“I have released myself from a life of sedentary confinement,” John Bingham explains in his easy-to-read, short-chaptered, motivational/inspirational memoir, AN ACCIDENTAL ATHLETE
Bingham has something of a cult following among slow runners like myself. A self-proclaimed, “Penguin,” a term he coined in a previous book to capture what he actually looked like when he saw himself in a store window while he was running down a city street, Bingham previously published a column in Runner’s World and now is a regular contributor to Competitor. He didn’t take up running until he was 43, but when he did, he fell completely in love. In this book he explains how his “adult-onset athleticism,” allowed him to make up for being a poor athlete as a child and claim his place in the running world.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read, I was sad to see that he recycled some of the stories he’d told in his previous books. The incidents make excellent points, but I wanted something new. He did deliver that in other chapters, especially regarding the undeniable fact that there will come a day when you realize your best running days are behind you. And, if you really love running, you will continue to run anyway. I needed to hear that!
