Book picks similar to
Older Faster Stronger: What Women Runners Can Teach Us All About Living Younger Longer by Margaret Webb
running
non-fiction
sports
nonfiction
Train Like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line - and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity
Dimity McDowell - 2012
At its core, Train Like a Mother will comprehensively cover how to train for a race, including training plans for four race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon) for both beginner and more experienced runners; the importance of recovery; pre- and post-race nutrition; strength training; injury prevention (and rehab); and everything busy women need to know to add racing to their multitasking schedules. It is all presented with the same wit, empathy, and tone the avid fans connect and identify with.The book is divided into 13.1 chapters--the distance of a half-marathon, the sweet spot for many mother runners--narrated by both Sarah and Dimity. Like the first book, Train Like a Mother chapters have plenty of sidebars, including Practical Motherly Advice (helpful information about training- and race-related advice), Take It from a Mother (advice and answers from the growing tribe of running moms), and Racy Talk (entertaining, race-related stories from the authors and other moms). The .1 sections are entertaining "commercial breaks" celebrating the sport of running and the added thrill of racing.
The Long Run: One Man's Attempt to Regain His Athletic Career-And His Life-by Running the New York City Marathon
Matt Long - 2010
The injuries he sustained pushed him within inches of his life. Miraculously, more than 40 operations and months later, Matt was able to start his recovery. In spite of the severity of his injuries, Matt found the psychological consequences of the accident nearly as hard to process. He would no longer be able to compete at the highest level.In the 18 months before the accident, he had competed in more than 20 events including several triathlons and marathons and had qualified for running's most prestigious race, the Boston Marathon. After the accident, his doctor told him he'd be lucky if he could even walk without a cane.The Long Run is an emotional and incredibly honest story about Matt's determination to fight through fear, despair, loneliness, and intense physical and psychological pain to regain the life he once had. The book chronicles Matt's road to recovery as he teaches himself to walk again and, a mere three years later, to run in the 2008 New York City Marathon--a gimpy seven-and-a-half hour journey through the five boroughs. "Running saved my life," Matt says, and his embrace of the running community and insistence on competing in the marathon has inspired many, turning him into a symbol of hope and recovery for untold numbers of others.
The Science of Running: How to find your limit and train to maximize your performance
Steve Magness - 2014
The Science of Running is written for those of us looking to maximize our performance, get as close to our limits as possible, and more than anything find out how good we can be, or how good our athletes can be. In The Science of Running, elite coach and exercise physiologist Steve Magness integrates the latest research with the training processes of the world's best runners, to deliver an in depth look at how to maximize your performance. It is a unique book that conquers both the scientific and practical points of running in two different sections. The first is aimed at identifying what limits running performance from a scientific standpoint. You will take a tour through the inside of the body, learning what causes fatigue, how we produce energy to run, and how the brain functions to hold you back from super-human performance. In section two, we turn to the practical application of this information and focus on the process of training to achieve your goals. You will learn how to develop training plans and to look at training in a completely different way. The Science of Running does not hold back information and is sure to challenge you to become a better athlete, coach, or exercise scientist in covering such topics as:· What is fatigue? The latest research on looking at fatigue from a brain centered view.· Why VO2max is the most overrated and misunderstood concept in both the lab and on the track· Why "zone" training leads to suboptimal performance.· How to properly individualize training for your own unique physiology.· How to look at the training process in a unique way in terms of stimulus and adaptation.· Full sample training programs from 800m to the marathon.
