A Life Without Limits: A World Champion's Journey


Chrissie Wellington - 2012
    As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, and the trails of Argentina, and first across the finish line.Wellington's first-hand, inspiring story includes all the incredible challenges she has faced--from anorexia to near--drowning to training with a controversial coach. But to Wellington, the drama of the sports also presents an opportunity to use sports to improve people's lives.A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS reveals the heart behind Wellington's success, along with the diet, training and motivational techniques that keep her going through one of the world's most grueling events.

Run Your Butt Off!: A Breakthrough Plan to Shed Pounds and Start Running (No Experience Necessary!)


Sarah Lorge Butler - 2011
    The Run Your Butt Off! program is founded on the simple concept that in order to lose weight, calories burned must exceed calories consumed. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no silver bullets can circumvent that reality. With this program, you'll learn to burn fat from both sides of the weight-loss equation—the calories in and the calories out—at the same time. Run Your Butt Off! by Sarah Lorge Butler with Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, and Budd Coates, MS will make you fitter, stronger, and leaner.

Kara Goucher's Running for Women: From First Steps to Marathons


Kara Goucher - 2011
    Whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner. She’ll teach you how to:• Get started with the right gear,• Build a successful support team,• Find the right training program for you,• Overcome psychological setbacks,• Balance running with family and work,• And much more!Designed to fit your busy lifestyle, Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is packed with quick tips, pearls of running wisdom, and sample training schedules and nutrition plans, as well as sections dedicated to running during and after pregnancy, managing the special challenges of the female athlete’s body, and maintaining a balance between sporting and family life. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women is the ultimate guide for women who want to train for the gold or simply discover their personal best.

The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training


Dawn Dais - 2006
    Dawn Dais makes it a little more bearable--and a lot more funDawn Dais hated running. And it didn't like her much, either. Her fitness routine consisted of avoiding the stairs in her own house, because who really has the energy to climb stairs? It was with this exercise philosophy firmly in place that she set off to complete a marathon. The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women is the ideal training manual for women who don't believe that running is their biological destiny but who dream of crossing the finish line nonetheless. Nonrunners offers a realistic training schedule and is chock-full of how-to's and funny observations, which she felt were lacking in the guides she had consulted. She also integrates entries from her journal, sharing everything would-be marathoners need to know about the gear, the blisters, the early morning workouts, the late-night carb binges, and most important of all, the amazing rewards. Running may not seem like a friendly endeavor, but with Dawn Dais, you can tame the beast and hit the marathon trail.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do


Bruce Lee - 1975
    His doctors ordered him to discontinue the practice of martial arts and to remain in bed to allow his back heal. This was probably the most trying and dispiriting time in Bruce's life. He stayed in bed, virtually flat on his back for six months, but he couldn't keep his mind from working - the result of which is this book." Linda Lee "Jeet Kune Do, you see, has no definite lines or boundaries - only those you make yourself." Gilbert L Johnson

Ready to Run: Unlocking Your Potential to Run Naturally


Kelly Starrett - 2014
    Kelly Starrett, author of the bestseller Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance, has focused his revolutionary movement and mobility philosophy on the injury-plagued world of running.Despite the promises of the growing minimalist-shoe industry and a rush of new ideas on how to transform running technique, more than three out of four runners suffer at least one injury per year. Although we may indeed be “Born to Run,” life in the modern world has trashed and undercut dedicated runners wishing to transform their running. The harsh effects of too much sitting and too much time wearing the wrong shoes has left us shackled to lower back problems, chronic knee injuries, and debilitating foot pain.In this book, you will learn the 12 standards that will prepare your body for a lifetime of top-performance running. You won’t just be prepared to run in a minimalist shoe–you’ll be Ready to Run, period.In Ready to Run, you will learn:• The 12 performance standards you must work toward and develop on an ongoing basis.• How to tap into all of your running potential and access a fountain of youth for lifelong running.• How to turn your weaknesses into strengths.• How to prevent chronic overuse injuries by building powerful injury-prevention habits into your day.• How to prepare your body for the demands of changing your running shoes and running technique.• How to treat pain and swelling with cutting-edge modalities and accelerate your recovery.• How to equip your home mobility gym.• A set of mobility exercises for restoring optimal function and range of motion to your joints and tissues.• How to run faster, run farther, and run better.

