Very funny, very honest and very emotional, whether you're in serious training or thinking about running for the bus, this book will make you want to put on your trainers. Alexandra Heminsley had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run. Her first attempt did not end well. Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents. But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs. So, while this is a book about running, it's not just about running. You could say it's about ambition (yes, getting out of bed on a rainy Sunday morning counts), relationships (including talking to the intimidating staff in the trainer shop), as well as your body (your boobs don't have to wobble when you run). But it's also about realizing that you can do more than you ever thought possible. Very funny, very honest and very emotional, whether you're in serious training or thinking about running for the bus, this is a book for anyone who after wine and crisps for supper a few too many times thinks they might ...just might ...like to run like a girl.

Hypnosis For Running: Training Your Mind To Maximise Your Running Performanceis an evidence based book for all distance runners from ultra-marathon runners and seasoned athletes to beginners and those competing for the first time. It offers a wide range of ways to adopt mental strategies and improve running performance.

Contained within this book is a wide array of goal setting principles and techniques, cognitive strategies, mental imagery processes and of course self-hypnosis tuition.

This work draws upon conventional sports psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy, rational emotive behaviour therapy various other approaches
combined with the author's lifetime of experience using and researching self-hypnosis.

The runner is shown how to: be motivated control arousal levels get in the zone engage in mindfulness gain a comprehensive insight into proven methods of running faster and better using the mind.

Here is an excerpt from the Introduction to this book by Gary Turner, Ultra-Runner and 13 time World Champion Sportsman

When the draft of Adam's book dropped through my door the timing couldn't have been better. One week before my first ultra-marathon. I eagerly turned the pages and found it a compelling read. It completely captured my attention, as I'm sure it will yours.

The information and knowledge, and the application of it, is first class. Being a fast reader I read it three times in as many days. I checked the contents, studied the steps, researched the reference material, and became a vastly better runner - just through the knowledge from the book alone.

Then the real magic happened. I started to put into practice the steps in the book. I practiced dropping myself in and out of self-hypnosis using Adam's methods. It was easy to achieve. I just followed his clear steps. From here I started to work through the book, one step at a time, carrying out all the self-hypnosis applications he lists.

My final loosening run, two days before my race, was one of my best runs ever. It just 'happened' that way. I didn't need to consciously think, I was just in a perfect state of 'flow'.

The night before my Ultra-marathon I slept in my truck in a small village nestled amongst the Brecon Beacons. The huskies snuggled in against my sleeping bag to keep me warm and I dropped into self-hypnosis one last time. I mentally rehearsed every part of the run. I went through the pre-race preparation, the terrain, and how I would easily get through every worst case situation I could think of. I mentally planned for every eventuality. I rehearsed my physical state throughout the race. I rehearsed my mental state, ensuring that I always maintained a smile especially for the tougher sections.

I was not stepping into the unknown.

I had made it known.

...............

I am an Ultra-Runner. I love the sound of that. I feel even better about it when I consider the terrain that I had covered. The Brecon Beacons are used for UK 22 Regiment SAS training for a good reason - the environment is tough

I ran 42 miles across those mountains. This is the type of event where if your mind is not right you would not finish.

Luckily, thanks to carefully preparing and using the guidance of this book, I not only finished, I enjoyed every single step along the way - as could you by applying the knowledge in this amazing book.

For readers of "Born to Run "by Christopher McDougall, "The Barefoot Running Book" lends practical advice on the minimalist running phenomenon
Ditch those cushiony running shoes--they're holding you back and hurting your feet
You've heard about barefoot running and how it can reduce injury and allow for better form. Maybe you've even tried it and learned how shedding those heavy, overly- manufactured shoes can make running more enjoyable. Regardless of your expertise level, Jason Robillard--a leading expert on barefoot running education and director of the Barefoot Running University--synthesizes the latest research to ease you from barefoot walking to slow running to competitive and trail running vis-a-vis simple drills, training plans, and useful hints from fellow barefoot runners.
Practical, easy-to-follow, and illustrated with black-and-white photographs throughout, "The Barefoot Running Book" shows how everyone can transition to barefoot and minimalist shoe running--safely and optimally.

This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date running-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of nearly 100 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by runners world-wide.

