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Fact:
A Cold Clear
Day -
Frank Murphy
Along with Once A Runner and Better
Training
For Distance Runners, this book completes a triumverate of books
(fact, training & fiction; mind, body & soul) you need to
read. "The
athletic
biography of Buddy Edelen" tells Edelen's story up close and personal -
we learn,
among other amazingly punishing workouts,
where the 60x400 workout comes from. We also catch glimpses of that which can't
be told or taught;
it can only be learned through the Trial of Miles: The Secret.
Running With The
Buffaloes - Chris Lear
Follows a season of the Colorado University XC team - when Adam
Goucher was a senior. Hard core. Motivational reading for those
HARD tempo runs.
The Four Minute
Mile - Roger Bannister
An amazing athlete - especially when you look at the training
he did (or didn't) do. Inspiring!
PRE
- Tom Jordan
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the
Gift." - Steve Prefontaine. Put down that Batman comic
book and read this book; a book about a REAL superhero.
Then, go run.
A Clean Pair Of
Heels - Garth Gilmour
I spent about a year looking for this book. It is mentioned in
Once A Runner so I figured I should read it. Kind of light and
fluffy (but fun and enlightening) story of Murray Halberg, one
of the great New Zealand runners who trained under Lydiard. One
of the better "runner stories."
No Bugles, No
Drums -
Peter Snell & Garth Gilmour
Like A Clean Pair of Heels, I spent a lot of time looking for this book.
I eventually ordered it used from NZ. Similar in style to ACPOH and also mentioned
in Once a Runner,
it's
the
story
of Peter Snell, another world class runner who trained under Lydiard. Good read.
Marathon: The
Clarence DeMar Story - Clarence DeMar
DeMar won Boston an unbelievable 7 times but hardly talks about
these amazing achievements in this short 92 page book. Reading
this gives you hints of how hard-core DeMar was and what distance
running was like in the early 1900's. Leaves you wishing for a
lot more!
Marathoning
- Bill Rodgers & Joe Concannon
Don't read this book for it's literary merits, there are
few to none. Do read this book for a good overview of Bill
Rodgers thoughts, philosophy, rants, raves and, most importantly,
outlook on running. Written just after Rodgers won the NYC marathon
for the 4th time, it's packed with anecdotes, good quotes and
snippets of the training of one of the best and most consistent
marathoners ever.
Finding Their
Stride - Sally Pont
A nice story in a nice place about a nice group of kids with a
nice coach. Did not inspire me to, as Quenton Cassidy said,
"...race dark Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders
down the back straightaway!"
Running To The
Top -
Arthur Lydiard
30 years ago I'd of put this book in "Training" but the science of running and
training has come a long way since Lydiard redefined what training is all about.
After reading it, I also suspect Lydiard was the real-world model for Sam Dee
in The Olympian. Filled
with
errors
and
typos
as
well
as
erroneous
information,
the
best
part
of this book is that it
shows Lydiard's philosophy on training and life. Read this only for historical
perspective.
Train Hard, Win
Easy - The Kenyan Way - Toby Tanser
"Basically there are no secrets." Want to know why Kenyans
run fast? Because they know the answer to the question posed at the end of the
book
"Can you give a little bit more (effort)?" Read
this
book
and
you'll
know
the answer.
Good
motivational
reading
for
when
you
want to run 100+ mile weeks. |