best running books...

ReillyGeb

My own favourite three at the moment in no particular order -

Duel in The Sun - (Salazar V Beardsley 1982 Boston Marathon)
The Perfect Mile (So well written, that although you know Bannister gets to the first four minute mile, You suspend this knowledge while reading this book and shout for his fellow milers)
Born to Run - Already discussed many times. A great book.

BeepBeep67

Just got a hold of 'From Boghall to Bethlehem and beyond' The Bertie Messitt story.

Bertie Messitt is best known as one of running's all-time greats. The last of the true part-timers, he elevated Irish distance-running to world class while maintaining an amateur status and lifestyle that even to his contemporaries seemed heroic.

Looking forward to reading it, he's a real hero around Shankill and Bray and supported many local events. He was awarded with a life time award at a Bray Runner's night a few years ago so it was great to meet the man. In 1958 he ran 19.4k in the 1 hour outdoor track, that's still 6th on the all time Irish list 18mts behind Treacy.

RoyMcC

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

The Bertie Messitt story.

He was awarded with a life time award at a Bray Runner's night a few years ago so it was great to meet the man

Wasn't Bertie a Donore man? Last I heard he wasn't too well.

BeepBeep67

RoyMcC wrote: »

Wasn't Bertie a Donore man? Last I heard he wasn't too well.

He was a Donore man - born in Bray.

EauRouge79

Just finished Ian O'Riordans - miles to run.
Agree with previous posters about it being article like. But I kind of enjoyed the fact that you could read one chapter/short story each night before turning out the lights.
Dont much like the author but picked a good insight into a lot of different runners and their connections with irish running and irish coaches. I did enjoy it.

rom

I don't understand why there is not more audio books for runners out there. I have a busy schedule with work,family,study and running and listening to an audiobook when running makes a lot of scene to me. I have time to switch off and listen to it. Makes for a different listening experience than just music. I have only been listening to audiobooks in the last 2 months and I find it great.

So my favourite audiobooks so far are:

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running
This flows very well as an audiobook.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
I liked this for the story and some of the other lessons other than the FFV wearing clan get out of it.

I started listening to Chicken Soup for the Soul and Chirunning but they don't go well as audiobooks for an Irish audience.

Would love some other suggestions of audiobooks even ones that are not about running.

Mick Rice

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Just got a hold of 'From Boghall to Bethlehem and beyond' The Bertie Messitt story.


Looking forward to reading it, he's a real hero around Shankill and Bray and supported many local events. He was awarded with a life time award at a Bray Runner's night a few years ago so it was great to meet the man. In 1958 he ran 19.4k in the 1 hour outdoor track, that's still 6th on the all time Irish list 18mts behind Treacy.

I met the man a few years ago and have to say I was really impressed. The book is a fantastic read. Lovingly put together by his son as far as I remember. Might be hard to get your hands on but very worthwhile if you can...

Mick Rice

My own personal favourite is Meditations from The Breakdown Lane by Jim Shapiro. An absolute classic...


http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Breakdown-Lane-Running-America/dp/0395331056

fonkalei

Mick Rice wrote: »

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Just got a hold of 'From Boghall to Bethlehem and beyond' The Bertie Messitt story.


Looking forward to reading it, he's a real hero around Shankill and Bray and supported many local events. He was awarded with a life time award at a Bray Runner's night a few years ago so it was great to meet the man. In 1958 he ran 19.4k in the 1 hour outdoor track, that's still 6th on the all time Irish list 18mts behind Treacy.

I met the man a few years ago and have to say I was really impressed. The book is a fantastic read. Lovingly put together by his son as far as I remember. Might be hard to get your hands on but very worthwhile if you can...

Any ideas on where to pick up this book?

Mick Rice

fonkalei wrote: »

Any ideas on where to pick up this book?

I think you'd have to keep an eye on second hand booksellers, eBay and the like. It was a limited print run afaik.

I can see at least two up on amazon at the moment...


