Best Running Books

Based on new research in exercise physiology, author and running expert Matt Fitzgerald introduces a firstofitskind training strategy that he's named "Brain Training." Runners of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels can learn to maximize their performance by supplying the…

Hal Higdon's name is synonymous with running. As contributing editor of Runner's World and bestselling author, he has helped countless runners achieve their distance goals.

In Mile Markers, Runner's World contributing editor Kristin Armstrong captures the ineffable and timeless beauty of running, the importance of nurturing relationships with those we love, and the significance of reflecting on our experiences.

Completely satisfying, as wellpaced and exhilarating as a good run.""The Boston Globe" Whether running is your recreation or your religion, Adharanand Finn's incredible journey to the elite training camps of Kenya will captivate and inspire you, as he ventures to uncover the…

A unique fitness program from a highly respected spiritual leader that blends physical and spiritual practice for everyone regardless of age, spiritual background, or ability to great benefits for both body and soul.

In Strong: A Confidence Journal For Runners and All Brave Women, Kara teaches you how to improve your confidence and mental preparedness while training for a race.

This easytouse, practical guide helps runners safely build strength and endurance, get motivated and set realistic goals, choose the proper footwear and clothing, eat right, and avoid injury. Completely updated, this fourth edition contains a wealth of new material.

"Kicksology is your allaccess pass into every runner's favorite obsession: shoes. Author Brian Metzler, a longtime sports journalist and veteran running shoe wear tester, reviewer and connoisseur, takes readers deep inside the $10 billion dollar running shoe industry, with a…

Written by the late, beloved Dr. George Sheehan, Running & Being tells of the author's midlife return to the world of exercise, play, and competition, in which he found "a world beyond sweat" that proved to be a source of great revelation and personal growth.

A fascinating glimpse into the mind of an ultramarathon runner and the inspirational saga of his run across America. The ultimate endurance athlete, Marshall Ulrich has run more than one hundred foot races averaging over one hundred miles each, completed twelve expeditionlength…

It may come as a surprise to many people, but Japan is the most runningobsessed country on earth. A 135mile relay race, or "ekiden" is the country's biggest annual sporting event.

In Why We Run, biologist, awardwinning nature writer, and ultramarathoner Bernd Heinrich explores a new perspective on human evolution by examining the phenomenon of ultraendurance and makes surprising discoveries about the physical, spiritual and primal drive to win.

A groundbreaking program that teaches you how to run faster and farther with less effort, and prevent and heal injuries, for runners of any age or fitness level.In ChiRunning, Danny and Katherine Dreyer, wellknown walking and running coaches, provide powerful insight that…

The sport of running is founded upon unchallenged beliefs about how to train. Unbreakable Runner tears down these traditions to reveal the new rules for fast, powerful running.

Jen Miller has fallen in and out of love, but no man has been there for her the way running has.In Running: A Love Story, Jen tells the story of her lifelong relationship with running with wit, thoughtfulness, and brutal honesty.

Run your first marathon or your fastest with Hansons Marathon Method, the revolutionary training program from one of the best running teams in the world, the HansonsBrooks Distance Project.In Hansons Marathon Method, the coaches of the HansonsBrooks Distance Project reveal their…

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNOW WITH A NEW WORKBOOKDeena Kastor was a star youth runner with tremendous promise, yet her career almost ended after college, when her competitive methodrun as hard as possible, for fear of losingfostered a frustration and negativity and brought her to…

An electrifying look inside the wild world of extreme distance running.Once the reserve of only the most hardcore enthusiasts, ultra running is now a thriving global industry, with hundreds of thousands of competitors each year.

If you've set your sights on shaving minutes off your time, it's time to ramp up your training with Advanced Marathoning, Third Edition.

Put on your running shoes it's time to hit the road, the trails and the great outdoors.In this comprehensive runner's companion, you'll find 50 of the world's greatest running routes from short city runs and mustdo marathons to crosscountry trails and challenging ultras plus a…

SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS HEALTH & FITNESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019Running Up That Hill is a celebration of endurance running. Of running ridiculous distances through cities, over mountains and across countries. Distances most people couldn't even imagine.

Christopher McDougall's new running partner, Sherman, is illtempered, obstinate, and often so uncooperative that Christopher leads him with a rope. Sherman is also a donkey.

When elite ultrarunners have a need for speed, they turn to coach Jason Koop. Now the sport s leading coach makes his highly effective ultramarathon training methods available to ultrarunners of all abilities in his book Training Essentials for Ultrarunning.Ultramarathoners have…

Fourtime Olympian Meb Keflezighi shares lessons learned from each of the 26 marathons he's run in his storied career. When Meb Keflezighi ran his final marathon in New York City on November 5, 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distancerunning career.

The first biography of the legendary track coach, and founder of Nike, who had an unparalleled impact on the sport of runningDuring his tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon from 1949 through 1972, Bill Bowerman won 4 national team titles, trained dozens of milers to…

Lore of Running gives you incomparable detail on physiology, training, racing, injuries, worldclass athletes, and races.Author Tim Noakes blends the expertise of a physician and research scientist with the passion of a dedicated runner to answer the most pressing questions for…

A new edition of a sports icon's memoir, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Kathrine Switzer's historic running of the Boston Marathon as the first woman to run.

