Book picks similar to
Running Your First Ultra: Customizable Training Plans for Your First 50K to 100-mile Race by Krissy Moehl
running
non-fiction
sports
nonfiction
Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life
Brendan Brazier - 2008
As one of the few professional athletes on a plant-based diet, Brendan Brazier researched and developed this easy-to-follow program to enhance his performance as an elite endurance competitor.Brazier clearly describes the benefits of nutrient-rich foods in their natural state versus processed foods, and how to choose nutritionally efficient, stress-busting whole foods for maximum energy and health. Featuring a 12-week meal plan, over 100 allergen-free recipes with raw food options—including recipes for energy gels, sport drinks, and recovery foods—and a complementary exercise plan, The Thrive Diet is “an authoritative guide to outstanding performance” (Neal D. Barnard, M.D., Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine).
Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running
Rachel Toor - 2008
How such an unlikely athlete became a runner of ultramarathons is the story of Personal Record, an exhilarating meditation on the making, and the minutiae, of a runner’s life. The food, the clothes, the races, the injuries, the watch (and Toor loves her watch) are all essential to the runner, as readers discover here, and discover why. A chronicle of Toor’s relationship with the sport of running, from her early incarnation as an Oreo-eating couch potato to her emergence as a hard-bodied marathoner, this book explores the sport of running, the community it brings into being, and the personal satisfaction of pursuing it to its limit. Alternating with Toor’s account of becoming a runner are the stories—meditations, examinations, celebrations—of how runners become a pack. An homage to running, a literary take on how an activity can turn into a passion, and how a passion can become a way of life, this book runs all the way from individual achievement—a personal record—to the world of friendship and belonging, the community that runners inevitably find.
The Competitive Runner's Handbook
Bob Glover - 1983
From the official training program for the New York City Marathon to specific training programs for all levels of runners. Sections on how to prepare your own training schedules make this the definitive guide to training to compete as a runner.
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised
Arnold Schwarzenegger - 1985
Plus, all the features that have made this book a classic are here: -Arnold's tried-and-true tips for sculpting, strengthening, and defining each and every muscle to create the ultimate buff physique -The most effective methods of strength training to stilt your needs, whether you're an amateur athlete or a pro bodybuilder preparing for a competition -Comprehensive information on health, nutrition, and dietary supplements to help you build muscle, lose fat, and maintain optimum energy -Expert advice on the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries -Strategies and tactics for competitive bodybuilders from selecting poses to handling publicity -The fascinating history and growth of bodybuilding as a sport, with a photographic “Bodybuilding Hall of Fame” -And, of course, Arnold's individual brand of inspiration and motivation throughout Covering every level of expertise and experience, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding will help you achieve your personal best. With his unique perspective as a seven-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title and all international film star, Arnold shares his secrets to dedication, training, and commitment, and shows you how to take control of your body and realize your own potential for greatness.
What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength
Scott Carney - 2017
Our ancestors crossed the Alps in animal skins and colonized the New World in loin cloths. They evaded predators and built civilizations with just their raw brainpower and inner grit. But things have changed and now comfort is king. Today we live in the thrall of constant climate control and exercise only when our office schedules permit. The technologies that we use to make us comfortable are so all-encompassing that they sever the biological link to a changing environment. Now we hate the cold and the heat. We suffer from autoimmune diseases. And many of us are chronically overweight. Most of us don't even realize that natural variation—sweating and shivering—is actually good for us. What Doesn't Kill Us uncovers how just about anyone can reclaim a measure of our species' evolutionary strength by tapping into the things that feel uncomfortable. When we slightly reimagine how our body fits into the world, we can condition ourselves to find resilience in unfamiliar environments. The feeling that something is missing from our daily routines is growing and has spawned a movement. Every year, millions of people forgo traditional gyms and push the limits of human endurance by doing boot camp style workouts in raw conditions. These extreme athletes train in CrossFit boxes, compete in Tough Mudders and challenge themselves in Spartan races. They are connecting with their environment and, whether they realize it or not, are changing their bodies. No one exemplifies this better than Dutch fitness guru Wim Hof, whose remarkable ability to control his body temperature in extreme cold has sparked a whirlwind of scientific study. Because of him, scientists in the United States and Europe are just beginning to understand how cold adaptation might help combat autoimmune diseases and chronic pains and, in some cases, even reverse diabetes. Award winning investigative journalist, Scott Carney dives into the fundamental philosophy at the root of this movement in three interlocking narratives. His own journey culminates in a record bending 28-hour climb up to the snowy peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro wearing nothing but a pair of running shorts and sneakers.
