The Best Ever Collection of Running Books

I absolutely love this book. It sits proudly on my coffee table. It’s such a beautifully inspiring page turner. Lovely photos with evocative writing. A must have.

I’ve given this book to many runners as a gift. The story of Terry Fox is becoming well known but his legend is one that should continue to grow.

The book is emotionally charged. There are pictures of Terry running, of the prosthetic leg he ran on, of letters he received from children all over the world. It’s a beautiful tribute. If there is one book you should have, it’s this one.

Arguably the book that says you’ve arrived at the ’serious’ running scene. Lore’s got it all.

Daniels formula explains – like no other – the science behind your runs.

Take your marathoning to that next level.

I know this appears in the ‘Coffee Table’ section of this post but it’s just that good. Terry was, in every sense of the word, a hero.

Buy this book as a two-part purchase for the amazing pictures and scrapbook images.

This is the official biography of Terry Fox. It’ll put words to all the pictures you’ll see in the first book shown above.

Katherine Switzer is famous for being the first woman to (illegally) run the Boston Marathon. She broke down barriers for women’s running.

Duel in the Sun Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America’s Greatest Marathon

From Amazon: Within the running community, the 1982 Boston Marathon is arguably the most memorable race in the modern era. It was a neck-and-neck battle between the favorite, Alberto Salazar, and an upstart at what would be the zenith of a sudden, meteoric rise, Dick Beardsley. Brant, a contributor to Runner’s World since 1985, re-creates the principals’ careers leading up to the race, describes the race itself, and, most significantly, analyzes its aftermath. Neither runner was ever the same again.

From the legend who ran the first four minute mile.

Follow high school phenom as he sets out to smash Jim Ryun’s high school mile record.

The book that professes you can maximize your training into a few key workouts per week.

Get your head in the game!

Lots of great stuff for building strength and power into your running.

How to train when you’re stuck indoors.

Arthur Lydiard’s principles written in today’s layman terms.

Get the most out of your heart and heart rate monitor. Learn the perfect method for identifying how hard you are working.

Hal Higdon is legendary in getting people to finish the distance.

Another legend of running teaches you how to get the most out of your training.

Boston winner and current U.S. running coach. You can’t go wrong listening to what Alberto has to say.

A great deal of information packed into a fairly small package. That’s khalid khannouchi on the cover.

Yoga is all about breathing, relaxing, core strength and more – all good stuff for runners.

Excellent, excellent excellent book on building core strength. Terrific descriptions with fantastic photo illustrations and training programs. Highly recommended.

Plyometrics = power = speed. ’nuff said.

Many people credit Bill Bowerman with starting the jogging movement in the US. However, it was Arthur Lydiard who taught Bowerman about jogging. The rest is history.

One of the books that started it all.

If you don’t know who Pre was (Steve Prefontaine), you owe it to yourself to find out. He, like no other American athlete, has inspired millions of aspiring runners.

Paula is the world record holder for the women’s marathon. She’s got guts, determination and talent. She also tells a great story.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s absolutely packed with US running history. It covers (among many things) Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, the birth of Nike and so much more.

It’s very easy to call Haile the greatest. He’s set more records than seems possible – including the last two world records in the marathon. He’s also an amazing, gracious human being. His is a wonderful story of triumph.

Ovett and Coe were dominant in a very special competitive way that elevated the sport of running in their generation. This book covers this story, as well as bios of each runner.

Tom Longboat was a native Canadian runner from the early 1900s. He was the dominant runner of his age having won Boston and races too numerous to mention. He is still regarded as a role model for First Nations people in Canada.

Abebe is famous for having won the Rome Olympic marathon while running barefoot. His emergence really opened the door for African distance runners who are today, still dominant on the world stage.

One of many books by self-professed ‘Penguin’ John Bingham. If you have doubts whether you can run, John will erase them.

John leads you through your first marathon.

It’s possible Jeff Galloway has been responsible for getting more Americans running than anyone else. He’s famous for his run-walk method.

John Stanton is the Galloway of Canada. An excellent book covering all the basics of running.

A nice addition to the ‘beginner’ stuff since it focuses on running a half marathon – a great intermediary race to do before tackling 26.2.

Very cool!

This book goes on my wish list.

Unquestionably the most famous piece of running fiction and very highly rated by all who’ve reviewed it.

The follow up to ‘Once a Runner’. Also highly reviewed.

A young runner must overcome tragedy to win.

Currently the number one selling running book on Amazon.

Murakami’s latest is a nonfiction work mostly concerned with his thoughts on the long-distance running he has engaged in for much of his adult life. Through a mix of adapted diary entries, old essays, reminiscences and life advice, Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone. While the subject matter is radically different from the fabulous and surreal fiction that Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) most often produces, longtime readers will recognize the source of the isolated, journeying protagonists of the author’s novels in the formative running experiences recounted.

Many people are familiar with the Yasso 800 workout. Bart created those but he’s done much, much more. Trust me on this!

I am a follower of the Pose Method. It’s changed everything I thought I knew about running. Highly recommended.

As passionate as I am about Pose, others are equally passionate about Chi Running.

Who doesn’t love Joannie?

Very funny stuff!

Scott Jurek is legend in ultra-running. If you were to buy one book on the subject, it should be one written by/about him.

Dean Karnazes is either famous or infamous depending on your view of his ability to self promote. That aside, Karnazes has done some pretty cool things and he also has some very positive messages to share.

Pam Reid is just an unbelievably talented ultra runner. She should be an inspiration to anyone involved or interested in the sport.

For those who find the 26.2-mile marathon just not enough, there is the ultramarathon. What makes ultra-runners tick? What goes through their minds at mile 93? How can you train for such a colossal undertaking? These questions and many more are answered in Running Through the Wall, an inspiring collection of 39 personal stories from ultramarathoners.

Note: This ebook is not on Amazon. Throughout the 1950s the most talked about athlete in Britain was Gordon Pirie. Part of the explanation was that Gordon kept talking about himself and what he might and might not do. Making statements, for example, like the one when he predicted he would smash the world 5000m. record with a time of around 13min. 40sec. some 18 seconds below the then world record. He knew how to ruffle the feathers of his fellow competitors, but he did have talent in abundance.

What’s cool about Pirie’s book are his discussions about running form. He was clearly a visionary thinker. Definitely worth a read!

Very prominent sections of this book are devoted to Bowerman’s role in the building of Nike. A fantastic read.