Moire turned up to her first mountain race with the wrong shoes, wearing too many clothes, and with a body verging on obese.

From the author of the bestseller Eat and Run, a thrilling memoir about his grueling, exhilarating, and immensely inspiring 46day run to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners.

Long before Cory Reese strapped on his first pair of running shoes, he learned the key to being a successful ultrarunner: He knew how to suffer.

From worldclass marathoner and 4time Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky comes a whole foods, flavorforward cookbook that proves food can be indulgent and nourishing at the same time.

Top five Best Books About Running, Runner's World Magazine Top three Best Books About Running, readers of Runner's World Magazine (December 2009) In RUNNING WITH THE BUFFALOES, writer Chris Lear follows the University of Colorado crosscountry team through an unforgettable NCAA…

Take Your Training to New Heights with This OneStop Manual on UltrasWith fifteen years running and competing around the world under her belt, Krissy Moehl is a top female ultramarathon runner, respected by her peers and an inspiration to runners everywhere.

If you are looking for how to finish your first 5k, this book isn't for you. The Science of Running is written for those of us looking to maximize our performance, get as close to our limits as possible, and more than anything find out how good we can be, or how good our…

"All runners wonder, at some point or another, why we do what we do. 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.

In 1986, the legendary fell runner Joss Naylor completed a continuous circuit of all 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District, covering a staggering distance of over 300 miles plus many thousands of metres of ascent in only seven days and one hour.Those in the know thought that…

The heartbreaking story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose life and death by suicide reveal the struggle of young people suffering from mental illness today in this #1 New York Times Sports and Fitness bestseller.

In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer to the sport and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport.

Don't Stop Me Now reads like a chatty run with a clubmate: Vassos Alexander strings self-deprecating anecdotes about first tries, races and ultramarathons into an upbeat narrative. The useful part is morale and the way ordinary missteps and odd moments make distance events feel attainable and oddly entertaining. The annoying part: recurring jokes and similar race set-pieces pile up, and there's almost no technical guidance for would-be trainees. Expect warmth and wit more than instruction.

Fell running longdistance races up and down mountains is a mass participation sport in areas like the Lake District and Snowdonia. Here, the author describes the season he spent running many of the great races and of the many characters he met along the way.

The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it s true.

CNN correspondent Tom Foreman's remarkable journey from halfhearted couch potato to ultramarathon runner, with four halfmarathons, three marathons, and 2,000 miles of training in between; a poignant and warmhearted tale of parenting, overcoming the challenges of age, and quiet…

Written by a leading mental skills coach and a contributing editor to Runner's World, this is a practical guide to building the mental skills athletes need to recover from injury and rebound stronger.Weaving together personal narratives from athletes, scientific research, and…

New York City firefighter's emotional and inspiring memoir of learning to run again after a debilitating accident, based on the wildly popular March 2009 piece in Runner's World.On the morning of December 22, 2005, Matt Long was cycling to work in the early morning when he was…

The 1982 Boston Marathon was great theater: Two American runners, Alberto Salazar, a celebrated champion, and Dick Beardsley, a gutsy underdog, going at each other for just under 2 hours and 9 minutes. Neither man broke.

Practical and plain-spoken, this running guide hands beginners clear pacing rules, gradual mileage programs, and a strong emphasis on rest and recovery. The writing reads like a coach talking through a training plan, with lots of templates and real-world examples you can apply quickly. Where it frustrates is in repeating the same coaching points and relying on anecdotes rather than technical deep-dives into biomechanics. Experienced runners may find some sections redundant. Best used as a how-to guide you consult alongside your weekly schedule.

With My Life on the Run, Bart Yassoan icon of one of the most enduringly popular recreational sports in the United Statesoffers a touching and humorous memoir about the rewards and challenges of running.

No Meat Athlete is a new kind of athletic guide that will take you from starting block to finish line, while providing encouragement, tricks, and advice along the way.No Meat Athlete combines the winning elements of proven training approaches, motivational stories, and…

Ryan Hall is an Olympic athlete and American record holder in the half marathon (59:43). But as a kid, Ryan hated running. He wanted nothing to do with the sport until one day, he felt compelled to run the 15 miles around his neighborhood lake.

Inspiration and practical tips for runners who prioritize enjoyment over pace and embrace their place as an "average" runnerIn her first book, popular runner blogger Amanda Brooks lays out the path to finding greater fulfillment in running for those who consider themselves…

Running the Rift follows Jean Patrick Nkuba, a gifted Rwandan boy, from the day he knows that running will be his life to the moment he must run to save his life, a tenyear span in which his country is undone by the HutuTutsi tensions.

Daring Adventures on the World's Greatest Peaks

Ultramarathon Man (Dean Karnazes) reads like a firsthand logbook of an extreme “50 marathons, 50 states, 50 days” undertaking, written to keep you moving through spectacle and resolve. Its useful part is the momentum: you get the day-to-day drive, the mental grit, and the public-facing push toward taking “next steps” at any fitness level. The limitation is that it leans motivational and story-forward rather than technical. If you want training plans, physiology, or careful explanation of method, you may find the focus too broad.