Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime

<i> I received a PRC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. </i> Bernd Heinrich is the runner you've never heard of. He's also well known in the scientific arena for his work on insect physiology and biology. He's published many scientific papers and books; he has written one book on running, <i>Why We Run: A Natural History</i>, which I have not read. In <i>Racing the Clock</i>, Heinrich once again attempts to link his observations of nature with running. The book was initially an attempt to document his goal of running a 100k at age 80. The pandemic took care of that and he shifted focus to running and aging. It's all very interesting. But for me, the stories about his running and races were much more compelling than his musings about nature. When he attempts to tie the two concepts together, to this reader, it felt a bit awkward. Yet I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn about this runner, a renaissance man who quietly made his mark on the world of running.<br /><br />If you want to learn more about Bernd Heinrich, Bill Donohue's wonderful profile in <i>Outside Magazine</i> is a great read. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2267886/last-naturalist">https://www.outsideonline.com/2267886...</a>

Racing the Clock is the author's autobiographical story of his life as a runner and his exploration of the relationship between running and nature. He uses numerous examples in his research of the natural world to attempt to answer many questions surrounding running and the human body. I found Racing the Clock to be an interesting read. As a runner and nature lover, I had a personal interest in the book and appreciated the author's story, obvious deep interest in the topic of running, and thoughtful insights throughout each chapter. <br /><br />Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

As I was listening to this on audio, I realized it's exactly in my wheelhouse for books I like to read on audio-- memoir/science! As a bonus, this also focuses on Heinrich's passion for running.<br /><br />Heinrich is very earnest in a very German sort of way. There was a lot of, well, I just kept running and then realized 24 hours had passed and I still felt fine. Let me try it again to make it Science!<br /><br />I haven't been able to run in almost a year due to a foot and/or tendon injury so these kinds of books make me feel like I'm doing something.<br /><br />Anyway, easy and enjoyable. Check!

While not the book I'd been expecting to read, based on its marketing, any book by Bern Heinrich is a rewarding joy to read. Memoir combined with science, nature and biology, from the author of Racing the Antelope.

The biggest problem with this book is that it has nothing to do with the title, publisher's description, or even, what Heinrich claims the book is about. Heinrich says early in the book that this is a book about aging. It is not. It is a memoire framed by the relationship between nature and running. <br /><br />So, I was expecting one book and got something completely different and the further I went through the book the more frustrated I felt. I happen to be both a runner and a nature enthusiast so I might still have been drawn to this book, had it been more honestly labeled. Even so, I found the constant hubris throughout the book really tiring and boring - despite the fact that Heinrich is a very accomplished person and truly does have bragging rights. Additionally, I don't fully line up with Heinrich's ethics on animals so I was cringing throughout much of the book during discussions of capturing species for the purposes of taxidermy for museum display. I realize it was his parent's livelihood during a different era. But it wasn't enjoyable or even interesting for me to hear about.<br /><br />I understand Bernd Heinrich has something of a following - my Dad loves him. I congratulate him for everything he's done and wish him well, but this book didn't make me a fan.

Not the book I expected to be; I think the title does not really respect the content of the book. This is a kind of memoir intertwined with science and occasional links to running in the first part and the opposite in the second part. In general the authors tends to stay very light on both of those. Usually, when I am reading a book about running, I get inspired to wear my running shoes and start churning some K, but with this I just got a lite tickle to do it.

3 and a half stars<br /><br />Although I enjoyed this title, it didn't turn out to be a must-have for me.<br /><br />Can one have too much biology, in a memoir? IDK<br /><br />At least I didn't get bored to death.<br /><br />I appreciate what I learned about various species of trees, moths, birds, and eels. Will I remember all of it? Probably not.<br /><br />My favorite parts were the stories about Bernd's life that came across a bit unexpected. I smh countless times throughout reading because Old Bernd can at times come across a bit crazy either over biology or running. Some bits made marathons seem a bit like torture, but runners clearly don't care.<br /><br />Overall, I'm glad to have read this story.

I didn't find too much truly scientific information linking running with longevity, the reason I asked for this book in the first place. But I enjoyed reading about the author's life as a runner and even more as an insect biologist. The last few chapters describing how his running pace has declined with time were not in any way depressing to me, but rather encouraging, not because they gave me any hope of besting him but instead confirmed my normalness. I plan to see if other of his books are as good or better than this one.

I was looking for some running motivation, so I gave this book a try. It was a cool autobiography of a runner and a scientist. It didn’t motivate me to run more, but it was a good read.

I really liked the book, it is a semi-autobiographical account of the author's life combined with a small tangents on locomotion in animals( and how it differs from humans), insect lifecycles, and cutthroat competition in academic circles. But overall it was an enjoyable read, and I am impressed how the author, even at age 80, continues to run daily and take trips to the woods to keep himself engaged in nature.