26 Marathons: What I Learned about Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career


Meb Keflezighi - 2019
    When Meb Keflezighi ran his final marathon in New York City on November 5, 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distance-running career. As the first person in history to win both the Boston and New York City marathons as well as an Olympic marathon medal, Meb’s legacy is forever cemented. Meb's last marathon was also his 26th, and each of those marathons has come with its own unique challenges, rewards, and outcomes. In 26 Marathons, take on those legendary races alongside Meb—every hill, bend, and unexpected turn of events that made each marathon an exceptional learning experience, and a fascinating story. 26 Marathons offers the wisdom Meb has gleaned about life, family, identity, and faith in addition to tips about running, training, and nutrition. He shows runners of all levels how to apply the lessons he's learned to their own running and lives. Equal parts inspiration and practical advice, 26 Marathons provides an inside look at the life and success of one of the greatest runners living today.

Yoga Fitness for Men: Build Strength, Improve Performance, and Increase Flexibility


Dean Pohlman - 2018
    With more than 25 yoga routines and over 50 key postures, you'll discover how yoga can make you stronger, fitter, and more flexible. Professional athletes are making yoga a regular part of their fitness routines, and GQ, HuffPost, and Men's Health have all advocated yoga for men. Flexibility is one of the most important yet overlooked elements of fitness, and stretching has been proven to help you improve your gains in the gym, prevent and relieve injuries, and help you beat your competition on the field. If your muscles are tight, they won't let your body move as it should. Yoga increases flexibility, building a bigger range of motion and allowing you to work more muscle fibers with every movement.With straightforward language and easy-to-follow steps, Yoga Fitness for Men will teach you how to execute the key yoga postures you need for greater endurance, flexibility, balance, and strength--no chanting required. It also includes yoga routines and programs tailored to help you meet specific performance and health goals, such as increased core strength and back pain relief. You'll find that incorporating yoga into your training will help you get stronger, play harder, and feel better.

Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health & Life


Ben Greenfield - 2014
    Whether you're an extreme exercise enthusiast or you're just looking to shed a few pounds, this is the last book on training, endurance, health, and life you will ever need.In this book you will learn:• The 2 best ways to build fitness fast without destroying your body• Underground training tactics for maximizing workout efficiency• The best biohacks for enhancing mental performance and entering the zone• How to know with laserlike accuracy whether your body has truly recovered• 26 ways to recover quickly from workouts, injuries, and overtraining• The 25 most important blood and saliva biomarkers and how to test them• 5 essential elements of training that most athletes neglect• 7 stress-fighting weapons to make your mind-body connection bulletproof• Proven systems to enhance sleep, eliminate insomnia, and conquer jet lag• 40 high-calorie, nutrient-dense meals that won't destroy your metabolism• Easy tools for customizing your carbs, proteins, and fats for your unique body• 9 ways to fix a broken gut, detox your body, and create a toxin-free life• A complete system to safeguard your immune system and stomach• Simple time-efficiency tips for balancing training, work, travel, and family

Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself


Rich Roll - 2012
    Nearly fifty pounds overweight and unable to climb the stairs without stopping, he could see where his current sedentary life was taking him—and he woke up. Plunging into a new routine that prioritized a plant-based lifestyle and daily training, Rich morphed—in a matter of mere months—from out of shape, mid-life couch potato to endurance machine. Finding Ultra recounts Rich’s remarkable journey to the starting line of the elite Ultraman competition, which pits the world’s fittest humans in a 320-mile ordeal of swimming, biking, and running. And following that test, Rich conquered an even greater one: the EPIC5—five Ironman-distance triathlons, each on a different Hawaiian island, all completed in less than a week. In the years since Finding Ultra was published, Rich has become one of the world’s most recognized advocates of plant-based living. In this newly revised and updated edition, he shares the practices, tools, and techniques he uses for optimal performance, longevity, and wellness, including diet and nutrition protocols. Rich reflects on the steps he took to shift his mindset and leverage deep reservoirs of untapped potential to achieve success beyond his wildest imagination, urging each of us to embark on our own journey of self-discovery.

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.

Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run: From Common Man to Ironman


Andy Holgate - 2011
    Andy isn't a sporting superstar, he holds down a 9-5 job and all the pressures that go with it; he isn't blessed with speed and talent; there are no multi-million pound sponsorship deals; yet this remarkable "common man" is inspiring in a way that some of today's sporting superstars have forgotten how to be. You wouldn't recognize Andy in the street, yet his story provides valuable lessons to us all: "Never give up" and "Anything is possible." Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run follows Andy Holgate's epic journey from being an overweight librarian to an Ironman triathlete. Before he could even begin the rollercoaster ride which amassed more punctures than Andy cares to remember, this would-be Superman had first to buy a second-hand bike and take swimming lessons. Along the way, he ended up in hospital, dealt with family crises, encountered crocodiles and deadly amoebas, and persuaded his friends that doing an Ironman event is what normal people do on their stag weekend. This is the inspirational, amusing and moving story of how one normal bloke learnt how to fall off a bike and not injure himself, to run a marathon despite two dodgy knees, and most importantly how not to drown.

Run for Your Life: How to Run, Walk, and Move Without Pain or Injury and Achieve a Sense of Well-Being and Joy


Mark Cucuzzella - 2018
    Mark Cucuzzella explains the simple mechanics of how our bodies have evolved and adapted to run. Despite our natural ability and our human need to run, each year more than half of all runners suffer injuries. Pain and discouragement inevitably follow. Cucuzzella's book outlines the proven, practical techniques to avoid injury and reach the goal of personal fitness and overall health.      His book--the first running book to be written by a professor of medicine with the credibility of the Air Force behind him--gives us a straightforward, easy-to-follow look at the anatomy, biomechanics, nutrition, and/or clinical medicine with clear drawings and black-and-white photographs. The book provides illustrated exercises designed to teach healthy running, along with simple progressions, a weekly/monthly schedule detailing common mistakes, and cautions that allow the reader to tailor the training regime to individual needs and abilities. With an annotated list of videos and other innovative, book-Internet links.     The proceeds from RUN FOR YOUR LIFE will go to support Mark Cucuzzella's community work through his non-profit organization, Eastern Area Health Education Center/Freedoms Run.

The Paleo Diet for Athletes: A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance


Loren Cordain - 2005
    Jennie Brand-Miller, coauthor of the bestselling Glucose Revolution, called it "without a doubt the most nutritious diet on the planet." Doctors Michael and Mary Dan Eades, authors of Protein Power, said, "We can't recommend The Paleo Diet highly enough."Now Dr. Cordain joins with USA triathlon and cycling elite coach Joe Friel to adapt the Paleo Diet to the needs of athletes. The authors show:o Why the typical athletic diet (top-heavy with grains, starches, and refined sugars) is detrimental to recovery, performance, and healtho How the glycemic load and acid-base balance impact performanceo Why consumption of starches and simple sugars is only beneficial in the immediate post-exercise periodAt every level of competition, The Paleo Diet for Athletes can maximize performance in a range of endurance sports.

Why We Run: A Natural History


Bernd Heinrich - 2002
    At once lyrical and scientific, Why We Run shows Heinrich's signature blend of biology, anthropology, psychology, and philosophy, infused with his passion to discover how and why we can achieve superhuman abilities.