Run Walk Crawl by Tim Lebbon @timlebbon @RandomTTours #blogtour #bookreview #RunWalkCrawl

It’s the weekend! Have you been inspired to get out into the great outdoors this week after what feels like the start of summer? Maybe a little jogging? Outdoor swimming? Cycling? Maybe this is the book for you?

Massive thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on the blog tour for Tim Lebbon’s Run, Walk, Crawl and for my copy of the book.

The Blurb

At forty-one I was overweight and unfit. As I turned 50 I was thirty pounds lighter, having spent my fifth decade training for, and racing multiple Ironmans, marathons, and other crazy adventures. This account of that fitness journey through my forties includes broken bones, severe chafing, regular cursing, rubber and lycra, an element of masochism … and cake.

From New York Times-bestselling writer Tim Lebbon comes his first non-fiction book, charting his fitness journey through his forties––funny, hopefully inspiring, brutally honest, this is a book for anyone trying to get and stay fit, at whatever age!

What Did I Think?

“If you believe you can do something, or believe you can’t, you’re probably right ”

Tim Lebbon hits 2011 with a bang and takes the impulsive decision to do the Three Peaks Challenge. For those of you who don’t know, that’s climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowden all in 24 hours. That’s 23 miles walking, total ascent of 3,064 metres and 462 miles driving. Don’t know about you but to me, that’s total madness especially the way Lebbon describes himself at the start.

But this challenge including the preparation time Lebbon puts in is a turning point in his life. He finds the fitness bug. He shows that once you find the regime/exercise for you, it can be enjoyable and addictive. But Lebbon is brutally honest about the struggles and the mistakes he encounters along the way. But then he goes for the next physical challenge.

Ironman contests may look “glamorous” when they’re broadcast on TV in glorious sunshine but Lebbon shows the harsh reality of a competitive race “one of the biggest challenges.. is trying to get into the water without tripping over an impressively large goose turd.” The whole concept fills me with dread but Lebbon is spurred on with each challenge, learning from the last and soaking up the knowledge of those around him.

The anecdotes are amusing but real. The chaffing, the aches, the pains, the post race celebrations and the hunt for the next challenge! And oh my! A whole chapter of cake!! Well not exactly. Lebbon talked about his thoughts on dieting and exercise. He’s more for one of eat less, eat better and exercise more which I’m totally on board with! So long as there is cake there!

I’ve not read any of Lebbon’s fictional offerings but I’m going to stick my neck out and say this is a totally different book. I found Run Crawl Walk a highly entertaining read, giving me an honest, down to earth insight to the world of amateur competitive fitness.

Who Is Tim Lebbon?

I’m a New York Times-bestselling horror, thriller and fantasy writer from a little village in South Wales. I’ve written over 45 novels, including several in collaboration with Christopher Golden, as well as dozens of novellas and hundreds of short stories. I’ve written tie in novels in the Alien, Predator, Hellboy, Star Wars, and Firefly universes. Maybe a mash-up of all those properties would be fun!

My novel The Silence was made into a Netflix movie starring Kiernan Shipka and Stanley Tucci. I even got to be in the movie, starring as a bloodied corpse!

My novella Pay The Ghost was a 2015 movie starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Uli Edel.

My latest novel EDEN is an eco-horror thriller. Josh Malerman calls it ‘Instantly cinematic‘. Sarah Pinborough calls it ‘Smart, prescient and gripping.‘

I have several other projects currently in development for TV and the big screen, including original screenplays and a TV series with a US broadcaster.

I’ve won four British Fantasy Awards, a Bram Stoker Award and a Scribe, as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Awards. I love running, biking and swimming, and often try to put them all together in long-distance triathlons. I raced my first Ironman in 2013. At the time it was definitely, without a doubt, absolutely the only ironman I’d ever do. Ironman Canada on my 50th birthday in 2019 was my 5th…

 www.timlebbon.net

Twitter @timlebbon