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boghall-Bethlehem-Beyond-Bertie-Messitt/dp/095386121X

Seanie_H

Ger Hartmann's book Born To Perform is a great read.
http://www.easons.com/display.asp?K=9781871305272

Okay it's not a running book, but he was a high performing tri-athlete turned physical therapist who has treated over 60 Olympic medal winners. He has a lot to say about what he believes and he talks a lot about how great he is/was - but I still like it. I found it a real motivator, inspirational stuff in places. It's nicely written and can be swallowed in a few days if you like.

sideswipe

Might be worth resurrecting this thread for people sending letters to Santa.

Just finished Scott Jureks new book Eat & Run, excellent read, the man is one tough cookie- wish I had a fraction of his mental strength.
For those who enjoyed Born to Run he give his side of the story.
In terms of the Eating part of the book and for those who don't know- Jurek is Vegan and believes that has enabled him to achieve his success. Reading about what he eats makes me feel VERY unhealthy.

PaulieC

sideswipe wrote: »

Might be worth resurrecting this thread for people sending letters to Santa.

Just finished Scott Jureks new book Eat & Run, excellent read, the man is one tough cookie- wish I had a fraction of his mental strength.
For those who enjoyed Born to Run he give his side of the story.
In terms of the Eating part of the book and for those who don't know- Jurek is Vegan and believes that has enabled him to achieve his success. Reading about what he eats makes me feel VERY unhealthy.

Not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, but some of his recipes did sound very tasty, particularly the mushroom burgers - I've been meaning to try those out.
Book is a great read too although I find it's like a lot of those books in that he finds it much harder to explain the pain he goes through than to actually go through it. You never really get a good sense of how much he really suffered e.g. doing 50 miles of an ultra (the Western States??) with a sprained ankle

rom

sideswipe wrote: »

Might be worth resurrecting this thread for people sending letters to Santa.

Just finished Scott Jureks new book Eat & Run, excellent read, the man is one tough cookie- wish I had a fraction of his mental strength.
For those who enjoyed Born to Run he give his side of the story.
In terms of the Eating part of the book and for those who don't know- Jurek is Vegan and believes that has enabled him to achieve his success. Reading about what he eats makes me feel VERY unhealthy.

Also available on audio book http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B008HTFSQW&qid=1354198667&sr=1-1

wrstan

Two not mentioned here that I really enjoyed recently:

14 Minutes - Alberto Salazar's autobiography, some really interesting insights into his Cuban background and his relationship with his father. He never doubts his greatness which can be a bit tiresome, but I found it a very easy and stimulating read.

Iron War - Matt Fitzgerald, Ok so it's from the darkside of IM, but is a great account of the rivalry between Dave Scott and Mark Allen over years competing in Kona and how they used to push themselves with very different approaches to achieving high performance.

I've also read the Ghost Runner by Bill Jones, mentioned by a few already. It's a different type of book, but very intriguing, certrainly tragic. Definitely not high brow but a really interesting insight into a highly obsessive person who expressed himself almost solely through his running and his mission to challenge the establishment.

jfh

Mick Rice wrote: »

My own personal favourite is Meditations from The Breakdown Lane by Jim Shapiro. An absolute classic...


http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Breakdown-Lane-Running-America/dp/0395331056

looks interesting alright, pity it's so expensive, might treat myself in the future, i've got a few to get through first.

favourite running book would be "what i talk about when i talk about running"
least favourite "born to run"

tang1

Pre - Story of Steve Prefontaine most recent book i've read and a good one. He was some runner.
Currently reading Duel in the Sun - story of 1981 Boston Marathon and battle between Dick Beardsley & Alberto Salazar.

sideswipe

cambo_gueno wrote: »

Not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, but some of his recipes did sound very tasty, particularly the mushroom burgers - I've been meaning to try those out.
Book is a great read too although I find it's like a lot of those books in that he finds it much harder to explain the pain he goes through than to actually go through it. You never really get a good sense of how much he really suffered e.g. doing 50 miles of an ultra (the Western States??) with a sprained ankle

I know what you mean alright but I actually think he doesn't explain the pain well because he refuses to acknowledge or dwell on it. Denying the pain is a skill he has in abundance, he seeks it out, pushes through it and moves on. I suspect if he could analyzes it and describe it better he wouldn't have achieved as much as he has. That's what I've taken from it anyway- Pain only hurts, get over it and move on.
+1 on the recipes.

pgmcpq

Not seen this mentioned so :

Chrissie Wellington : A life without limits.