Robin Harvie was a fairly ordinary runner. He ran his first marathon after a bet. Then he found that although he couldn't run fast, he could run long distances- very long. A casual hobby turned into a 120-miles-a-week obsession, and a training route along the River Thames morphed into a promise to himself that he would tackle the oldest and toughest footrace on earth: the Spartathlon from Athens to Sparta. This race, a recreation of Pheidippides's legendary journey, is 150 miles long, crosses two mountain ranges, and is the toughest race on the ultradistance runner's calendar. It isn't at all ordinary. p class="MsoNormal"Harvie's experience- from the mundanity of daily training routes to the extreme tests of the desert's scorching heat and the darkest hours of the night- reveals the profoundly intoxicating experience of running, and the ways in which every mile taken is both a step further into the unknown and a pace deeper into the self.

Do You Run to Live . . . or Live to Run? Whether you are a casual weekend warrior in running shoes, a seasoned ultra marathoner, or something in between, you recognize the heart and passion of runners who are just like you. Serious, competitive athletes and those who just want to shed a few pounds will find common ground in The Ultimate Runner, a celebration of every type of runner in heartfelt narratives, spectacular photos, and expert advice. The magic of a run is shared in these chronicles of fitness breakthroughs, gritty races, and golden friendships forged in predawn sojourns. Great moments in running take place every day, and The Ultimate Runner is filled with more than thirty stunning photos that give voice to those extraordinary experiences shared by ordinary runners. Experts in the fields of nutrition, exercise physiology, and training weigh in with advice that will ramp up any running program. Some run for the fitness value, some for a charitable cause, and some just to enjoy nature in a different way, but every runner is changed by the experience. Share some of those transformative moments with others who love the feel of the road beneath their feet.

After a charity run in the Peak District, Matt, Vin and Mal decide to raise the stakes by running from St Bees Head on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire. On a sunny May morning in 2006, they set off on a seven-day, 180-mile west-to-east coast challenge to take in the Lakeland fells, the limestone dales, the wild North York Moors and all points in between. With Mal in competition on his mountain-bike and the other two on foot, supported by Andy and Justin in a chase-car, they find themselves, despite 18 months of rigorous planning, facing a variety of unforeseen situations involving the weather, the terrain and the local wildlife. However, as Matt realises in this lively and detailed mile-by-mile account, their biggest challenge comes from themselves. Pushing their levels of endurance to the limit, they undertake the equivalent of seven consecutive mountainous marathons with all the attendant pain and despair and the ultimate goal of reaching the North Sea - on time, on course and still on their feet.

In the space of 24 hours in July 1908, dramatic events came to a climax at the first London Olympic Games. The marathon distance of 26 miles 385 yards set at that time has since been accepted worldwide and this thrilling account of heroism, ambition, and scandal tells for the first time the story of three remarkable men whose destinies collided in the battles that overshadowed these Games. It is a tale that stretches from rural Italy to the battlefields of the Boer War; from Ellis Island to Broadway and beyond to explore the foundations of the modern sporting and marathon movements and celebrate the strength of the human spirit.

Written by seasoned "Everything" authors with a veteran marathon runner and coach who manages a popular marathon training web site, this book details: how to select the right shoes, gear and nutrition/supplements; strategies for finishing full and half marathons; proper stretching techniques and tips for better posture; weight training and cross-training tips; how to choose and develop a running program; tips for and principles of successful running; alternative training ideas for physical and mental strength (like yoga); and advanced workouts and injury prevention.Complete with a runner log to keep readers on track, "The Everything Running Book, 2nd Edition" has everything readers need to get from start to finish.

As she prepares for the 2004 Summer Olympics, our best hope for middle-distance gold tells young women runners where they go wrong--and shares the training and nutrition secrets that put her own career on the fast track
Suzy Favor-Hamilton is the premier female middle-distance runner in the United States, whose many honors include 6 U.S. National Championships, 9 NCAA Titles, and 4 Big Ten Athlete of the Year Awards (now called the Suzy Favor award). In this book, she teams up with Jose Antonio, Ph.D., one of the pre-eminent exercise and sports nutrition scientists in the country, to show young female runners how to improve at their favorite sport.
Currently there are 4.6 million women in the United States who run 100 days or more each year. In" Fast Track" they will discover:
- How much, how hard, and when to train (and rest)
- The pros and cons of strength training, cross-training, stretching, and other non-running exercises
- How to avoid the top ten mistakes runners usually make
- Why Suzy's diet program is very different than is generally recommended-and how this program has led to dramatic improvements in her running and in her life off the track
Suzy's real-world experience competing at the highest level in athletics combined with Dr. Antonio's in-depth knowledge of exercise and nutrition science will make this book a 'must read' for all female runners-both competitive and recreational-who want to go faster, play harder, and minimize the risk of injury.

