Tracks Books

Better than expected with quotes and daily reminders of why we started to run and what motivates us to continue.

The daily readings are well written, appropriate, inspirational and at times informative. This is a great way to start off your day whether you are running that day or not.

The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration:A Year of Motivation, Revelation, and Instruction is most likely the best investment I have ever made. Last year, I made a resoltion to myself to get in shape, eat healthy, and basically be a fit person inside and out. This is not a very easy resolution to fulfill, as I soon found out. It was my plan to run at least 3 times a week, and supplement it with another form of aerobic exercise. Very quickly, I lost my motivation, and was not living up to my expectations. I came upon this book soon afterwards, and tried to regain my motivation. After restarting my exercise program along with reading this book, I am now running every day of the week, rain or shine, hot or cold, I run through it all, all due this very book. If you buy one book in your life, buy Catcher in the Rye. But if you buy two, buy this one too!

This book was given to me as a gift. Being a "novice runner" of two years, I found this book to be very motivational. It is very intuitive on the thoughts of runners and some of the obstacles runners may encounter and how to get beyond those barriers. I have thought it such an excellent book that I am suprised it is not readily stocked and available for 24 hour shipping, especially during the holiday season. You know us last minute shoppers. Great gift idea for the novice or avid runner in your life if you can find a copy of it in time.

I read this book every day and love it! Kevin Nelson gives practical, fun and whimsical advice to people who love (or want to love) to run.

I've been reading car magazines religiously for the last 20 years, and I have yet to come across a writer 1/10th as knowledgeable, insightful or just plain hilarious as Peter Egan. I bought about 10 yrs of old Road & Tracks off of eBay just to read his columns until I discovered these books. No lie, the best reading I've had in YEARS.

Ok, I'm a car nut. I subscribe to all the major magazines and a few that are not so major, and while Road and Track is not my favorite (too many high-end, grossly unafforadable automobiles), I keep my subscription current to peruse Peter Egan's latest meditations on all things with wheels, wings, or motors.
Here's the thing about Mr. Egan- he's just like you and me. His adventures in internal combustion, amatuer racing, and road trips are familiar to anyone with an automotive inclination. His insights and musings are humorous and profound, especially for baby boomers- start reading and you'll be hooked.
The best way to enjoy Side Glances is to start with Volume 1 and work your way up to the present. Enjoy.

A collection of Peter Egan's Side Glaces columns from Road & Track. If you love sports cars, old cars or working on cars this book is well worth the read.

If you are already familiar with Peter Egan from his monthly "Side Glances" column in Road & Track magazine, this compendium will need no introduction. If you are not, you have a rare treat in store for you when you read this book.

Quite simply, Egan is the poet of the automobile. His columns are topical, well-written, evocative and often poignant. They are sure to elicit an understanding nod from anyone who has ever done battle with "The Prince of Darkness" (i.e., the Lucas electrics) on a 1962 TR-4, or rapped sharply with a spanner on a 1964 MGB fuel pump behind the passenger seat every few seconds to keep the engine running. Egan's tales of the trials and tribulations of restoring his stable of (mostly) British roadsters are often hilarious. His sensitivity, experience, humor and unparalleled ability to say things in a "just so" way keep bringing me back to re-read these little gems over and over again. His craftsmanship is superb. I can't imagine the amount of work that he must put into his columns, carefully selecting each and every word, to make them so readable. There is no better automotive writer. Buy it, read it, savor it--this is the best.

Actually, I own the hardback version of this book which covers 1983-1997. Ever since reading my first Side Glances column in Road and Track ("Lee's TR-3") almost eleven ago I have been a big fan of Peter Egan. Anyone who loves cars (particularly old British cars) should own this book. I only wish that all of his feature stories would be put together in one volume as well.

I was fortunate enough to buy the book when it first came out. I have read the book several dozen times and often use it as a reference.

I have learned alot from this book and it describes the training methods Charlie learned and the transformation to his own training system.

I also have "The Charlie Francis Training System" which is autographed by Charlie. It is a great book for preparing your own training and periodization schedules.