Really liked this book. Found it much more engaging and honest than the typical athletics autobiography. Scope goes beyond atheltics - she talks about her eating disorder and work on international development.
The only downside : the intro by Lance leave a bit of a sour taste but don't judge the book by the intro.

Run and Jump

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet Roger Bannister's autobiography, 'The First Four Minutes' - beautifully written and very thoughtful. The climax of the book isn't the first sub-four mile but the 'Miracle Mile' against Landy later that year, and he really builds up the tension and drama. And he's great about his Olympic defeat and his hassle with the press.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Four-Minutes-Roger-Bannister/dp/0750935308

Along with 'Brilliant Orange' by David Winner (about Dutch football) it's my favourite sports book.

I also liked Pat Butcher's Coe-Ovett book, though the digressions (the Hagg-Andersson duels; how Bannister inadvertently destroying middle-distance running) took from the narrative despite being interesting in themselves. And some Irish interest in it too - Coghlan, Ray Flynn, Fr Liam Kelleher.

beeduybe

Any good post London 2012 books out there?

rom

Am currently reading http://www.amazon.co.uk/Challenging-Beliefs-Memoirs-Career-ebook/dp/B007KZS5OQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1355830014&sr=8-3

wrstan

So? Santa bring any good books?

Clearlier

wrstan wrote: »

So? Santa bring any good books?

Scott Jurek - A reasonable read and a few interesting ideas in it but nothing too special. It's just a bit too 'lite' for me.
Chrissie Wellington - tri rather than running but I enjoyed the story - not much by way of training info. but it does give a bit of background about how she managed to emerge at the age of 30 which I didn't know about.
Seb Coe - Reminds me of Bill Clinton's autobiography - it's not very insightful and I couldn't recommend that anyone buy it.

I have a book token as well so I'll hopefully pick up one or two more in the next few weeks.

Skaterpeemp

The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb brilliant book. makes you want to achieve something.

statss

After reading this thread I've just ordered : Born to Run, The Lore of Running & Healthy Intelligent Training.

statss

Also, just finished this book, was mentioned earlier, http://moireosullivan.com/about-the-book/

That Wicklow round is some accomplishment. Inspiring. As a result I think I'll sign up to an orienteering course this year and earn to navigate around the mountains. Going to check out an IMRA race or two aswell. One of the easier ones anyway.

michael.dublin

dean karnazes 26.2 stories of Blisters and Bliss, this book is good, great motivation for all people that want to run.

belcarra

statss wrote: »

Also, just finished this book, was mentioned earlier, http://moireosullivan.com/about-the-book/

That Wicklow round is some accomplishment. Inspiring. As a result I think I'll sign up to an orienteering course this year and earn to navigate around the mountains. Going to check out an IMRA race or two aswell. One of the easier ones anyway.

Kilmashogue is very much beginner-friendly and is coming up the weekend after next. Next to no nav skills required but does offer a 'toe-in-the-water' to mountain running.

statss

belcarra wrote: »

Kilmashogue is very much beginner-friendly and is coming up the weekend after next. Next to no nav skills required but does offer a 'toe-in-the-water' to mountain running.

thanks belcarra, was actually looking at that last night after finishing the book, but unfortunately it clashes with a prior commitment, which is annoying.

Have earmarked the Dublin Mountain Plod in July as a definite for now and will try make one of the shorter Wednesday night ones before then.