My Best Race
Chris Cooper - 2013
But whether they are twenty-mile-a-day elite marathoners or twenty-mile-a-week recreational runners, each of them can invariably point to a singular performance as “the best race I ever ran.”MY BEST RACE is a collection of those singular performances. In this inspirational collection, fifty runners, from Olympians and World Champions, to courageous disabled athletes and middle-of-the-packers, share their personal accounts of what they consider the best race they ever ran...and why.Contributors include:Jeff Galloway: A top marathoner sacrifices his place on the Olympic marathon team by pacing his friend to the third and final qualifying spot at the Olympic Trials. Trisha Meili: The woman once known only as “The Central Park Jogger” crosses the finish line in the race she founded to benefit disabled athletes, fourteen years after being left for dead from a brutal attack that gripped the nation. Ed Eyestone: The unheralded runner comes out of nowhere to beat a previously undefeated state champion in a high school cross-country race, giving him the confidence to eventually become a four-time NCAA champion and two-time Olympian. Kathrine Switzer: The woman they tried to physically remove from the male-only Boston Marathon in 1967 had no one but herself to blame forty-three years later as she struggled through the 2,500th anniversary of the original marathon in Greece.Through interviews with the author, fifty runners recount their inspiring races and personal achievements with excitement, laughter, and sometimes tears.
My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon
Bart Yasso - 2008
With insight and humor, My Life on the Run chronicles the heatstroke and frostbite, heartache and triumphs he’s experienced while competing in more than 1,000 competitive races during his nearly 30 years with Runner’s World magazine.
Yasso gives valuable and practical advice on how to become a runner for life and continually draw joy from the sport. He also offers practical guidance for beginners, intermediate, and advanced runners, such as 5-K, half-marathon, and marathon training schedules including his innovative technique known as the Yasso 800s.
Recounting his adventures in exotic locales like Antarctica, Africa, and Chitwan National Park in Nepal (where he was chased by an angry rhino), Yasso recommends the best exotic marathons for runners who want to grab their passports to test themselves on foreign terrain. With the wit and wisdom of a seasoned insider, he tells runners what they need to know to navigate the logistics of running in an unfamiliar country.
Yasso’s message is this: Never limit where running can take you because each race has the potential for adventure.
To Be a Runner: How Racing Up Mountains, Running with the Bulls, or Just Taking On a 5-K Makes You a Better Person (and the World a Better Place)
Martin Dugard - 2011
With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, instruction, and humor, bestselling author and lifelong runner Martin Dugard takes a journey through the world of running to illustrate how the sport helps us fulfill that universal desire to be the best possible version of ourselves each and every time we lace up our shoes. To Be a Runner represents a new way to write about running by bridging the chasm between the two categories of running books: how-to and personal narrative. Spinning colorful stories of his running and racing adventures on six continents, Dugard considers what it means to truly integrate running into one's life. As entertaining as it is provocative, To Be a Runner is about far more than running: It is about life, and how we should live it..