The book is laid out in an easy to read fashion and Charlie knows how to get the point across very well.

I'm very fortunate to have read this book.

I purchased this book when it was first released in late 1990 and have read it cover to cover several dozen times over the years. Unfortunately, most of the attention and commentary regarding this book give a false impression of its content. Though the narrative does culminate in the drug scandal in Seoul, the topic of drug use by athletes (and by Charlie's sprinters in particular) is really of secondary importance and only constitutes a small portion of the book.

Speed Trap is primarily an autobiography of Charlie's career as an athlete and coach. In the course of reading about Charlie's training as an Olympic sprinter himself and the subsequent evolution of his coaching methods, the reader is treated to perhaps the best education on the technical aspects of sprinting ever put into print. From his early training with Percy Duncan and Harry Jerome to his subsequent tutelage under legendary sprint coach Gerard Mach, Charlie describes what he learned from these greats as well as how he synthesized and adapted their methods in developing his own training system. I know of no other book on sprinting that comes close to providing the quality of technical insight found in Speed Trap. To a certain extent, Speed Trap is a technical treatise on sprinting masquerading as an autobiography. While the description of the careers of athletes such as Ben Johnson, Angela Issajenko, Desai Williams, et al., is entertaining in its own right, it also serves to provide anecdotes that illustrate many of the technical concepts discussed throughout the book. Anyone who has met Charlie in person knows this is exactly how he teaches. In her own autobiography (Running Risks) Angela Issajenko describes how Charlie always seemed to have a story to explain any point he was trying to get across to his athletes.

Even on the topic of drugs, Speed Trap offers insights not found anywhere else. Most if not all of the literature related to anabolic steroids is dominated by the field of bodybuilding and to a lesser extent powerlifting. Charlie explains how steroid use by sprinters and similar athletes is a world apart from bodybuilding. As an example, in her first year of steroid use, Angela Issajenko's total dosage for the entire year was about 700mg, an amount many bodybuilders would use in a couple days. Much of the discussion of drug use by athletes is part of the larger topic of how sport is administered by the various governing bodies around the world. Charlie provides a very sobering insight into the bureaucratic and often corrupt nature of international sport.

Lastly, in addition to the quality of its content, Speed Trap is also remarkable for the quality of the writing. The narrative is written in a very conversational style that makes it very easy to read. Having met and trained with Charlie on a couple of occasions, I can attest to the fact that the book reads pretty much the way Charlie talks. I cannot recommend this book more highly for those interested specifically in sprinting or just training in general. If you can find a copy, it is well worth buying.

Even though I know drug use runs rampant in track and field today, this book presents a side of the sport that dearly needed to be said. Most people have been too scared to publicly talk about it which I applaud him for. This book also brought to my attention the new style training methods on speed which I found extremely helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks Maurice Green or Donavan Bailey aren't on Steriods or any other form of banned ergogenic aids.

A well-written book. I highly recommend this to anyone involved in developing sprinters, as it sheds the light on the techniques of one of the sport's greatest coaches of all time. I applaud his courage to step forward on an issue that is commonplace these days. Both men's and women's elite sprinters are on performance-enhancing substances, and will remain as long as GH and such substances cannot be detected (forever). The fact remains that Ben Johnson performed at the level that he did in a time when all other sprinters were unable to do so. The current sprinters are breaking his record, and are doing so through the same means. Again, an exciting read for coaches interested in following the development of some of the world's fastest men and women in the way that it should be and is done.

This book was written after the Seoul Olympics and after Ben Johnson's 1st place finish. However, the logic and the motivation for using synthetic performance enhancements amongst world class athletes is clearly outlined and is applicable to all professional athletics, not just Olympic level track and field, where the financial stakes are huge for both participants and sponsors, and media attention is unrelenting. Recent revelations by MLB stars like Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti confirm the logic and motivation so clearly, honestly and cogently outlined by Francis in Speed Trap.

