My Favorite Running Books

As a student, I could never really see a point to all those book reports.  Where is the real life application?  Well, as a runner and much to my surprise, I have decided it would be fun share some of the books I have read with others who may be interested.

Reading is a great motivator and I strongly encourage any runner to check out some of the books listed below.  Whether you like the book or not is a matter of personal taste.  I have given each book a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best based on the following criteria:

1. Entertaining: is it a page turner?  Is it hard to put it down?
2. Informative: Does the book give good advise?  Is the advice (in my experience) accurate? 
3. Inspirational:  When I finished a chapter, did I get my butt off the couch and onto the trails?

1.  Why We Run, A Natural History by Bernd Heinrich.  This book was originally titled Racing the Antelope.    Mr. Heinrich is a Biologist, as I understand, and he wrote this book from the perspective of a scientist.  I found several of the chapters to be very...scientific.  He goes into a lot of detail on moths, birds, insects and other animals that was difficult for me to follow.  The book overall is pretty interesting and somewhat entertaining.  Dr. Heinrich sets a goal to set a new record in the 100K distance and retells his training, philosophies, goals and such throughout the course of the book.  The book is worth reading--especially if you're into science.

• Entertaining: 7
• Informative: 8 (let me explain: on a scale of 1 to 10 for information presented, this book is an 11.  But there is SO much presented that I got lost in all the science and studies and such that a lot of it went right over my head.  I am the first to admit I'm not the brightest but there was an overload of info here).
• Inspirational: 5 (despite being very informative, I really did not find myself racing for my running shoes while I read this.)
• Overall: 6.7

2.  Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-night Runner, By Dean Karnazes.  Dean has made quite a name for himself as an ultramarathon runner, whether through athleticism or marketing skills seems to be the debate.  Either way, I know Dean would leave me in the dust and I found his book to be fairly entertaining.

• Entertaining: 8.5 The book is well written and flows nicely.  Some areas left me thinking Dean would be a great tuba player (he can sure toot his own horn!) but for the most part it was fun to read about his adventures and experiences.
• Informative: 4.5.  There is a chapter at the end of the book about diet and exercise and such, but it seem a little far fetched for the average Joe.  He talks about eating a super strict diet of healthy foods but then refers to ordering pizza during a race and eating other junk while demanding high performance from his body.  Not sure how that is supposed to work but then again, I am not Dean.
• Inspirational: 8.  Dean has some crazy adventures, such as running a marathon at the North Pole (maybe South Pole), and doing a 199 mile relay--BY HIMSELF--over a weekend.  It is loco as loco gets but you can't help but want to tear out the door and log some miles of your own after reading about his.
• Overall: 7

3.  Born to Run By Christopher McDougall.  This book really needs no introduction as it has become something of a cult.  If nothing else, it is getting people back on their feet.  I like the idea that running should be fun.  Finding the joy in running is...what this is all about.

• Entertaining: 9.5.  I read this book two times straight through and then followed up by reading the highlights again.  I found the first couple chapters a little hard to dive into (but not boring by any means).  After that, however, the book takes off and I couldn't put it down.  It is very well written and leaves you waiting for the sequel (which I believe is in process).
• Informative: 7.5.  There was a TON of good information given in this book, however, I think that it needs to be taken with a grain of salt, not as doctrine.  For example, one of the points of book is that running shoes may be the cause of runner's injuries and that if you run barefoot you can avoid those injuries.  Well, I have found myself nursing plenty of injuries even while running barefoot or in VFF's so...
• Inspirational: 10.  I found myself wanting to purchase the audio book so I could run and experience the book at the same time!
• Overall: 9

4.  Once A Runner By John L. Parker, Jr.  This is a novel but the author was the Southeastern conference mile champion three times so he knows a thing or two about running in the big leagues.  This book tells the tale of a hardcore runner and the training/competition life he leads.

• Entertaining: 7.5.  It is a good read but some parts come across as silly or pointless and I found myself skipping pages to get to the good stuff.  The good parts are very good and it is a fun book to read.
• Informative: 8.5.  I have never trained with Olympians so I don't know how accurate the book is but the type of miles they log and the way they document the running logs sounds like it was written from first hand experience.
• Inspirational: 8.5.  I have come to terms that I will never be one of the elite runners but it is awesome to read about the life of one in this novel and dream while you're running intervals that you are Quenton Cassidy starting the final lap of the mile race...
• Overall: 8.17

5. Again To Carthage Also by John L. Parker, Jr.  This is the sequel to Once A Runner.  In my opinion, it is both way better and a little worse than the first.  I recommend to read the first one first so you'll know the characters.  The beginning of this book has almost nothing to do with running and I found myself irritated.  But finally about 1/3 through, the book takes a turn and it becomes 100% running.  Cassidy returns in this book to chase what he believes to be his last chance to return to the Olympics in none other than the MARATHON! 

• Entertaining: 7.  If you can make it through the first part, this book is awesome.  I read and reread the chapters about Raven Cliff Falls and The Race.
• Informative: 8.  Not quite as informative as Once A Runner, or it is the same information being presented again but still fun to read and get an idea of what it may be like on the elite side of running.
• Inspirational: 9. "What I never really understood before was that he was willing to die, that he would run himself right to death if that's what it took.  I just never understood that" (from pg 295).
• Overall: 8

6.  Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons By Bryon Powell.  This book is just what the title says, a guide to running ultras.  It is kind of like a how to manual.

• Entertaining: 5.  Trying to read this book straight through was kind of like trying to read the operators manual of my refrigerator.  There were some great stories but they were fleeting and the focus is always on the point the author is making rather than the story.
• Informative: 9.5.  While I wouldn't read this again for the joy of it, I'm sure I will refer back to it time and time again as I prepare for races and think about what to pack, how to eat and hydrate, what to wear, first aid...the list goes on and on.  This is a great book to own...like an encyclopedia.
• Inspirational: 6.  The book has great training plans to help prepare for an ultra but not a lot of inspiration to follow those training plans.
• Overall 6.83

7.  It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life By Lance Armstrong.  This is an autobiography by Lance Armstrong about his experience with cancer and returning to win the Tour De France.  It is not really about running at all but has a lot to do with competition and racing, and it is motivating so I am including it here.  If you don't like it, write your own book report!

• Entertaining: 8.  The book is well written and easy to follow.  Lance is straight forward and direct with what he has to say and how he says it.
• Informative: 7.  Kind of hard to say this book taught me a lot about running when it's not supposed to be about running--but the book will teach you about overcoming challenges and beating the odds.  Not backing down to something as formidable as cancer even when there is really no chance and then to go back to racing and set a goal to win one of the major races in Europe...yeah, there is something to learn there.
• Inspirational: 8.  The book itself would get a 9.5 for inspiration but then to look at Lance and see that he is now divorced when he talks about how important his family is to him in the book...it just doesn't sit right with me.  But read the book and forget about the present.  There is still a lot of inspiration there.
• Overall: 7.67

I am currently in the market for new books that will be entertaining, informative and inspirational.  If you have or know of any, please share the wealth!