Recommended Reads
(Click on the titles to order any of
these books)
Running
Within: A Guide To Mastering The Body-Mind Spirit Connection
for Ultimate Training and Racing
by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott
This book does an excellent job of dealing with the mental component
of running. It is designed to enable the reader to take his or her
running to the next level, not only by giving concrete tips to mentally
help one race faster, but also by helping one enjoy his or her running
more, by exploring running's spiritual side and understanding the
reasons we do run. Before you by a another book on the proper training
you should be doing, by this book. It could rejuvenate your running.
Click here for a full LetsRun.com review.
Running
Tough by Michael Sandrock
This book by Michael Sandrock
chronicles the favorite, most effective training runs of the great
runners. The runs are grouped by what type of run they are (i.e.
long run, fartlek, interval session, hill workout). I must admit
to having not finished the book, (but I'm putting it down because
I recommend it enough to know it would make a good gift) but that
is largely because this truly is a book you can pick up and just
read a part of. Ever since I first got it, I've been picking it
up and thumbing to a workout/runner that looks interesting and reading
about the workout.
If you are looking for a specific
training regime, this book is not for you. This book is intended
to show you the type of workouts the great runners have done in
order that you may take ideas from them in designing your training
regime. There are suggestions as to how the workouts can be modified
for the everyday runner.
And Sandrock does a good job
of explaining that success in running will not come overnight, and
largely is the result of consistent, smart training over time.
Once a Runner
by John Parker
If you have not read this book,
seriously stop what you are doing and but it now. It is the only
cult running book on the market, and is the running book you should
read if you're only going to read one in your life. (Look at the
amazing # of 5 star reviews it gets at Amazon). This novel does
a better job of capturing the essence of running than anything else
out there. Just click on the link above and read the rave reviews
at Amazon.
Running with the Buffaloes
by Chris Lear
We can't believe we don't have
a full review of this book up yet, but it's probably not necessary
as this book is alerady becoming a classic. It chronicles the 1998 cross-country season
of the University of Colorado Buffaloes that resulted in the national
championship for Colorado runner Adam Goucher. Although Lear does
a wonderful job of showing what it takes to succeed at a top notch
cross-country program, this book is much more and can be enjoyed
even by non-runners. For the reader becomes attached with the participants,
and is there to share all of their emotions, the tremendous joys,
disappointment, and pain.
What John Feinstein's Season
on a Brink was for college basketball Lear's book is for college
cross-country. The book is truly one in a million as it went from
being self-published to picked up by a major publishing house.
Running With the Legends
by Michael Sandrock
This book like Sandrock's just
published Running Tough makes for excellent coffee table
reading. Each chapter of this book chronicles a famous runner starting
with Emil Zatopek and ending with Noreddine Morceli.
Each chapter provides a mini-biography
of each great runner, so the reader learns not only basic information
on them, but the things that helped make them so great. It does
a wonderful job of showing the defining characteristics of these
great athletes most of us had only seen mentioned in a record book.
Although, the book presents the basics of each runner's training
regimes, if you are looking for specific training advice to improve
your running this book is not for you.
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