100 miles, and 24 hours; his other book ‘Why we run: a natural history’ is also worth a look as are his books on biology.