Running Sports

The benefits of mindfulness for general well-being have been discussed extensively, but little has been written about how mindfulness can be applied to running. In this book, leading health and fitness journalist Mackenzie L. Havey explores how combining mindfulness with running can not only improve sporting performance but can also enhance overall health.

To take Arne Haase as a role model: Germany's oldest marathon runner is still doing 20 kilometers twice a week at the age of 90. And it doesn't have to be that sporty. But wouldn't the Haase model be a nice vision of you in your old days, being "trapped" in the body of a 45-year-old? For millions of people, regular exercise is part of their lives. But almost all of us run the wrong way. To stay mobile from now until old age, we can make up our minds for a fundamental change. E.g. we mostly, unconsciously run as if we were training for a competition.

Triathlon has changed my life and I've been privileged to coach 50+ athletes to a 98% PR rate in races ranging from 5Ks to ultra marathons to Ironmans. I've done it through my own trial and error and experiences in what works...and what doesn't. Rest assured - there are a handful of simple, yet essential, tips in triathlon that will make or break your success in the sport.

Hansons Marathon Method lays out the smartest marathon training program available from one of the most accomplished running groups in the world. Using their innovative approach, runners will mold real marathon muscles, train their body to never hit the wall, and prepare to run their fastest marathon.

Keira D’Amato was an all-American runner who used to chase success. But after being injured in her early twenties, she assumed her running career was over, and settled into life as a military spouse and mother of two young children. In her early thirties, she found herself overweight, out of shape, and battling postpartum depression. She knew that improving her fitness would make her feel better, and told herself to just get out and run ninety seconds, down her street and back.

Anna McNuff had never run a mile without shoes on before. And yet, one British summer, she set off to run a (very) wiggly route from the Shetland Islands to London–on a mission to cover the distance of 100 marathons…in bare feet.

"Was running a marathon with my wife a smart idea? Certainly not. We had two kids under the age of three and demanding jobs in tech. However, being smart was not my main concern. In our 4-year marriage, she'd been a rock. She nursed me through leukemia. She picked me up from rehab and drove me to AA. Now, she wanted to run the Disney Marathon. So be it. I signed up like two sports bras, extra supportive!"

In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at - the felt - and hits the road.

In the biggest game of the year, Noah's on the bench as usual. But when another player is injured, Coach puts Noah in. Soon, the outcome of the game rests on his shoulders.

Toby Brandt would rather be hitting jump shots than doing chores on his Grandpa’s farm. But he’s about to learn a new appreciation for the great outdoors. His cousin Chloe and her friends soon convince Toby to join them on their nature runs. Before long, he learns to enjoy running with them through the woods and navigating their homemade obstacle course. However, when they tell Toby about the upcoming Wild Run, he doesn’t want to risk getting hurt and letting down his friends.

Injuries affect every athlete, from the elite Olympian to the weekend racer. In the moment, a traumatic crash, a torn muscle or a stress fracture can feel like the most devastating event possible. While some athletes are destroyed by the experience, others emerge from their recovery better, stronger and more confident than ever. The key to a swifter, stronger comeback is the use of mental skills: psychological tools that enable an athlete to take control of their recovery and ultimately use the experience to their advantage.

Despite what you may have been told, the primary cause behind running-related injuries is not from heel striking, poor flexibility, over-pronation, or any other biomechanical variations. Instead, training errors are the primary cause. If you can invest your time to learn about healthy training habits and develop key injury insights, you’ll give yourself a massive training advantage. Learn how to run smarter with science and with expert opinions, because failing to learn these principles can hinder your full running potential.

Eighth-grader Nimo Mohamed has made the varsity cross-country team and she's determined to keep up with the older girls. So she's training harder than ever, maybe too hard. Soon the runner's grades are tumbling, her times are slipping, and her body is completely exhausted. Can Nimo learn to pace herself and stop this running overload?

In her first book, popular runner blogger Amanda Brooks lays out the path to finding greater fulfillment in running for those who consider themselves "middle of the pack runners" - they're not trying to win Boston (or even qualify for Boston); they just want to get strong and stay injury-free so they can continue to enjoy running.

Whether you're an experienced runner or a complete beginner, this inspiring book will motivate you to train your body and mind to complete one of the hardest physical feats of all—an ultramarathon.

Failure Is an Option is the story of an average runner who sets out to discover just how far he can go. With the support (and misgivings) of his family, and aware that his quickest years are behind him, Matt Whyman leaves the Saturday morning 5K to push towards 100-mile ultramarathons and beyond. By slowing things down to run a very long way, he joins a growing number of men and women from all walks of life striving to do something extraordinary.

This book has a single purpose - to inspire you to run! Through sharing a detailed account of my first three years of pursuing running from the middle to back of the pack, it will hopefully show you you are capable of much more than you may think. After my dad's major health scare, it was time for me to change everything. Little did I know how much I would learn after taking on some physical exercise. A radical diet change allowed me to lose a forth of my body weight and it gave me boundless energy to get outside and explore.

Along the path to any goal - completing a marathon or a thesis paper, winning a medal or a contract - familiar mental hurdles arise: We may fixate on the odds of failure or find our interest flags two-thirds of the way through. That’s when elite endurance athletes - top performers in running, cycling, and swimming - turn to their rich arsenal of cognitive strategies to overcome self-doubt and unlock peak performance.

Crossing the Grand Canyon rim to rim is considered by many hikers and runners to be one of the greatest “bucket-list” achievements. Thousands make the pilgrimage each year to experience the joy of journeying across the Canyon's great expanse. Anyone who descends into the canyon should take time to learn about the history of the trails they use.

In 490 BCE Pheidippides ran for 36 hours straight from Athens to Sparta to seek help in defending Athens from a Persian invasion in the Battle of Marathon. In doing so he saved the development of Western civilization and inspired the birth of the marathon as we know it. Even now, some 2,500 years later, that run stands enduringly as one of greatest physical accomplishments in the history of mankind.