東京でのマラソン・陸上・駅伝・・・・・体を鍛えて、環境を守ってエコマラソン

Books on Running

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Thanks to Bob and Jon for recommending it, it's a great book confirming many of the things I had in my mind about running, especially with regard to nutrition, shoes and posture. Give it a read!

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Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 16, 2010 at 10:54am

You can actually read into this one on the internet before you buy, they uploaded a lot of the contents. But I still prefer paper.
Perfect Mile Website

Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 15, 2010 at 9:11pm

When I ran in my university days in Germany the book we used to read was:"Irgendwann musst du nach Biel" by Spartathlon finisher Werner Sonntag. He has finished more than 300 marathons and is still running at age 84. Unfortunately, no English link available.

This is a book that was published in celebration of his 80th birthday.

His famous book seems to be out of print, and with more ultra-marathons everywhere, less people are running Biel.
But I think it's still worth a visit!
100k of Biel/Bienne

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Permalink Reply by Jon Holmes on February 16, 2010 at 7:07am

The greatest is about haile....I will write more when I have more time....I have lots and lots of running books...

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Permalink Reply by Owain Vaughan Lewes on February 17, 2010 at 1:45pm

Talking about the mile. The Perfect Distance by Pat Butcher is a classic. It chronicles the Coe/Ovett rivalry from when they were schoolboys till the LA Olympics. Great read with plenty of contributions from people as diverse as Frank Horwill, John Walker, Olaf Beyer ( the 1978 European 800 champion from East Germany ), and others.
It is now going to be the subject for a new movie which is scheduled to be released before the London Olympics. Can't wait.

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Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 17, 2010 at 11:38pm

BTW,　as you are talking about my favorite coach, Frank Horwill

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Permalink Reply by Owain Vaughan Lewes on February 18, 2010 at 10:50am

Yes. And a real eccentric too. Beyer is an interesting character. Built like a horse, he ran down Coe and Ovett in the 1978 European 800 metre final which was held in Prague. As soon as he finished he didn't do the usual lap of honor or shake hands with his competitors, instead he went straight for the tunnel. This raised eyebrows especially as he was an East German.
He still competes in veterans races, and at a good level too. So I'm sceptical regarding claims that he was "juiced up" especially as a majority of his fellow athletes from the East German machine such as the sprinters, field athletes, and swimmers have succumbed to health issues from the stuff that they had been taking.
You can download this race on Youtube. Just look up Coe/Ovett 1978 European Championships. Enjoy.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Holmes on February 18, 2010 at 11:10am

A good book of fiction is Coolangatta Gold...about a real race in the state of Queensland in Australia. Some great passages about running training. Made into a movie but I thought the book was better.

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Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 19, 2010 at 12:04pm

Haven't heard about this, but found it on Amazon: Coolangatta Gold

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Permalink Reply by Jon Holmes on February 19, 2010 at 12:27pm

I own both book and DVD. I have underlined various passages about training. Inspiring.

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Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 19, 2010 at 3:14pm

We need a good, old-fashioned library on top of all the virtual stuff!

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Permalink Reply by juergen wittstock on February 19, 2010 at 8:43pm

Another great book, this could also be in the forum about "Great Races", is:
Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon.

It was written in 2006 by freelance sportswriter John Brant. Expanded from an article featured in Runner's World magazine, the book tells the story of two American distance runners, Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar, and how their lives changed after both men ran the 1982 Boston Marathon.