Running Within: A Guide to Mastering the Body-Mind-Spirit: A Guide to Mastering the Body-Mind-Spirit Connection for Ultimate Training and Racing
Jerry Lynch - 1999
Plodding for miles through inclement weather, rising before dawn to squeeze a daily run into a busy schedule, overcoming minor aches and lethargy that pose a threat to an active lifestyle, these are but a few of the familiar obstacles faced by millions of runners like you.Running Within addresses the mental and physical factors of importance to runners and offers positive, practical recommendations for infusing the body, mind, and spirit with new energy and passion for running. It also provides solid information on training and racing. It will help you perform better, have more fun, and experience a deeper connection with running.Written by top sport psychologist, best-selling author, and runner Jerry Lynch, along with physician and elite triathlete Warren Scott, this book presents prescriptions, tools, and strategies for runners to fulfill their potential. Included are:- goal-setting guidelines, - relaxation and visualization exercises, - affirmation-building tips along with 63 examples, - strategies for learning from setbacks, - ways to take better risks, - fatigue- and injury-coping strategies, - motivation boosters, and- prerace and race strategies.Running Within will push your performance and enthusiasm to new heights. See how much better running can be with the body, mind, and spirit in synch and primed for every run you take.
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
Kenny Moore - 2006
Single-handedly he helped turn the college town of Eugene, Oregon, into the running capital of the world.In Bowerman: The Wings of Nike, Kenny Moore, a world-class marathon runner and one of Bowerman's Oregon men, tells the story of his mentor and hero, drawing on years of taped interviews and the full cooperation of the Bowerman family and Nike, the company that Bowerman helped to found through his invention of the waffle-soled running shoe.Whether providing a fresh look at the tragic siege at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, where Bowerman coached the track and field team; offering a close-up view of the coach's relationship with runner Steve Prefontaine (subject of the movie Without Limits, co-written and co-produced by Moore); or exploring Bowerman's role as a Nike innovator, this illuminating portrait is compelling reading throughout—ample evidence of why Bowerman's widow, noting how well the author understood her husband, said: "If anyone should write Bill's life story, it's Kenny Moore."
The Whartons' Stretch Book: Featuring the Breakthrough Method of Active-Isolated Stretching
Jim Wharton - 1996
But did you know that the traditional way of stretching—lock your knees, bounce, hold, hurt, hold longer—actually makes muscles tighter and more prone to injury?There’s a new and better way to stretch: Active-Isolated Stretching. And with The Whartons’ Stretch Book, the method used successfully by scores of professional, amateur, and Olympic athletes is now available to everyone.This groundbreaking technique, developed by researchers, coaches, and trainers, and pioneered by Jim and Phil Wharton, is your new exercise prescription. The routine is simple: First, you prepare to stretch one isolated muscle at a time. Then you actively contract the muscle opposite the isolated muscle, which will then relax in preparation for its stretch. You stretch it gently and quickly—for no more than two seconds—and release it before it goes into its protective contraction. Then you repeat. Simple, but the results are outstanding. The Whartons’ Stretch Book explains it all.Part I contains the Active-Isolated Stretch Catalog, with fully illustrated, easy-to-follow stretches for each of five body zones, from neck and shoulders to trunk, arms, and legs—over fifty stretches in all. Part II offers specific stretching prescriptions for over fifty-five sports and activities, from running, tennis, track, and aerobics to skiing, skating, and swimming. You’ll also find advice on stretching for daily activities such as driving, working at a desk, lifting, and keyboarding. Part III discusses stretching for life, with specific recommendations for expectant mothers and older athletes. It also includes specific stretching exercises that could help you avoid unnecessary surgery.Give Active-Isolated Stretching a try for three weeks. You’ll never go back to your old stretching routines again.
Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking Your Athletic Potential for Health, Speed, and Injury Prevention
Jay Dicharry - 2012
Unfortunately, with running comes injuries, as a result of wrong information and improper training.Along with clear and thorough explanations of how running influences the body, and how the body influences your running, this book answers many of the common questions that athletes have:Do runners need to stretch?What is the best way to run?What causes injuries?Which shoes are best for running?Is running barefoot beneficial?And much moreThe mobility and stability tests will assess your form, and the corrective exercises, along with step-by-step photos, will improve your core and overall performance, so that you can train and run with confidence, knowing how to avoid injuries!
Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile
Chris Lear - 2003
Then, in January 2001, Alan Webb clocked a 3:59.86 mile, the fastest indoor U.S. high school mile ever. Just a few months later, the young track star achieved legendary status: he ran a 3:53.46 mile-a full 2 seconds faster than former record holder Jim Ryun. Everywhere Webb was hailed as "America's Next Great Miler."In Sub 4:00, noted track writer Chris Lear follows Webb to college at the University of Michigan. As we witness Webb's freshman track season-watching him struggle with injuries, interpersonal conflicts, the politics of the collegiate track world, and his own aspirations to become the best miler ever-we get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the life of one of the nation's most promising track athletes with a new chapter describing the latest developments in Webb's fascinating career.
Embrace the Suck: A Crossfit Memoir
Stephen Madden - 2014
He immersed himself in the culture, diet, and psyche of CrossFit--the fast-growing but controversial fitness regime that's a stripped-down combination of high-intensity aerobic activity, weightlifting, calisthenics, and gymnastics. Madden is just one of over two million athletes worldwide to do so. But what's crazier? The fact that such a grueling regimen--in which puking and muscle breakdowns during workouts are common--is so popular, or that people pay good money to do it?In Embrace the Suck, the former editor-in-chief of Bicycling magazine explores with irreverence, humor, and soul-touching candor the fitness revolution sweeping America. Madden chronicles the year he devoted to trying to master all the basic CrossFit exercises, like double unders, muscle-ups, and kipping pullups, and immersing himself in the Paleo diet that strips weight from its followers but leaves them fantasizing about loaves of bread. Along the way, he explores the culture of the sport, his experience becoming a CrossFit coach, and some basic questions about himself, his past, and his athletic limitations--and why something so difficult and punishing can be at once beautiful, funny, and rewarding.Whether you are a CrossFitter or a nascent athlete, you will come away from this book understanding the limitless potential of the human body and mind, and will learn what it takes to welcome and defeat any kind of suck.
Not Your Average Runner: Why You’re Not Too Fat to Run and the Skinny on How to Start Today
Jill Angie - 2017
With humor, compassion, and lots of love, Jill Angie delivers the goods: overcoming the challenges of running with an overweight body and giving individuals’ self-esteem an enormous boost in the process. This isn't a guide to running for weight loss, or a simple running plan. It shows readers how a woman carrying a few (or many) extra pounds can successfully become a runner in the body she has right now. Jill Angie is a certified running coach and personal trainer who wants to live in a world where everyone is free to feel fit and fabulous at any size. She started the Not Your Average Runner movement in 2013 to show that runners come in all shapes, sizes and speeds, and, since then, has assembled a global community of revolutionaries that are taking the running world by storm. If you would like to be part of the revolution, flip to the inside and find out more!
Yoga Girl
Rachel Brathen - 2014
In Yoga Girl, Brathen takes readers beyond her Instagram feed and shares her journey like never before—from her self-destructive teenage years in her hometown in Sweden to her adventures in the jungles of Costa Rica, and finally to the beautiful and bohemian life she’s built through yoga and meditation in Aruba today. Featuring spectacular photos of Brathen practicing yoga with breathtaking tropical backdrops, along with step-by-step yoga sequences and simple recipes for a healthy, happy, and fearless lifestyle—Yoga Girl is like an armchair vacation to a Caribbean spa.
Runner's World Complete Book of Beginning Running
Amby Burfoot - 2005
Peppered throughout with motivating tips and advice from those who have been there, this much-needed volume presents a can't-fail program that is sure to help new runners feel and look better and have more energy and less stress. Inside you'll find: o Information on nutrition and how to adjust your diet to fit your new running lifestyleo Training advice, including how to use cross-training, stretching, and strength exercises to keep enthusiasm up, weight down, and fitness at an optimum levelo A special section for women runnersWritten by the executive editor of Runner's World magazine and covering every problem the new runner may encounter-from choosing the right shoes to preventing injury to preparing for a race-this authoritative volume provides all the information and inspiration any novice requires to turn running into a healthy, lifetime pursuit.