Boston established a footrace but New York City created a marathon culture that annually draws tens of thousands of runners to each of the major American events. The American Marathon is the first in-depth study of the marathon as a cultural performance that has as much power to unite communities across lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender as it does to empower individuals. This book encompasses more than a century, from the fledgling days of the footrace in the 1890s to the popular contemporary marathons that have become corporate-sponsored institutions. Run in New York City in 1896 and continued in Boston for the next ten years, the marathon quickly became the event of the working-class athletes, particularly Irish Americans. Other urban ethnic groups-Italians, Jews, and African Americans who were unwelcome into the elite WASP athletic dubs-formed their own running organizations. Once emblematic of the immigrant experience, the marathon evolved to express middle-class nationalism as these immigrants were being assimilated. During the 1930s the Great Depression restricted footracing, and anti-Semitism left important coaches and runners without access to team support. The New York Pioneer Club, begun in 1936 as an African-American team, brought the tremendous energy of post World War II Harlem to the American marathon of the 1950s. Besides examining the ethnic influence on marathoning, Cooper also explores the impact of the Cold War on this sport, when fitness and endurance became matters of national pride. She shows how the Road Runners Club of America first brought women and large numbers of participant runners into long-distance footraces and, finally, how corporate sponsorship and direct payments to athletes profoundly changed the nature of this once-amateur sport.

_____________________________ 'If you've ever wept, "Why Do I Want To Run?", your answer is here.' CAITLIN MORAN Alexandra Heminsley had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run. Her first attempt did not end well. Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents. But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs. So, while this is a book about running, it's not just about running. You could say it's about ambition (yes, getting out of bed on a rainy Sunday morning counts), relationships (including talking to the intimidating staff in the trainer shop), as well as your body (your boobs don't have to wobble when you run). But it's also about realising that you can do more than you ever thought possible. Very funny, very honest and very emotional, whether you're in serious training or thinking about running for the bus, this is a book for anyone who after wine and crisps for supper a few too many times thinks they might . . . just might . . . like to run like a girl. _____________________________ Here's what people are saying about Running Like A Girl - and what it's inspired them to do! 'This book has changed my attitude, I loved it from page one and found it totally relatable for the normal woman... A real inspiration' - Clairol on Amazon, 5 stars 'I adored this book... this is a must read' - Emily on Amazon, 5 stars 'really opened my eyes and inspired me to continue running, fantastic read' - Kiyone on Amazon, 5 stars 'I was so happy to start reading this fabulous book and realise that there was someone else out there who thought exactly as I did about 'not being a runner'' - J. Watson on Amazon, 5 stars 'It's not often I find a book that I can't put down and this is the first for ages! ... this book echoes so many of my own limiting beliefs constructed around this subject and it was a delight to hear how Alex faced up to her own demons and finally freed her running spirit. Even if you never want to be a runner this is a fun read and an inspirational journey.' - Joy on Amazon, 5 stars 'Inspirational... Would recommend this book to anyone thinking of running! Very well put together and has lots of information and tips' - Maria on Amazon, 5 stars 'I laughed out loud... for anyone wanting to get into running you will be thinking of Alexandra when you are out there taking your first few strides, and you will be grinning!' - J. Dunne on Amazon, 5 stars 'The best thing about it is how inspiring the journey it is, how much it makes you want to get out there and run yourself. Such a fantastic aid to the beginning of your running journey' - Emma on Amazon, 5 stars 'I have been fighting with my running demons for over 12 months and had convinced myself that I couldn't run. This book has inspired me to put my trainers on, join a club and enter three events' - Chimaera on Amazon, 5 stars 'Laugh-out-loud funny in places but real, genuine experience of the world of running from someone who's been there, picked up the battered trainers and just run with it' - Helen on Amazon, 5 stars 'hilarious - it just kept me hooked!' - Denise on Amazon, 5 stars

By the authors of The Self-Coached Runner, this book is also about road racing. It provides training schedules for five and ten kilometre and marathon races, and devotes chapters to nutrition, sports psychology and the effects of the ageing process.

From the experts at the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST), Runner's World Train Smart, Run Forever goes beyond traditional training programs and addresses the types of issues that prevent runners from reaching their full potential. The goal is to turn runners into self-actualised runners: those who follow a training plan, perform cross training, stretch and strength train regularly, eat nutritious meals, and enjoy camaraderie. Bill Pierce and Scott Murr warn runners of the downsides of just running and neglecting overall fitness, as total body health is essential to achieve longevity as a runner.Runner's World Train Smart, Run Forever is appropriate for all runners, especially aging runners who struggle with getting slower and committed runners who find that their dedicated efforts often lead to injury. It addresses the controversies surrounding the dangers of over training and the stress associated with the constant craving for faster race times. The book culminates in a comprehensive program to enhance overall fitness, improve race times, and support healthy aging.

