RUNNING WITHOUT PAIN

This latest guide for runners stresses the importance of injury prevention through carefully planned, knowledgeable running--without, however, providing all the tools necessary to carry it out. Bridge (The Runner's Book, 1978) inappropriately leaves until last a section vital to understanding the rest of this book; headed ""Injuries that begin with the feet,"" it discusses exactly how a runner moves and pinpoints some weak spots where trouble often occurs. Throughout, the author is light on training techniques which might avoid injury, and heavy on runner's folk remedies which treat existing problems. Apropos of preventive training, Bridge cites the cardinal rule of fitness-building--stress the body at increasing levels of exertion--but refers the reader elsewhere for instruction on developing an appropriate program. Elsewhere the reader is told how to reinforce shoes to decrease wear, but little on how to choose them. On the plus side, the advice on finding qualified medical help is thorough and precise; Bridge discusses the relative weaknesses and strengths of orthopedic specialists, podiatrists, and trainers in treating running injuries, as well as what resource groups are likely to have a line on good sports physicians. Nonetheless, the reader seeking comprehensive coverage will do better with Fixx and the Runner's Complete Medical Guide (Mangi and others).