Hayes Running Manual By Sean Lerwill Release date: 05th January, 2012 Publisher: Hayes Publishing List Price: £21.99 Our Price: £15.99 You Save: £6 (27%) Buy Now

Most of us slunk reluctantly back into work this week, a little heavier than we were on 23rd December, several new year resolutions already unravelling with unseemly haste. Still close to the top of many resolutions is that perennial, if slightly vague desire to 'get fit', an aspiration usually determined in the wake of festive over-indulgence. Yet getting from good intention to the gym, or even running around the park, a much more popular option during these straightened times, requires determination and willpower, especially when the weather is as inclement as it's been this week. Asking a friend to share your pain is a move fraught with potential difficulties. Will they be available every Tuesday after work? Will they disappear to the pub at the first sight of rain or snow? Such considerations are important - as is knowing what you should be doing, which is where Sean Lerwell's excellent running manual comes in. A former Marine who authored the Royal Marines Fitness Manual, Lerwell assumes his reader is starting from scratch, though established runners should not be deterred from reading his latest offering. For most of us, it's years since we received any formal coaching on how to run properly (many people didn't even get this), but Lerwell plugs all of the gaps and offers timely advice on everything from warming up to nutrition, muscle toning to adapting the correct running gait. The great beauty of a step-by-step guide is the opportunity it affords runners of all descriptions, shapes and sizes to extract the most relevant information for them and to apply it. In other words, there's no need to read this book cover-to-cover before donning the trainers and hitting the road. Once there, however, the debutant runner joins a growing band of people who understand just how good running is for your health. Lerwell acknowledges that although it can be difficult at first, sticking with your running has enormous benefits. While other new year resolutions may bite the dust, the one which persuades people to start running is worth persevering with. Costing considerably less than a month's gym membership, Lerwell's guide is also likely to prove much more reliable and offer more support than a friend when it's raining on Tuesday nightÖ