101 Simple Ways to be a Better Runner


Jason Fitzgerald - 2012
    This isn't just another running book.101 Simple Ways to be a Better Runner boils down the best training advice from the worlds of coaching and science to give you actionable strategies to become stronger, faster, and more resilient.It's divided into five main sections:- Workouts, Races, and Performance (like why you need randomness and heavy weights)- Running Gear (what's essential - and what's crap)- The Runner's Diet (small tweaks you can make today to get more from your food)- Recovery and Injury Prevention (how fast could you be if you rarely or never got hurt?)- Motivation and Random Training Tips (how most runners run longer in their races - and more)And that's just a glimpse of all 100+ lessons you'll learn (in less than 2 minutes each).Written by Jason Fitzgreald, a 2:39 marathoner and the creator of StrengthRunning.com, 101 Simple Ways to be a Better Runner is a practical, actionable guide to helping you reach your running goals. If you want to run a fast 5k, finish your first marathon, or just lose weight and stay in shape - this book is for you.You don't need the most expensive running gear or better genetics. You need simple training tweaks that give you "small wins" to keep you motivated.That's exactly what this book delivers.

The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess


Lou Schuler - 2005
    This book is for the woman whos ready to throw down the Barbie weights and start a strength and conditioning program that will give her the body she wants. Illustrated.

The Complete Book of Running


Jim Fixx - 1977
    Yep, it still sells.

Running & Being: The Total Experience


George Sheehan - 1978
    This New York Times bestseller written by the late runner, doctor, philosopher, Dr. George Sheehan is a timeless classic. It tells of Dr. Sheehan's midlife return to the world of exercise, play, and competition. Focusing on the importance of "play", Sheehan describes his program for fitness and joy, sharing with the reader how the body helps open up our mental and spiritual energies.

Runner's World The Runner's Brain: How to Think Smarter to Run Better


Jeff Brown - 2015
    What you think and feel on and off the road also has a huge influence over how you perform once you lace up.Runner's World The Runner's Brain shows you how to unlock and capture the miraculous potential of the body's most mysterious and intriguing organ and rewire your mind for a lifetime of athletic success. The book is based on cutting-edge brain science and sports psychology that author Dr. Jeff Brown uses every day in his private practice and as part of the medical team of several major road races including the Boston Marathon.Full of fascinating insights from runners of all abilities-including champion marathoner Meb Keflezighi and other greats-the book includes trustworthy information that's been proven to work both in the lab and on the road.

Confessions of an Unlikely Runner: A Guide to Racing and Obstacle Courses for the Averagely Fit and Halfway Dedicated


Dana L. Ayers - 2015
    Over the last ten years, Ayers has completed a vast array of races. She runs them all while admittedly not getting much faster, much thinner, or much more disciplined—though she has managed to be on national television, split open her pants, and get electrocuted. Ayers intersperses her hilarious yet relatable struggles with insights about how and why she keeps running.A self-proclaimed ambassador of slow runners, Ayers has completed dozens of endurance challenges, including Tough Mudder, the Ragnar Relay, Muddy Buddy, Warrior Dash, Run Amuck, the Army Ten-Miler, the Country Music Marathon, and many more mud runs, obstacles courses, and races. Her race descriptions will entertain seasoned runners and non-runners alike. Woven into the chaos of her running adventures is compassionate reassurance for anyone who feels like they aren’t fast enough, athletic enough, or strong enough to finish a tough race.Though told with humor, Confessions’ stories share an underlying theme of Ayers’ serious reverence for the sport of running and the running community. Ayers describes experiences such as participating in a 1,000-mile relay for Boston Marathon bombing victims, and being overcome by emotion while observing wounded veterans struggling to finish a race. Her stories prove how life-enriching it can be to physically fight for something and to cheer on others who are doing the same.For anyone who has considered trying a marathon, an obstacle race, or simply taking up running for the first time, Ayers is your ambassador. If she can do it, you can too.

Don't Stop Me Now: 26.2 Tales of a Runner’s Obsession


Vassos Alexander - 2016
    Part escape, part self-discovery, part therapy, part fitness. Part simple childlike joy of running when you could be walking.Vassos Alexander shares the highs and lows of falling in love with running, from his first paltry efforts to reach the end of his street to completing ultra marathons and triathlons in the same weekend. Each of the 26.2 chapters also features a fascinating insight into how others first started – from Paula Radcliffe to Steve Cram, the Brownlees to Jenson Button, Nicky Campbell to Nell McAndrew. Also includes a foreword by Chris Evans.Funny, inspiring, honest - the perfect read for anyone with well-worn trainers by the door (or thinking of buying a pair...)