Most disturbing is that there doesn't seem to be any turning back on this path of drug use among elite athletes as long as athletics continues to be the potent economic engine that it is, and continues to hold out the promise of lottery-type earnings to hopeful young athletes all over the world.

This book is the best I've read. The trick photos are cool and show me exactly how to do them. I wish he wrote books on surfing too.

I've seen the guy skate before, both in California and up in Canada, and have been blown away by the stuff he's been able to pull off. He lays his book out very well, showing the beginner, and the want-to-be-pro alike, exactly how to pull the best tricks off for themselves. Most instructional skating books are useless, but this one is actually very valuable, which is the first one like it that I've seen anywhere. You won't be disappointed in getting this book.

Finally, someone has written a book about skateboarding that can actually help you learn tricks. The photo sequences and step by step instructions are really helpful and the way the book is organized makes it really easy to learn how to improve your skateboarding. I would recommend this book for any skaters who are looking for some totally useful advice from a guy who has the skills to back up what he is saying. Evan Goodfellow knows skating! Check out the book for yourself and read what a pro skater has to say about the fastest way to learn grinds and slides.

When I decided to learn street skateboarding I was in a dilemma many skaters will identify with, I wanted to start at the top with some spectacular flip tricks and rail tricks that would have my friends jaws a-drop. But soon enough I realized that skating is an art of slow, small steps, and you have to give yourself room to reverse, always an escape hatch. Evan Goodfellow's introduction to flat world curb tricks was just what the doctor ordered.

I've never seen Goodfellow in person, but the clips I saw convinced me he knew what he was talking about. I started on page one and never really looked back. Funny to think of pro Evan posing for the photo set where he just ollies up a curb over and over again, must be like child's play to him. Soon enough he's onto switch stances and the "half cab noseslide," one of the most surprising of the curb tricks he outlines. On the wax debate, Goodfellow places himself firmly on the pro-wax team, even going so far as to suggest we abolish skate parks in favor of imitation city curbs and lots and call them our parks.

You have to hand it to the photographer too. They certainly don't skimp on photos unlike some of the other so called intros to skateboarding. The photographer, Tadashi Yamaoda, prints his slides in a clever greyscale system so that the deep background of each picture, the city skyline and so on, appears only in a fog of light gray, and the important details of the foreground are rendered in sharp black clarity. Very useful. A disclaimer at the beginning of the book says to wear safety equipment while skateboarding, but neither Evan nor any of his fellow models doing the tricks in the book look like they're wearing any gear, maybe a jockstrap possibly? Oh well, we get the picture, it's a sport that takes balls and talent.

This book really gave me some great tips on learning new curb tricks. I found it to be really informative and well put together. I like the fact that the author is a skateboarder himself and can therefore offer valuable instruction from experience. I would recommend this book to any skateboarder looking to take their skating to the next level.

Given as a present for my 4 year old daughter (now 5) this
book peaked her imagination. In both it's
writing and illustration We found it not only keeping
her interest during it's reading, but a desire to learn
more about the animals We read about. She is read to
every night, and as the books come and go, our little
one has kept it in her rotation, and We never get tired
of it. She now is beginning to read, and yes, it has
helped her a great deal with it's structure in writing.
Kudos to the authors.

"Those Toes" is a wonderful story to read to your children! It is also an easy reading book for an early reader. However, my older children (7, 10, and 12) enjoyed reading this because of the information about the animals and how many toes they have! We look forward to reading more from this author!

"Those Toes" is a smooth, fun, flowing rhythmic book for a toddler! The easy sounding rhythm will roll off any child's tongue as soon as he learns the words. The bright illustrations and clever wording will easily help any child learn that "five of these and five of those....." makes for a 5 star children's book!

This book is perfect for the little ones. The introduction to different animals and their feet is wonderful, with the delightful rhymes making it fun to read to little children and easy for them to listen to. My daughter loved the all the toes that she learned about and the fun animals that own them. The brightly colored pictures are a perfect backdrop for this adorable book.

