Running book recommendations

Having enjoyed a few running books, such as ultra marathon man, born to run, feet in the clouds and recently don’t stop me now, are there any others along similar lines?

There was one recommended on the Chris Evans show this morning but I didn’t catch the title. To me the running books seem more enjoyable than the cycling books. I enjoyed Lances books, but that was before he came clean!

Interesting choice of words…

If you like Ultra’s try this. Running and stuff

Running with the Kenyans is ok but a bit mediocre.

For a film you should watch the film about the Barkley marathon. It’s on Netflix/prime. Makes everything else seem tame. Worth also watching some YouTube videos of later races where the weather was grim.

Eat & Run, and more recently North, both by Scott Jurek. As well as Don’t Stop Me Now by Vassos there’s also now Running Up That Hill. Finding Ultra is another one that was recommended to me but haven’t read it yet, it’s sat on the pile waiting to be read.

Reading natural born heroes atm, about a third through, its more war stories than running atm, I’ll stick with it.

Wild Trails to Far Horizons by Mike Cudahy.

Running High by Hugh Symonds.

A bit leftfield but Boff Whalley’s Run Wild is well worth a read.

I really enjoyed Vassos Alexander’s (off the radio) book ‘Don’t stop me now’. It’s very easy to read with lots of mini stories about running and interviews with famous people who enjoy running.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Born to run Christopher Mcdougal. May make you throw away the flash trainers and head to the mountains.

May make you throw away the flash trainers

I wonder how many folk actually stuck with the barefoot/fivefingers thing, I’ve never seen anyone use either at a race.

Run Wild by Boff was Ok, but seemed to have a recurring anti-establishment / road running theme through it. The negativity towards that somewhat overshadowed the freedom / beauty he was trying to express of the greatness of running outdoors IMHO.

Relentless Forward Progress was one I read during my ultra training. That was quite good

@mrb123 great choices, Mike Cudahey’s book is excellent.

Read a number over the years but prefer them to be written by athletes. Seems a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon particularly around ultra and trail stuff. I think much is just a re-hash of what has already been written. As much as I love running I cant listen to any of the strained, contrived and inane podcasts about the subject but that is different thread.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11981099-the-ghost-runner

as much a book about class and the times as running but a very good read

I wonder how many folk actually stuck with the barefoot/fivefingers thing, I’ve never seen anyone use either at a race.

I see them on a few people at trail races. But I’d say the short lived fad did lead to low(er) drop shoes, and this are certainly very popular.

Scott Jurek’s book (mentioned above) was OK, if you can handle hippie vegan whole foods musings that is…

and this – a bit me me me but if you like Lance’s books its not on that scale – interesting historical stuff on the awesomeness of fell running but the more recent stuff reads as dated back when published…(me thinks)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feet-Clouds-Tale-Fell-Running-Obsession/dp/1781310564

As much as I love running I cant listen to any of the strained, contrived and inane podcasts about the subject but that is different thread.

Usually the same, but recently started listening to the British Ultra Running Podcast by James Elson and Dan Lawson, both quite handy runners (and James is the RD for the Centurion events). Recent episode about the Arc of Attrition was interesting (was down there volunteering on that, great event despite getting stuck in the snow trying to get there), and another interesting episode is the one where they interviewed Jon Steele, RD of the Hardmoors series. They spent quite a bit of time talking about the Hardmoors 55 last year that got a lot of bad press after the papers (and later Radio 2, gotta love Jeremy Vine) misreported that runners were rescued by Mountain Rescue, despite Mountain Rescue themselves praising both the organisers and the runners for being well equipped, well prepared and experienced for the conditions, and MR had simply offered to assist with transporting runners back to race HQ.

“Born to run Christopher Mcdougal. May make you throw away the flash trainers and head to the mountains”

Unlikely – i found it repetative and his anecdotal *evidence* seemed pre determined to fit his thoughts.

Ghost runner is fantastic

Running the Himalayas by Richard and Adrian Crane. I love the adventure aspect of the whole thing.

I really enjoyed Once a Runner by John L Parker, although its fiction its the only running book I’ve reread several times.

@durhambiker, thanks I will have a listen. Always happy to be proven wrong 🙂

I bought a mountain, by Thomas Firbank

https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Bought-Mountain-Thomas-Firbank/dp/0450000494

Not really a running book per se but a cracking good read which touches on the subject of the Welsh 3 thousanders, as well as some fantastic Snowdonian imagery and history, [particulary from a farming point of view. A book I can read over and over.

I almost forgot…. The greatest runner of the 20c, Emil Zatopek. There are several books about him but Richard Asquith (feet in the Clouds) “today we die a little” is a good read, incredible courage in the face of adversity.

Natural born heroes finished if anyone fancies a wee swap?.

“There is No Map in Hell” by Steve Birkinshaw.

Another one I enjoyed that’s not strictly just about running is How Bad Do You Want It? by Matt Fitzgerald, about the mental side of sport

Rosie Swale-Pope, Just a little run around the world. From library originally but moving enough to buy my own copy. Amazing lady.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509616-just-a-little-run-around-the-world

Handed to me by a running friend at the weekend, after a loop of the SDW near Grafham..

I don’t have any of the authors ailments, so hoping I just get a little mental focus out of it (as that’s been lacking of late)