Train smart, eat well, & enjoy the run! — P. Mark Taylor
8 small words encompass everything there really is to know about running…but let’s be honest we love the details! We love to talk about our rave runs, blistered toes, what to eat and why. Luckily the running boom has also meant a growth in wonderful books about the sport.
While I certainly read a ton of running bloggers and love my Runner’s World magazine, sometimes you need more. You need a beautiful story or a plan or meal and that’s why I’ve cultivated a list of the top 50 books for runners.
Following are some of my must reads for any runner from those just beginning to those who’ve been pounding out the miles for many years!
STORIES THAT MOTIVATE
Following are true stories or biographies of runners that will inspire you to push your own limits…yes many are tales of doing things we may never dare like running across the country or even 200 miles, but it’s the moments they go through that make you believe you can do more.
Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men’s Cross-Country Team by Chris Lear
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso
The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amby Burfoot
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter’s Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete by Matt Long
Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek {read review}
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an all night runner by Dean Karnazes
A life without limits by Chrissie Wellington {read review}
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run Across America by Marshall Ulrich {read review}
Running with Joy by Ryan Hall {read review}
Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn {read review}
Going Long: Legends, Oddballs, Comebacks & Adventures by the Editors of Runners World
14 Minutes: A Running Legend’s Life and Death and Life by Alberto Salazar
Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Marathon Man: My 26.2 mile journey from unknown grad student to Top of the Running World by Bill Rodgers
Run! 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss by Dean Karnazes
Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi
A Race Like No Other:26.2 miles through the streets of New York by Liz Robbins
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America’s Greatest Marathon by John Brant
Running Ransom Road: Confronting the past one marathon at a time by Caleb Daniloff
Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running by Rachel Toor
NOVELS THAT INSPIRE
All right so the people in these stories may not be real, but the authors have certainly tapped in to the mindset of an athlete! You’ll find yourself nodding frequently thinking “yes that’s me!”
Once a Runner by John L. Parker JR.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
HOHA’s In Love: The Lessons of Running Reveal the Secrets of Love by Laurence Graham
TRAINING GUIDES
A training book may not sound like something you want to curl up on the weekend to read, but trust me these are all well worth it for any runner. Most share hilarious stories {real runner mistakes} and have plenty of motivational stories.
Running on Air: Run Better by Breathing Smarter by Budd Coates {read review}
Train Like a Mother: How to get across any finish line – and not lose your family, job or sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell
Run Faster: How to be your own best coach by Matt Fitzgerald {read review}
The Big Picture: 11 laws that will change your life by Tony Horton {read review}
The Runner’s Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know–And Then Some by Mark Remy
Brain Training for Runners: A Revolutionary New Training System to Improve Endurance, Speed, Health and Results by Matt Fitzgerald
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons by Byron Powell
Elite Minds: Creating the Competitive Advantage by Dr. Stan Beecham {read review}
The Divided Mind: An epidemic of Mind Body Disorders by Dr. John Sarno {read review}
Hansons Marathon Method by Luke Humphrey {read review}
Chi Running by Danny Dreyer
Big Book of Endurance Training by Phil Maffetone {read review}
The Cool Impossible by Eric Orton {read review}
Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry
Running with the mind of Meditation by Sakyong Mipham
Lore of Running by Tim Noakes
NUTRITION
We all know that pre and post run fueling is a key to avoiding runner’s trots and speeding recovery to keep training on track. So yes indeed I’m including here some of the best I’ve read on fuel for athletes.
The Athlete’s Palate Cookbook by Yishane Lee
Thrive Vegan guide to sports nutrition by Brendan Brazier
Diet Cults by Matt Fitzgerald {read review}
Runner’s World Cookbook {sample recipe}
The Start Here Diet by Tosca Reno {read review}
Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett {read review}
Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald
Happy reading!!! If you have a favorite book I left off, let me know!
And yes you’ll find many of these authors on my top audiobooks for runners and top podcasts for runners.
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“What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” is great, but it’s a memoir, not a novel.
you forgot lizzy hawker’s book “RUNNER” a short story about a long run…. incredible account of this ultra runner – non-fiction 🙂