I bought "Those Toes" for my granddaughter. I was attracted by the bright illustration on the cover, and was not disappointed by the text or the interior illustrations. Cheerful, happy book and it looks like considerable research has gone into it, too.

In the days before computers there was Matthew Fontaine Maury. Almost unknown today, Maury was a navigation and sailing genius, a Lieutenant in the US Navy, who was the father of modern navigation and ocean science. He was a land lubber.

During the age of sail longitude was an uncertain calculation. As a result, it was often impossible for ships to know exactly where they were. After the invention on the chronometer, things improved, but chronometers being expensive, route planning was a hit or miss thing. As a result, for the most part, navigation was anecdotal. There were no highways in the seas, no scientifically determined sailing truisms or protocols, and hundreds of ships were lost each year.

Until Maury, knowledge of prevailing winds and currents had advanced little from Columbus. But between 1842 and 1861, he and his staff mapped the ocean's great surface currents and wind systems. They showed ship captains how to shave weeks, even months from voyages. Tracks in the Sea is the biography of this remarkable, self taught, self made man whose remarkable career culminated as head of the U.S. Navel Observatory. In a world interconnected by maritime commerce, Maury's work was critically important, not just to Americans, but to all nations.

This is an amazing story. To have compiled the thousands and thousands of ship's logs and sailing observations, drawing trends and systematic sailing instructions, by month, for all the oceans of the world, has to be one of man's most astounding scientific achievements. This is a most remarkable work about a most remarkable American.

This is simply a wonderfully written book about an almost forgotten man, Matthew Fontaine Muray.

Maury lived in the golden days of sail, the 1800's. In those days, the ocean was a big, mysterious, and dangerous place. Sailors had decent charts of the continents, and by the middle of the century. they had decent chronometers to help them navigate (find the Longitude). But what they did not have was a set of charts showing where the winds blew when. Sure, they had some knowledge, gained by long experience, but no scientific knowledge.

What Maury did was to make a life-long scientific study of the winds and currents around the world, with a view of shortening sailing times, thus reducing expenses and increasing safety. At first glance, this does not sound like much, but it took reading literally hundreds of thousands of logs to collect this information, then making charts showing the direction and strength of the wind and current in every month of the year.

Did Maury's efforts work? Would you call shaving a month off a sailing trip from New England to Rio worthwhile? This was the typical result of skippers who followed Maury's charts.

He also 'invented', to a large degree, the science of oceanography, and did a lot to standardize and strengthen the science of meteorology.

Many think this information has been rendered useless by powered ships. Wrong. People who sail long distances always have a current copy of this type of chart onboard, and plan their itineraries around the winds and tides. Professional seamen, especially of very large ships, also continue to use this information, as the sea can overpower even enormous ships like supertankers.

If you enjoy reading books like Dava Sobel's book Longitude, about John Harrison and his clocks, you will equally enjoy Tracks in the Sea. Highly recommended.

Mr. Hearn's splendid account of the life of the self-taught Matthew Maury is one that should be read by anyone with the remotest interest in sailing or the industrial revolution. He should also be of interest to those who want a concrete account of the benefits of "data-mining" in which miscellaneous, disparate sources of information are aggregated into something which is tremendously useful.

Maury took crates of old ship logs, and extracted the data about weather and currents as a function of date and location, and produced ingenious maps of the sea that could be used to plot voyages that minimized the time of passage. In the age of the American clipper ships, the time saved could be quite substantial, even amounting to as much as factor of two over the haphazard routes used by the intuitive captains of the day.

The reduction of the data and the production of the maps was carried out by only a handful of men at the U.S. Naval Observatory, but produced tremendous economic advantages to those who used them. They were quickly adopted by the merchant marine, and by cleverly requiring the recipients of the latest maps to turn over to him logs taken in a standard format, he was able to gather tons of new data for ever-improving successive maps. Maury also discovered the feasibility for the route of the first transatlantic cable, and fought to establish the first weather bureau in the US.