The mystery man threw off his disguise and started to run. Furious stewards gave chase. The crowd roared. A legend was born. Soon the world would know him as 'the ghost runner'. John Tarrant. The extraordinary man whom nobody could stop. As a hapless teenage boxer in the 1950s, he'd been paid GBP17 expenses. When he wanted to run, he was banned for life. His amateur status had been compromised. Forever. Now he was fighting back, gatecrashing races all over Britain. No number on his shirt. No friends in high places. Soon he would be a record-breaker, one of the greatest long-distance runners the world has ever seen. This is his true story: The Ghost Runner.

Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2018 If you had told Helen two years ago that she would be getting up at 6 a.m. on Sundays to swim in a freezing reservoir and spending her Saturday nights unshowered and covered in mud in a pub, she would have spat out her champagne. But when everyone around you starts settling down, what else is a glamorous party girl to do but to launch herself into the world of endurance sport? For someone who didn't even own a pair of flat shoes (and definitely no waterproofs), Helen would soon find she had a lot to learn. Join Helen on her hilarious and soul-searching journey as she swaps a life of cocktail bars and dating for the challenges and exhilaration of triathlons, trail runs, obstacle races, long-distance cycles and ocean swims... and sets herself the seemingly impossible goal of qualifying as a Team GB triathlete.

Ask any serious runner and they'll tell you that being mentally sound is vital to success in the sport. The ability to enter a flow state of mind is something that Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has devoted his entire career to understanding. In Running Flow, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi is joined by fellow psychologist Christine Weinkauff and running journalist and coach Philip Latter. This landmark work is the first book dedicated to helping runners achieve the state of flow in competitive and training environments. You'll find comprehensive coverage of the phenomenon, unique practice exercises that stimulate its occurrence, and firsthand accounts from elite runners about their flow experiences. The psychological barriers associated with training and competition can be as demanding as the physical ones. Destined to become a running classic, Running Flow will open your mind not only to better performance but also to a better, healthier, and more enjoyable experience.

I CAN RUN is not a running book for 'runners' - it's the must-have running book for anyone who has ever experienced a moment of defeatism and had the little voice in their head make the excuse, 'I can't run'. In 12 chapters, you will discover that you can. You will dig deep to find your inner athlete. You'll learn how to train smart, recover well, sync your runs to your menstrual cycle and fuel right. I CAN RUN will ensure you never again wait until you're thin enough, fast enough, athletic enough, whatever-next enough to call yourself a runner, because if you put one foot in front of the other, repeatedly, you are a runner. Getting outside, surrounding yourself in nature and moving your body is more important than ever in these anxiety-inducing times, and Amy's debut will give you the encouragement and know-how that you need to do this. I CAN RUN recognises that this is hard and that committing to consistent training is often more of an accomplishment than the 10K, half marathon or marathon race itself. You will find comfort and encouragement in Amy's experience of cramps, chafing and the occasional little sick, while learning from leading experts about how to set yourself up for success and get the very best from your runs both physically and mentally. This book is real talk about the keys to going well far. We're all in it for the long run, together. We CAN do this!

'a really, really, really good book' - Vassos Alexander 'A masterpiece' - Paul-Sinton Hewitt CBE, parkrun founder 'A lovely book... it is really simple about getting a nice relationship with your running where it helps your life and changes with your life... Very accessible.' - Paul Tonkinson, Running Commentary presenter and author A smart running book designed for the all-too-often overlooked middle-of-the-pack runner, written by Marathon Talk's Martin Yelling and Anji Andrews. Welcome to the midpack! Running pushes us, stretches us, asks us difficult questions, challenges us. It gives us space, calms us down, picks us up, boosts our energy, rewards, inspires and fulfils us. Midpack runners - those who fall between the beginners and the elite - are the heartbeat and footsteps of the running community. In this long-overdue book, Marathon Talk's Martin Yelling and Anji Andrews share their expert knowledge, first-person stories and coaching ideas to nourish the midpackers' running experience. Covering such diverse topics as 'Making Yourself Bullet-proof' and 'How to Nail Your Race', Running in the Midpack will cultivate your running progress, and help you to become a healthy, happy and successful runner. Marathon Talk is the UK's number one running podcast.