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.

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.

Feed Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-the-Go Food for Athletes


Biju Thomas - 2013
    Allen Lim left the lab to work with professional cyclists, he found athletes weary of processed bars and gels and the same old pasta. So Lim joined professional chef Biju Thomas to make eating delicious and practical. When the menu changed, no one could argue with the race results. Their groundbreaking Feed Zone Cookbook brought the favorite recipes of the pros to everyday athletes. In their new cookbook Feed Zone Portables, Chef Biju and Dr. Lim offer 75 all-new portable food recipes for cyclists, runners, triathletes, mountain bikers, climbers, hikers, and backpackers. Each real food recipe is simple, delicious during exercise, easy to make—and ready to go on your next ride, run, climb, hike, road trip, or sporting event.Feed Zone Portables expands on the most popular features of The Feed Zone Cookbook with more quick and easy recipes for athletes, beautiful full-color photographs of every dish, complete nutrition data, tips on why these are the best foods for athletes, and time-saving ways on how to cook real food every day. In his introduction to Feed Zone Portables, Dr. Lim makes the case for real food as a more easily digestible, higher-performance source of energy than prepackaged fuel products. He shows how much athletes really need to eat and drink at different exercise intensities and in cold or hot weather. Because the body burns solid and liquid foods differently, Lim defines a new approach for athletes to drink for hydration and eat real food for energy.Feed Zone Portables includes • 75 all-new recipes that taste great during exercise: Rice Cakes, Two-Bite Pies, Griddle Cakes, Waffles, Baked Eggs, Sticky Bites, Rice Balls, Ride Sandwiches, Baked Cakes, and Cookies • A smart introduction on how real food works better for athletes • More than 50 no-fuss gluten-free recipes, including great-tasting cookies and cakes • More than 50 vegetarian recipes With the recipes, ideas, and guidance in Feed Zone Portables, athletes will nourish better performance with real food and learn to prepare their own creations at home or on the go.

Runner’s World Race Everything: How to Conquer Any Race at Any Distance in Any Environment and Have Fun Doing It


Bart Yasso - 2017
    Whatever race you choose, there is no one better to guide you on your journey than Bart Yasso, chief running officer at Runner’s World magazine. Over the past 40 years, Yasso has run more than 1,000 races, across all seven continents, at every conceivable distance, from local 5Ks to grueling ultramarathons and Ironman triathlons. He’s truly done it all, and in Race Everything, he shares the secrets of how he trained, the particularities of each course, and the specific insights he has gleaned to help you run your best no matter the distance.This book offers tried-and-true advice on how to train and what to do on race day to make the best use of your training. It provides everything you need to know to succeed at the most popular race distances, including general training principles, targeted training plans for beginners and experienced runners alike, and insider tips based on Yasso’s own experiences and those of other top runners he has known and run with. The goal is to inform and inspire runners eager to challenge themselves by tackling the world’s signature races. You will also learn Yasso’s methods for winning the greatest race of all, longevity, so that you can remain healthy, fit, and able to race for decades to come.Whether your goal is to complete a 5K or 10K race in your hometown or conquer the Antarctica Marathon, Runner's World Race Everything will be your guide.

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 First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer


Gretchen Reynolds - 2012
    With the latest findings about the mental and physical benefits of exercise, personal stories from scientists and laypeople alike, as well as researched-based prescriptions for readers, Gretchen Reynolds shows what kind of exercise—and how much—is necessary to stay healthy, get fit, and attain a smaller jeans size. Inspired by Reynolds's wildly popular “Phys Ed” column for The New York Times, this book explains how exercise affects the body in distinct ways and provides the tools readers need to achieve their fitness goals, whether that's a faster 5K or staying trim.

Jump Rope Training


Buddy Lee - 2003
    wrestling champion Buddy Lee presents his jump rope training system used by over 25 U.S. Olympic teams.Workouts for a variety of sport skill and fitness components are included, such as endurance, strength and power, speed, agility, and balance. This second edition also includes the latest on rehabilitation of sport injuries and optimizing body composition for athletic performance. And, to get you started immediately, Jump Rope Training presents sample sport-specific training programs for more than 40 sports.If you're ready to take your workouts to the next level, turn to the system that the world's top athletes have come to rely on. Jump Rope Training will not only change the way you train but also change how you feel, look, and perform. It's the proven approach to improving fitness and performance.

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.