He also brought about the convening of a Brussels Marine meteorology Conference in 1853 that was attended by nine countries and resulted in the adoption of a uniform method of gathering and disseminating the information among the world. Not bad for a simple Lieutenant! His quarrels with the jealous Joseph Henry (of electromagnetic induction fame) and others of his ilk are instructive to those interested in stories of how pettiness and obstructionism of powerful men can be overcome by men of true ability.

This story is well researched and ably told by Mr. Hearn, and is another exciting adventure of the heroes who made the industrial revolution.

This is a great book for anyone with an interest in or passion for sailing, navigation, mapping and charting or who holds an interest in the challenges of early explorers.

Maury's life, rising from the humble origins of a farming family in Virginia and then Tennessee, to a career as an internationally renowned scientist, is quite interesting, and generally well told by author Chester Hearn. Most scientists would feel their careers were a success if they made a few contributions to their area of science. Maury's genius invented two whole sciences: oceanography and marine astronomy. He significantly improved navigation by finding "tracks in the sea," the patterns which numerous currents and winds follow all over the globe. Perhaps because he sided with the Confederacy in the Civil War, he became a relatively obscure figure. Since he had an enduring influence on the human race's knowledge of the oceans, he deserves to be better known. This book will help, and is well worth reading.

Professional and amateur triathletes alike will benefit from these tips to help you become a better runner. Find the right training plan for you.

Excellent resource for serious traithletes and amateur atheletes alike. I purchased this book for my triathlete husband and one of his daughters who is a runner. Although he majored in physical education and has been an active athlete, teacher, and trainer himself all his life, this book has still helped him to improve his running ability. He now also owns a Seiko metronome and making good use of it with his indoor training on our treadmill. My husband is now 69 and still a winning triathlete!

Mierke is an expert in Evolution style running and presents the knowledge necessary to improve one's running skills. The author also discusses approaches to racing and ideas for training plans for various triathlon distances. A great reference!

As a triathlete going on my 15th season, I have seen most of the stuff out there. This book is great in that it starts by teaching running technique, which most people ignore. Sure we all know technique is crucial in swimming, but it is in running as well. The author also has a video on his "Evolution" run technique which I have on order.

He claims to have achieved significant efficiency and hence speed improvements in even long-time elite runners, and I believe it. Look at it it this way - you can spend $1000 on race wheels and gain 30secs, or spend a few dollars on this book and/or video and gain more time through efficiency increases.

He also points out that most running injuries are caused by poor technique, and I agree completely. If you have a nagging injury, fix your technique. I have seen this work myself on many runners - try it.

A wonderful bonus is that this book contains one of the best summaries of eating to get and stay lean that I have seen. An entire chpater is devoted to this, and makes the book well worth it if you are just trying to figure out how to lose weight.

This is a worthy and high return on investment book for any triathlete.

Sometimes you're glad when you're asked by Amazon to review a book - in some cases due to the fact that they stink, in others because you've purchased something that you really feel that you can recommend to others. This book belongs in the second category.

The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training is simply the most comprehensive and well structured, easy-to-read, hands-on book about running that I've ever seen (and believe me, as a triathlete I've gone through everything from Posetech to ChiRunning in my quest for reduced run times).

The book will take you through Technique (the actual physics of running, i.e., where does all that energy go that you spend on the track?, how to reduce energy waste and maximize forward propulsion, etc.), Training (planning, bricks, etc.), Preparations, and finally, Racing. The way it's done makes you understand just how good Mierke must be as a coach: everything is short, crisp and to the point.

If you're training by yourself, there are plenty of drills in the book that will take you a long way towards better running efficiency. If you're a coach, there's a lot of stuff from basic to advanced that you can use in your coaching. If you're training with a coach, give him the book and ask him to use it when coaching you - I did and the result has been remarkable: not only do I run faster, I run almost effortlessly after hard biking, and - moreover - I enjoy my running even during races. The only thing that has made that much of a difference for my racing is Total Immersion Swimming (which, by the way, also focuses on efficiency rather than raw power).

In short: highly recommendable book for anyone who's interested in running faster and more efficient (is there anyone who doesn't?). Extra plus for the integration of running into biking specifically and triathlon in general.