Since the outstanding success of his New Zealand athletes Snell, Halberg, and Magee at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Arthur Lydiard's name has been synonymous with the best training methods used by the world's top middle- and long-distance runners. His training plans precipitated an athletic revolution, stressing physiological conditioning as a prerequisite to sporting effort and long-duration, even-pace running at a strong speed as the means of achieving success. Arthur Lydiard instructed runners and coaches in Finland, Mexico, Venezuela, Denmark, Japan, the United States, and New Zealand for more than 50 years and had continued to experiment and refine his methods.Running with Lydiard contains expanded information on exercise physiology, diet, injury prevention and cure, discussion of Lydiard's methods, and revised training schedules.

Everyone can run. Whether it is a jog around the park on a Sunday morning, or lining up with 40,000 other people at the start of the London Marathon, all it requires is a pair of trainers and the open road. But where does that road lead and why do we run at all? Robin Harvie ran his first marathon after a bet, but it wasn't until he had ventured 6,000 miles into the extreme world of ultra-distance running to the start line of the oldest and toughest footrace on earth, that he found an answer. As a hobby turned into a 120-mile-a-week obsession, so a way out of his daily routine evolved into a journey to discover who he was and what he was really made of. Through the scorching heat of the desert and into the darkest hours of the morning, Why We Run reveals the beating heart of the brutal and profoundly intoxicating experience of running. If you have ever wondered what makes you lace up your trainers, and why you keep coming back for more, this is your story too.

At the age of forty-five, unfit and overweight, Clark Berge, a professed Franciscan friar, took up running. In his younger life he had struggled with alcoholism and with his sexual identity. Running became cathartic not just for his body, but for making peace with the lingering shame of a troubled past, facing unresolved questions and coming to a fuller acceptance of who he was. As the elected leader of a worldwide religious community, the opportunity to run in widely differing urban and wild places -the English countryside, wide South African and Australian landscapes, busy cities and remote Pacific islands - opened up larger spiritual insights into the nature of religious life, social activism, contemplation, life on the margins, solitude and community, fear and fortitude, simplicity and living in harmony with creation, and coming in last in his first marathon. This unique memoir of running and religion explores Christian spirituality with a disarming honesty and depth.

Anthropologist Jasmina Praprotnik met Helena Zigon while running. Over the course of an icy Slovenian winter, the two marathon runners got together frequently, and Zigon told Praprotnik about her life. Here, Praprotnik tells Zigon's captivating story in Zigon's own voice. Each chapter is marked by a kilometer of the half-marathon Zigon ran along the Adriatic Sea on her eighty-sixth birthday, shortly after losing her husband of sixty years, Stane. Zigon's life spanned most of the twentieth century. She witnessed the Second World War, the rise and fall of Yugoslavia, and the founding of the new state of Slovenia. Abandoned by her parents and having grown up poor and mistreated by her stepmother, Zigon demonstrates the stoic resilience of a long-suffering Slavic woman. Though beset with challenges, she found a source of strength in the act of running. From a young girl running errands to an old woman running in the face of new grief, running has been a bright thread braided throughout her life. It has served her as a balm and a joy-one that she is grateful to still be able to savor. This inspirational memoir will appeal to general readers, especially those interested in history and running.

'The most beautiful book I ever read.' - Rune Larsson, ultra-distance runner Markus Torgeby was just 20 years old when he headed off into the remote Swedish forest to live as a recluse and dedicate himself to his one true passion: running. He lived in a tent in the wilderness, braving the harsh Swedish winters - for four years. This is his story. An international bestseller, this extraordinary book is a powerful exploration of running, resilience, loss, and self-discovery. A talented long-distance runner in his teens, Markus Torgeby excelled in training, but often failed inexplicably in competition. Pressurised by his coach and consumed by the suffering of his MS-afflicted mother, he chose to do something that most of us only dream of: escape the modern world. In his stripped-back lifestyle in the woods, surviving with the bare minimum of supplies and enduring extreme cold, he found salvation and ultimately his true direction in life.

For both runners entering that first neighborhood race and elite marathoners, trainers Bob and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover's completely revised guide is the book on training to compete. A book that's already sold close to 200,000 copies, The Competitive Runner's Handbook will now offer all the latest information needed to design basic training programs; special workouts to increase strength, endurance, and power; schedules and worksheets to develop individual goals; and specifics on preparing for all kinds of races?with an emphasis on the 10K and the marathon.