“Through running we all can learn to climb the mountain of our life in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. And, with practice, we can learn that by not thinking ahead, each footstep, each run, each day isn’t just a means to an end but a unique event in itself,” – John “The Penguin” Bingham.
It’s a good time of the year to be an armchair runner, triathlete or mountain biker. Kickback with a good book and try to find some training ideas and inspiration. Right I’m cruising through Time-Saving Training for Multisport Athletes by Rick Niles. I bought it online from an Amazon reseller, a bargain book from 1997 with good reviews. This got me thinking about the books that really changed my training methods, inspired me to keep going and picked me back up when things didn’t go so well in training or on race day. Here are six favorites.
Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals by Steven Jonas
The title says it all. This is the book that got me to enter my first triathlon. It was the mid 90s, and I had read an article on triathlon in Men’s Health magazine. I found this book, bought a road bike, went to the YMCA to take swim classes. Then I was literally off to the races. OK I only did one race in the 90s, and I was in no way properly prepared for the open water swim, but it started a journey that I’m still enjoying today.
It was the first book I read that was written from a back-of-the-pack perspective. It made triathlon seem approachable, and the author shared a lot of anecdotal information about his races. It separted training into phases and emphasized minutes not miles. In many ways it was the perfect beginners book for its time. It’s seems pretty dated today. Beginners today have some great options like Triathlon 101 by John Mora and Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel. Still this book will always have a place in my heart and on my bookshelf.
Galloway’s 5K and 10K Running by Jeff Galloway
Another possible title for this book would be everything we forgot to tell Al about running. Granted if I had made it to more than just that first track workout in high school, I might have gotten the information a bit sooner. In my defense, I couldn’t walk the next day and at the time that seemed like a big deal.
About three years ago, after completing two or three 5K races, I wanted to improve and realized that I didn’t really have much of a training plan. I picked up Galloway’s book and it was a revelation. I learned about long slow runs, intervals, race rehearsals, strides and the walk/run strategy. The programs were easy to understand and easy to follow. Perhaps most importantly for the first time I had a tool Galloway’s “miracle mile” to estimate my race pace. It worked so well for the 5K distance that I tried a 10K. Since then I’ve read most of Galloway’s books. He is my go-to guy for running information. I’ve read most of his books, and they are a little repetitive. His best is probably Galloway’s Book on Running.
The Courage To Start by John “The Penguin” Bingham
This may be the ultimate book for the “back of the packers,” but I think all runners can relate to Bingham’s story. His journey from the couch, to the driveway, to the road, to the start line is inspirational and humorous. His perspective and insight never fails to move me. Perhaps the most important message in this book is that you don’t need anyone’s permission to be a runner or endurance athlete. It doesn’t matter if you are fat or slow. You have a right to dream and to try to make those dreams real. After I have a bad race, month or season, I come back to this book. No Need for Speed is also an excellent read.
The 12-Week Triathlete by Tom Holland
I read this book this summer and will be using it to prepare for my triathlons this year. It is going to be a huge improvement. In the past my triathlon race prep has ranged from pretty spotty to ridiculously poor. Each year I pick a half marathon or marathon and start training for it. Then I pick a spring and fall triathlon. The triathlon training plan usually devolves down to train for the half or full marathon, try to make sure that at least one of my weekly bike rides are longer than the triathlon bike leg, and crap I only got to the pool once this week. How’s that working out? Badly, the only people I pass on the bike leg are fixing flats.
The 12-Week Triathlete really covers the waterfront. In addition to chapters on the swim, bike and run; there are chapters on stretching, strength training, nutrition and hydration. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on mental training. We often overlook the value of getting our minds right or think about how we are going to mentally recover if or in my case when our race plan falls apart. There are training plans for each triathlon distance. 12 weeks should be enough for my sprint races and eventual Olympic distance event. I’m pretty sure that people training for half-iron and iron distance races use longer programs.
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
If you somehow have not read this 2009 bestseller, you missed out, head to the library or bookstore. It has received multiple book of the year awards and has more than 1,200 reviews on Amazon. This is the book that launched the barefoot/minimalist shoe running movement. It has everything: quirky characters, hidden Indian tribes, ultra marathons, discussions of physiology and running shoe design. Finally it will most likely make you rethink some if not many of your preconceived notions about running, running injuries and running shoes. A film based on the book is in the works.
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes
A friend loaned me this book. He was completely blown away by it and thought I would be too. He was right. Before I read this book, I did not realize that there were races longer than a marathon. This was the first time I heard of legendary races like the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the Badwater Ultramarathon, held in Death Valley in July! The story from the book that sticks out in my mind the most is the time Karnazes ordered a pizza while on an all-night run and consumed it while running. He has become something of a controversial figure, mainly I think because he is very good at promoting himself. He also wrote 50/50, about running 50 marathons in 50 days.
Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180 by Mike Magnuson
I saw this book in the bookstore picked up and read the first half dozen pages or so. I immediately got up, walked to the checkout and bought it. It is that compelling. It is the funny, ironic, heartbreaking story of a fat, out-of-shape, middle aged, smoker and drinker, who wants to change but just can’t figure out how. He loves cycling. Everything about cycling, the bikes, the people, the wind, the scenery, the bike catalogs, professional cycling, everything. One day he is out on a group ride, a storm comes up and something happens to give him the motivation he needs. Everything changes. I laughed. I cried. I am in no way joking. The book is probably not for everyone but I found it moving and inspirational.
So what’s your favorite running, cycling, triathlon book, podcast or DVD? Leave me a comment.
“Born to Run” is my favorite.. When I first started reading it, I thought it was some strange adventure fiction story. I slowly realized it was a factual book and thought “No F’ing Way”. Well, in 2 years this “Clyde” went from couch to 50K. Think I’ll do it again.
Well done. Amazing what you can do once you stop worrying about what’s impossible and start working to make it possible. See you on the trails.