Pete McGill, Building Your Running Body is a Great Book

I agree - there isn't anything groundbreaking in it, but it is very thorough, covers a wide variety of topics, and the chapters are well organized. It also addresses lots of little side-topics and has a good blend of science-y and practical.

Definitely a good addition to any running bookshelf.

Thanks Shawn H and coach b money! My original concept wasn't to provide a book that was groundbreaking, as you noted coach b, but rather to create a book that explains to all runners what's going on in our bodies when we do different types of training--as well as to deal with facets of training like recovery, fueling, injury prevention, etc. Oh, and to do it with lots of photos, lol! And lots of fun sidebars and tables, so that you can just skim if you want, just find things that interest you.

Seriously, my experience as a coach and athlete in this sport for four decades isn't that runners fail to achieve their potential because they're missing that one groundbreaking workout that will put them over the hump; it's that they fail to achieve their potential because they don't know how to put the training they're familiar with to proper use. It's because they get into counterproductive arguments about whether "volume" or "intensity" (mileage versus speed/pace) is more important, instead of figuring out how to use both to their advantage. And how to incorporate a variety of different types of workouts to best build whole-body running fitness.

The truth is that the vast majority of us runners can get a LOT better by following simple training programs governed by simple principles. BUT getting us to do that can be a VERY complicated process. Double lol!

It's funny, but my favorite two parts of the book personally were the ones that most readers will probably take for granted. I love the injury-prevention table at the end, which lists 40 common injuries and exercises to help prevent them (with page numbers for the photo-instruction for the exercises); that table represents 4 decades of getting just about every injury in the book, suffering some of them for years, and finally discovering exercise options that helped (although, fear not, I had a couple physical therapists with athletic backgrounds go through them before publishing), like the towel toe curls and big toe taps for plantar fasciitis, or downhill running for quad soreness, or heel dips for Achilles tendinosis. And the second part I liked was the layman's glossary at the end, with simple definitions for all the science-y words in the book and for concepts/words that we runners think we all know but really sometimes don't. I've always hated reading running books, getting introduced to a word early, then running across it later in the book, but having forgotten what it meant! ;-)

Okay, enough of the shameless self-promotion.

Look, I hope the book works for a lot of runners out there. And I know that some people--many runners on this board probably--will find fault with it for a number of reasons, too. As a writer, you have to accept that there will be negative feedback: that some people simply won't like what you've created, some of them very vocally. But the finished product represents two years of my life. And while I'm very glad it's over, I'm also very glad I did it.

If you're interested, you can also see a summary of the book and have a choice of links to 6 online vendors (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) by using this link to my own site:

http://www.petemagill.com/book/

It's also probably available in your local bookstore, assuming you still have a local bookstore. ;-)

I got the Kindle version, which is great because I envision the paper copy as massive due to the massive amount of information contained in the book. And the photos are great indeed, especially all those nice female runner legs! Pete, where were you back in the mid- to late-70s when I was a high school runner? I would have devoured this book as I did James Fixx's "The Complete Book of Running." (I'm using quotation marks around the title because I see no option for italicizing or underlining text.) I would definitely recommend this book for older, life-long runners like myself, or a high school freshman just starting out. As a high school/college runner, I made so many mistakes in my training, and I was prone to injury. I bought your book solely because you had the guts to come on LetsRun.com and put your creation out there among an often immature and overly critical forum audience, and because I liked your personality as I judged it from your written words. Pete, if I could have had the knowledge imparted in your book alone, it would have made a huge difference. It truly IS a "complete book of running." Thanks again.

I got this book as a gift. The section about mitochondria was interesting. I knew their role but the text helps me understand why I felt tired at certain points in my training and like a million bucks at others. The book also has many tables for comparison. Informative.

I also have Steve magness' recent book. One section that confuses me is about refueling on long runs. Socalpete says doing so will stave off the neeed for the body to use proteins as a fuel source and therefore you recover better for your next run. Steve magness says that not refueling might help your body adapt better. So which is it? Should I be refueling (glucose) on long runs or let my body adapt to low-glycogen stress?

inwyo. wrote:

I also have Steve magness' recent book. One section that confuses me is about refueling on long runs. Socalpete says doing so will stave off the neeed for the body to use proteins as a fuel source and therefore you recover better for your next run. Steve magness says that not refueling might help your body adapt better. So which is it? Should I be refueling (glucose) on long runs or let my body adapt to low-glycogen stress?

You'd have to run a long way before you'd start burning protein as a significant fuel source on your long run. Actually, I don't believe in using carbs during long runs (until you reach a near-bonk point ... meaning most fit runners can go a couple hours without). You want the glycogen depletion, as that triggers an adaptation for greater glycogen storage in the future. Also, as your glycogen stores run low or dry in the slow-twitch fibers you're using, your body will recruit more of the available slow-twitch fibers as well as intermediate fibers, leading to a better all-around workout.

On the other hand, I'm big on replenishing carbs after you finish running. Your body will restock muscle glycogen at an accelerated rate immediately following a workout, and you'll feel MUCH better for the next day's workout if you take advantage of this!

inwyo - I've been trying to figure out where I recommend in the book using refueling to fend off protein breakdown. I'm thinking maybe you're referencing my advice to refrain from using carbs during races until those races approach 70 minutes or longer (because running low on carbs then will slow you down--and because you can break down proteins during a marathon). Forgive me, I don't have a copy of the book at my fingertips.

Congrats on the book! I like reading anything about running and if I can pick up even a few new tips, I am happy. I ordered online through my local Barnes and Noble and I will pick up a copy there - very easy process.

Who is Pete McGill?

This is an affiliate link to make money off the dummies here. sr_1_1 is "Shawn H"'s affiliate id.

Jamin's Dad wrote:

This is an affiliate link to make money off the dummies here. sr_1_1 is "Shawn H"'s affiliate id.

You must be a troll. I never even heard of Pete McGill before he came on this forum and told everyone about his book. If he hadn't done that, and if I hadn't been impressed by what he said, I certainly wouldn't have bought his book. I generally wait until a book has many positive reviews on Amazon before I buy it, especially one with a boring title like "Build Your Running Body" & etc. I've read a lot of technical books about running, but I'd definitely read something like Tim Tays' great memoir, "Wannabe Distance God," which I also highly recommend. I'm not recommending McGill's book for any reason other than that I bought it, I'm reading it, and it's one of the best running books I've ever come across.

Definitely need to get this book. Your column in Running Times have had some of the most informative training tips I've read.

as you can tell from socal pete's responses, i generally find him overly wordy (you should hear his pre-race speeches). however, the book does have excellent pictures.

that's my story and i'm sticking to it...

socal cush wrote:

as you can tell from socal pete's responses, i generally find him overly wordy (you should hear his pre-race speeches). however, the book does have excellent pictures.

that's my story and i'm sticking to it...

I tend to be overly wordy myself. I thought about this when I began reading Pete's book, but I'm glad he didn't just give us another dry, technical book. It's full of colorful descriptions, humor, and personality. Good choice by the writers and their editor (assuming they had one) not editing it down to boring.

socal cush wrote:

as you can tell from socal pete's responses, i generally find him overly wordy (you should hear his pre-race speeches). however, the book does have excellent pictures.

that's my story and i'm sticking to it...

Lol!

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