Never Wipe Your Ass with a Squirrel: A Trail and Ultramarathon Running Guide for Weird Folks
Jason Robillard - 2013
Includes A LOT of rather obscure tips, so even expert runners will find something useful. This is the table of contents: Introduction Why DO people run trails? What is a trail? Technical versus nontechnical trails How does trail running compare to other activities? Trail etiquette Trailcraft Elements of good running form Run efficiently Difference between road running gait and trail running gait Uphill technique Downhill technique Pooping What to drink Food Food before a run Food during a run Gear Shoes Carrying water Know where to find water Cell phones Personal location beacons Personal protection Flashlights and headlamps Familiarity with Local Weather Patterns Check the weather forecast Natural weather predictors What to do in a severe thunderstorm Stretching and rolling Learning to fall Prepare for trouble First aid kit Why you should run ultras The different race options Choosing your first ultramarathon Elevation profiles How much do ultramarathons cost? What about fatass races? The difference between road and trail ultras Taking the leap and signing up for your first ultra Learn all you can about the race Finding the time to train for ultras Balancing life commitments Is there such thing as a perfect career for ultramarathons? Picking a race Learning about the race Give me a training plan! How do I choose a training plan? Using heart rate as a training tool Do I have to follow the plan religiously? Listening to your body Overtraining Training partners Training run conversations How to get rid of that annoying training partner The art of experimentation Speedwork Fartleks Hill repeats The long run Crosstraining Course specificity training Periodization Losing weight for race day Race etiquette Runner personalities Race strategy Run/walk strategy So how do you get faster? Walking technique? Speeding up strategy Fasting while training Gluttony training Thermoregulation Electrolytes Chafing Shave the junk or rock the ‘fro? Foot care Popping blisters Running with dogs Training in various bodily states Night running Sleep deprivation training Learning when shit’s about to go bad Racing as training Coaching and ultramarathons Does body type matter Pacers Crew Some additional ultrarunning tips About us
I Run, Therefore I Am--Nuts!
Bob Schwartz - 2001
Whether you fall in the middle of the pack, up near the front of the pack, or so far from any semblance of a pack that you're wondering if everyone went home already, you'll find plenty to laugh about in this book.I Run, Therefore I Am--Nuts! is a comical examination of events that are near and dear to every runner's well-conditioned heart. As the Dave Barry of running, popular running humorist Bob Schwartz pokes fun at the idiosyncratic personalities of runners and the funny situations they encounter in training, eating, racing, preparing for races, and revolving their everyday lives around running.I Run, Therefore I Am--Nuts! brings out the humor in situations that every type of runner can relate to:- The intricate art of drinking on the run from paper cups- Trying to reacquaint fingers to toes after years of tight hamstrings - Hitting the wall- Having your heart flutter with the newest cushioned training shoe- Discovering cross-training contraptions designed to strengthen your gluteus to its maximus- Getting excited about the latest flavor of energy gel on the marketAs any runner with tight hamstrings and a funny bone would, you'll laugh your way through these and many other amusing stories illustrated with cartoons by artist B.K. Taylor, whose drawings have appeared in many national publications, including Mad Magazine and National Lampoon.Author Bob Schwartz is America's funniest running writer. An avid, slightly over-the-top runner himself, he has completed countless marathons (but laments that excessive glycogen depletion at the finish prevents him from fully remembering each one) as well as all race distances from the 200 Meter Kids Snowman Shuffle (where he finished second after edging out a four-year-old at the finish line) to an ultramarathon of 50 miles (a feat he has no intention of repeating). In addition to his weekly syndicated newspaper column, he has had hundreds of humorous essays published in national and regional publications, including Runner's World, FootNotes, and Fitness Runner.For anyone who loves the aromatic smell of perspiration, who enjoys the exhilaration of exhaustion, who drinks solely from squirt bottles, or whose wardrobe is filled with reflective clothing--this book is for you.
I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion
Brendan Leonard - 2021
He hates it so much that he once logged fifty-two marathon-length runs in fifty-two weeks. Now he’s sharing everything he’s learned about the sport so that you can hate it too. Packed with wisdom, humor, attitude, tips, and quotes—and more than sixty illuminating charts—I Hate Running and You Can Too delivers a powerful message of motivation from a truly relatable mentor. Leonard nails the love-hate relationship most runners have with the sport. He knows the difficulty of getting off the couch, teaches us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, embraces the mix of running with walking. And he shares all that he’s learned—celebrating the mantra of “Easy, light, smooth, and fast,” observing that any body that runs is a runner’s body. Plus Leonard knows all the practical stuff, from training methods to advice for when you hit a setback or get injured. Even the answer to that big question a lot of runners occasionally ask: Why? Easy: Running helps us understand commitment, develop patience, discover self-discipline, find mental toughness, and prove to ourselves that we can do something demanding. And, of course, burn off that extra serving of nachos.
