Book picks similar to
Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event by Kara Douglass Thom
nonfiction
non-fiction
running
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A Beautiful Work In Progress
Mirna Valerio - 2017
When you meet her on the trail, you might be surprised to see she doesn’t quite fit the typical image of a long-distance runner. She’s neither skinny nor white, and she’s here to show just how misguided these stereotypes can be.In this prejudice-busting, body-positive memoir told with raw honesty, an adventurous spirit, and a sharp sense of humor, Valerio takes readers along on her journey from first-time racer to ultramarathoner and proves that anyone can become a successful athlete.
The Lazy Runner
Laura Fountain - 2012
At first unable to run 400 metres without stopping, Laura has now completed five marathons, the most recent in under four hours. Along the way, Laura learns countless lessons about running, most of them the hard way. But most importantly this self-confessed couch potato learns to love running. As well as offering inspiration and motivation to get out there and run, her book offers tips on how to make running easier and more enjoyable. Offering practical information on buying the right kit, choosing the best race and what to do on race day, it also tackles the important running questions you might be embarrassed to ask – like when will it get easier? And what happens if I need the toilet?
Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics
Ed Balls - 2016
'Full of anecdote, insight and authenticity’ Evening Standard BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'Witty, reflective and engaging' Nick Robinson'Honest and revealing' Michael Palin'Fascinating, heartfelt' Kay Burley'Insightful, funny, unexpectedly moving' Jonathan FreedlandOn the night of 7 May 2015, Ed Balls thought there was a chance he would wake up the next morning as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Instead, he woke up without a job.Twenty-one years earlier he had left a promising career in journalism to work for Labour in opposition. Moving through the ranks, from adviser to Cabinet minister and on to Shadow Chancellor, he occupied a central and influential position in and out of power during a pivotal period in British history. Speaking Out is a record of a life in politics, but also much more. It is about how power can be used for good, and the lessons to be learned when things go wrong. It is about the mechanics of Westminster, and of government. It is about facing up to your fears and misgivings, and tackling your limitations – on stages public and private.It is about the mistakes made, change delivered and personalities encountered over the course of two decades at the frontline of British politics. It is a unique window into a rarely seen world. Most importantly, it sets out what politics is about, and why it matters.
This Is Russia: Life in the KHL—Doctors, Bazas and Millions of Air Miles
Bernd Brückler - 2013
In his memoir, he tells us what it's like to be an import player in Russia, and the challenges he faced with the language, the culture, and the game.He tells stories about life at the "baza," a training base, and how they'd have to spend big parts of the season away from their families. (Unless they sneak out). His driver was also his buddy and a bodyguard. There's the travel, with hours upon hours on planes that are often antiquated, and there are the teammates, the doctors, the pills, the training camps, the saunas, and the money, oh, the money."What an awesome book. If you're a hockey fan, you will love it."—Thomas Vanek, New York Islanders"This is Russia... offers a fascinating first-person look at life in the KHL for a foreigner."—Chris Johnston, Sportsnet, Canada"It's been a long time since I have thoroughly enjoyed a book so much."—Michael Lorber, sports journalist, Kleine Zeitung, Austria
Bike Fit: Optimise Your Bike Position for High Performance and Injury Avoidance
Phil Burt - 2014
Do you suffer from lower back pain after a long weekend ride? Do your shoes wear out on one side more than the other? Are you experiencing numbness in your hands, or knee pain? Phil Burt, Head Physiotherapist at British Cycling and Team Sky Consultant Physiotherapist, has worked with hundreds of cyclists to help them solve these and many other classic cycling niggles. In this book he outlines his methods to help you analyse your position and get the best from your bike. The right BIKE FIT can mean the difference between a good ride and a bad one, but a professional fit can cost more than you paid for your bike. The information is all here. Let Phil Burt guide you through your own BIKE FIT, to ensure your bike and body work in harmony. Packed with useful diagrams, step by step diagnostics and case studies, this is the must-read for any cyclist keen to get a performance advantage.
Adventures on 'The Way': 1100 miles on the Camino de Santiago
Graeme Harvey - 2018
Nominated for running book of the year in The Running Awards 2019.
As Good as Gold: 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics
Kathryn Bertine - 2010
Except with real athletic ability. And he’s a woman. And she’s taken on a challenge that makes Paper Lion look like a brisk game of Go Fish. Meet Kathryn Bertine, elite triathlete, former professional figure skater, and starving artist. Just as her personal and professional dreams begin to crumble in the summer of 2006, ESPN stakes her to a dream: Take two years to make the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. As Good As Gold is the heroic, hilarious account of Bertine’s serial exertions in the realms of triathlon, modern pentathlon, team handball, track cycling, road cycling, rowing, open water swimming, racewalking, and—fasten your seatbelts—luge. On her journey, the obstacles range from jet lag to jellyfish, flat tires to floundering relationships, repeated rejection to road rash. But, as time is running out, Bertine doesn’t sweat the small stuff, only the large—like scouring the globe for a tiny nation to adopt her, and pushing her body and mind as far as it will go. Maybe all the way to China. Between harrowing, often laugh-out-loud episodes of triumph and humiliation, Bertine takes short “Water Breaks” to contemplate the ins-and-outs of fan mail, failure, rehydration, nasal reconstruction, and how best to punish steroid users. Kathryn Bertine swims, runs, and rides—and writes—like a champion. In As Good as Gold, Bertine proves she has something more valuable than an Olympic medal. She’s got Olympic mettle. When it comes to the human heart, she takes the gold.