The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer
David Roche - 2018
Guided by their personal experiences and coaching expertise, they point out the mental and emotional factors that will help you learn exactly how to become a happy runner and achieve your personal best.Following the "some work, all play" approach, The Happy Runner introduces the three commandments of happy running and teaches you how to balance the effort of running with the simple joy of the activity:- Learn how to run fast, run long, and stay healthy with proven training methods.- Read real stories from professional and recreational athletes who have had personal breakthroughs as they learned to love the process of running.- Understand how to adapt your running based on your personal lifestyle and goals as well as avoid setbacks from injury.- Develop your self-belief and make positivity your default setting so you can reach your goals.Whether you're battling burnout, are returning after an injury, or are new to running and want to enjoy a 5K or an ultramarathon, the science-based training guidance in The Happy Runner will help you get faster, go longer, and live stronger--all with a smile.CE exam available! For certified professionals, a companion continuing education exam can be completed after reading this book. The Happy Runner Online CE Exam may be purchased separately or as part of The Happy Runner With CE Exam, a package that includes both the book and the exam.
Body, Mind, and Sport: The Mind-Body Guide to Lifelong Health, Fitness, and Your Personal Best
John Douillard - 1994
Now, with Body, Mind, and Sport, anyone can reach the Zone, regardless of fitness level. Designed to accommodate a variety of individual fitness needs, the Body, Mind, and Sport program is split into two levels. Level 1 is for non-athletes who want to improve overall fitness; Level 2 is for those who want to train for competitive or recreational purposes. Your own unique mind-body type is taken into account to guide you in achieving your personal best without stress or strain. In this revised and updated edition of Body, Mind, and Sport, fitness expert and trainer John Douillard outlines a program in which your individual seasonal constitution-Winter, Spring, or Summer-determines what exercises or sports are best suited to your mind-body type and what foods you should eat for optimum results.Using the Body, Mind, and Sport approach you can decrease heart and breath rates while improving both fitness and performance. Dozens of world-class athletes, including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, have used John Douillard's expert breathing techniques, dietary recommendations, and seasonally balanced workouts. Now you can, too!
The Grace to Race: The Wisdom and Inspiration of the 80-Year-Old World Champion Triathlete Known as the Iron Nun
Madonna Buder - 2010
In The Grace to Race, she shares the no-nonsense spirit and deep faith that inspired her extraordinary journey from a prominent St. Louis family to a Catholic Convent and finally to championship finish lines all over the world. As a beautiful young woman, she became an elegant equestrian and accomplished amateur actress. But as she describes in this intimate memoir, she had a secret plan as early as 14: she wanted to devote her life to God. After being courted by the most eligible bachelors in her hometown, she chose a different path and became a Sister of the Good Shepherd. She lived a mostly cloistered life as a Nun until her late forties, when a Priest suggested she take a run on the beach. She dug up a pair of shorts in a pile of donated clothes, found a pair of second-hand tennis shoes, and had a second epiphany. This time, she discovered the spiritual joy of pushing her body to the limit and of seeing God’s natural world in all its splendor. More than thirty years later, she is known as the Iron Nun for all the triathlons she has won. Just five years ago, the age 75–79 category was created for her at the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona, where she completed a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon in record time. Now she has set her sights on a new goal: inaugurating another new Ironman age group, 80–84, in 2010. Sister Madonna holds dozens of records, has broken dozens of bones, and tells of dozens of miracles and angels that propelled her to a far-flung race. "It is my faith that has carried me through life’s ups and downs," she writes. "Whenever injured, I wait for the Lord to pick me up again and set me on my feet, confidently reminding Him, ‘God, you know, my intent is to keep running toward you.’" The Grace to Race is the courageous story of a woman who broke with convention, followed her heart, and found her higher mission.