Running Away: A Memoir
Robert Andrew Powell - 2014
Long distance runners understand where those tears come from, even if there are others who will never understand what drives someone to run 26.2 consecutive miles in a grueling mental and physical test. Powell’s emotional reaction to completing the race wasn’t just about the run, though. It was also about the joy and relief of coming back up after hitting rock bottom. Running Away is the story of how one decision can alter the course of a life. Knocked down by a painful divorce and inspired by his father, Powell decided to change his mindset and circumstances. He moved to Boulder and began running in earnest for the first time in his life. Over the 26.2 chapters that follow, Powell grapples with his past relationships, gaining insight and hard-won discipline that give him hope for the future.
Running to the Top
Arthur Lydiard - 1962
His description of a systematic, detailed training programme for beginners and top-runners is based on a clear defined conception of fitness. Beneath detailed schedules for training, the book includes tips concerning equipment, kit, nutrition, prevention of injury, therapy and the relationship between the coach and the athlete.
Barefoot Running and Minimalism: Everything You Need to Know to Make the Healthy Transition to Minimalism and Barefoot Running (Runner's World Essential Guides)
Scott Douglas - 2011
By introducing a thick layer of cushioning and an elevated heel between the foot and the ground, modern running shoes alter natural running form. But modern running shoes alter form in ways that lead to injury. Therefore, getting back to a more natural running gait by running in little-to-no shoe will lead to improved form, which should lower injury rates.A key reason to run barefoot or in minimalist shoes is to allow your feet to work more naturally, free from the confines and controls of overly engineered running shoes. Unfortunately, too many runners, eager to run more naturally, have gone too far, too fast, from one extreme to the other. The realities of modern life have weakened our feet, ankles, and lower legs, and our bodies have adapted to the shoes we have worn for most of our lives; if we suddenly start running in little-to-no shoe, our bodies are not prepared for the new stresses.Runner's World Essential Guides: Barefoot Running and Minimalism provides historical context, thoughts, advice, and tips on making a healthy transition. The foremost authorities on running on the planet show you how to ease into a transition from conventional running shoes to barefoot running or minimalist shoes, starting with some simple at-home tests to see if your feet already have the strength they need to handle little-to-no shoe. You’ll learn a step-by-step process for safely moving away from doing all your running in big, bulky shoes, including guidelines on how to introduce barefoot running into your regimen.Whether you want to learn more about the barefoot craze that’s swept the nation or you want to introduce barefoot running into your training plan, this indispensable guide contains everything you need to get started!
The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances
Matthew Inman - 2014
Mr. Inman's explanation is the best I've ever seen. And the funniest. Because he is clinically insane."-Mark Remy, editor at large, Runner's World, author of The Runner's Rule Book"He runs. He sweats. He heaves. He hates it. He loves it. He runs so hard his toenails fall off. He asks himself, why? Why do I do this? Here, gorgeously, bravely, hilariously, is Matt's deeply honest answer."-Robert Krulwich, NPR"Finally! A voice that sings with the Blerches of angels!"-Christopher McDougall, author of Born to RunThis is not just a book about running. It's a book about cupcakes. It's a book about suffering.It's a book about gluttony, vanity, bliss, electrical storms, ranch dressing, and Godzilla. It's a book about all the terrible and wonderful reasons we wake up each day and propel our bodies through rain, shine, heaven, and hell.From #1 New York Times best-selling author, Matthew Inman, AKA The Oatmeal, comes this hilarious, beautiful, poignant collection of comics and stories about running, eating, and one cartoonist's reasons for jogging across mountains until his toenails fall off.Containing over 70 pages of never-before-seen material, including "A Lazy Cartoonist's Guide to Becoming a Runner" and "The Blerch's Guide to Dieting," this book also comes with Blerch race stickers.