Once a Runner
John L. Parker Jr. - 1978
It has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever written. Originally self-published in 1978 and sold at road races out of the trunk of the author’s car, reading the book became a rite of passage for many runners, and tattered copies were handed down like sacred texts from generation to generation.Once a Runner is the story of Quenton Cassidy, a collegiate runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the political and cultural turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team.Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life: a head-to-head match with the greatest miler in history.This audiobook is a rare insider’s account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners; an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one man’s quest to become a champion.
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- And How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!
Dean Karnazes - 2008
It tells of Karnazes challenge to run 50 marathons in 50 days. The book is also packed with the author's secrets including what to do when you hit a wall, how to adapt quickly to drastic terrain, and much more.
Open Water Survival Manual: An Expert Guide for Seasoned Open Water Swimmers, Triathletes and Novices
Lynne Cox - 2013
The Longest Race: A Lifelong Runner, an Iconic Ultramarathon, and the Case for Human Endurance
Ed Ayres - 2012
Ed Ayres exemplifies the latter; having run in over 600 races across fifty-five years, he is arguably the most experienced American distance runner still competing today. A book no one else could have written, The Longest Race is his urgent exploration of the connection between individual endurance and a sustainable society.The Longest Race begins at the starting line of the 2001 JFK 50 Mile—the nation’s oldest and largest ultramarathon and, like other such races, an epic test of human limits and aspiration. At age sixty, his sights set on breaking the age-division record, Ayres embarks on a course over the rocky ridge of the Appalachian Trail, along the headwind-buffeted towpath of the Potomac River, and past momentous Civil War sites such as Harpers Ferry and Antietam.But even as Ayres focuses on concerns familiar to every endurance runner—starting strong and setting the right pace, the art of breathing, overcoming fatigue, mindfulness for the course ahead—he finds himself as preoccupied with the future of our planet as with the finish line of this 50-mile race.A veteran journalist and environmental editor who harbors deep anxiety about our longterm prospects, Ayres helps us to understand how the skills and mindset necessary to complete an ultramarathon are also essential for grappling anew with the imperative to endure—not only as individuals, but as a society—and not just for 50 miles, but in the longest race we are all called upon to run.
Why Running Matters: Lessons in Life, Pain and Exhilaration – From 5K to the Marathon
Ian Mortimer - 2019
You might run for speed. But ultimately, running is about much more than the physical act itself. It is about the challenges we face in life, and how we measure up to them. It is about companionship, endurance, ambition, hope, conviction, determination, self-respect and inspiration. It is about how we choose to live our lives, and what it means to share our values with other people. In this year-long memoir, which might be described as a historian’s take on Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, the celebrated historian Ian Mortimer considers the meaning of running as he approaches his fiftieth birthday. From injuries and frustrated ambitions to exhilaration and empathy, it is a personal and yet universal account of what running means to people, and how it helps everyone focus on what really matters.
NXT: The Future Is Now
Jon Robinson - 2017
For decades, sports-entertainment had no centralized system for recruiting and training talent. Recognizing this need, Paul Levesque — better known as 14-time World Champion Triple H — convinced Vince McMahon that WWE must reinvent itself. This book delivers the revealing story of Levesque’s vision and the revolutionary impact it has already had on the WWE landscape, cultivating such world-renowned stars as Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Charlotte, Finn Bálor, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, and so many more.Learn about WWE’s groundbreaking approach to talent development and take a look inside the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center as exciting performers hone their wrestling skills, characters, personalities, and so much more under Triple H’s watchful eye. With new, insightful interviews from Triple H, NXT trainers, Superstars, and other personalities, discover how WWE’s future is now!
ER DOC: Defining Moments of a Career in Emergency Medicine
Reggie Duling - 2021
Duck Dynasty: Faith and Togetherness
Linda McClintock - 2013
Why so many people keep watching Duck Dynasty is because of something unique in the contemporary smorgasbord of contemporary television - the actual presence of real values. These people are salt of the earth folks who simply love each other and receive all of life as a gift. They also love God in a naturally supernatural way which is communicated without the necessity of words. There are real, human, redemptive values on display in each episode as the family faces the raising of children, remaining faithful to their marriages and supporting one another in the rough and tumble of real life. In addition, in almost every episode, they end with the extended family sharing a meal which begins with a heartfelt and sincere prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. In this day and age where 'God' is a bad word to say, they embrace their faith and share it with the world. No wonder Duck Dynasty is one of the top shows on television today.