I tried to order this from Amazon but then received a notice that the book would be available in 1-3 months, not 1-3 weeks as listed here. Having already waited 6 weeks for the book to arrive I ended up ordering directly from the publisher (Whitecap Books) and it arrived within 1 week!!! The price was higher but I would recommend this book at any price. There are some wonderful great recipes. Get a copy while you still can.

That's all there is to it. There's not a single miss in this book. Every recipe is a hit!! And the pictures are awesome too!! I'd pay $100 for this book if I had too. Do yourself a favor and get one. You won't regret it.

Some of my favourite recipes from the amazing whitewater cafe. They bring back great memories of growing up in the Koots, and my winter at the Whitewater ski hill...
And it's great food, with tastes coming together from around the world.

Over the years I've had the pleasure of visiting the Whitewater Resort and the Fresh Tracks Cafe many times and neither I, nor anyone in my family has ever been disappointed in the food that we've had - we've always enjoyed it. So when I found out that they had a cookbook, I immediately bought it - and again, I have not been disappointed.

It's full of great recipes (I've tried several and LOVE them all) that are fresh, easy and yummy. The recipes tend to be on the healthy side (which I like) but are not lacking in flavor in anyway - they are some of the most flavorful I've had. They are also very simple and most could be made quickly on a weeknight. This is a definite keeper for us!

I love this cookbook. The pictures alone are wonderful, and the recipes themselves turn out both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. I've made about ten of the recipes. So far, our favorites are the black bean vegetarian chili, the corn bread, and the white chocolate-hazelnut brownies. The only criticism I have is that the book is poorly edited. Some of the ingredients are not specific enough (for example, "1 tsp mint"; dried? extract? fresh chopped?) and the instructions are sometimes incomplete. Still, by guessing as best I could, the recipes turned out well. I hope that the next edition of this book is more complete and specific.

26.2: Marathon Stories

This was the perfect gift for my brother who was completing his first marathon. He read it from cover to cover on the plane. He loved it. I loved it and I didn't run a marathon! It's filled with interesting and inspiring stories and neat facts. It makes a great gift for the runner in your life.

Great book, especially for those who have run a marathon and can appreciate first hand the highs and lows involved every step of the way. Couldn't put it down.

As a recreational but devoted marathoner, (currently training for #9), this was an obvious must-have for me. Most books published under the Rodale title are generally just rehashes of old RUNNERS WORLD magazine articles, but this is definitely not the case here.

This handsome coffee table book is beautifully designed and offers not only inspiring passages we've come to expect in the world of the long distance runner, but breathtaking photography and insight into the minds, passions and heartaches associated with the sport. It fairly examines the good and the bad throughout the long history of "Marathon;" from ancient Greece to contemporary pop culture.

Divided into 26.2 chapters, it is a wonderful book for both the devoted runner and interested spectator as well. Would make a great gift.

I actually had an emotional reaction by the time I got to "the Finish Line." Just like in real-life! So this book willl definitely be a treasured addition to my library.

I'm a "senior", "middle-of-the-pack" runner and been at this for 30 yrs, completed 7 marathons and read most of the books concerning the subject, but found this one to be truly original. Running is basically a simplistic sport but to extend oneself to the extent to complete a marathon requires a special effort which this book manages to capture better than any other I've read so far. A must for anyone interested in running or those trying to figure out what makes people do this crazy stuff. Easy reading and wonderful photography!

This is THE book for everyone including gym owners and parents. The Back Handspring is the premier trick needed by both gymnasts and cheerleaders.

As a former gym owner,and a Mom, I highly recommend it. This book takes the mystery out of the skill and breaks it down into easy to learn pieces. Safety is the number one concern when learning this skill and Coach Rik makes safety an integral part of the learning process.

This book is for everyone (coaches, students, owners and parents) that wants a "How To" manual on this skill.

I will be the first one in line when he writes another book on skills.

Keep "flipping" those pages.

Rayelynn Henderson

Like the author, I have probably spotted a million back handsprings. I found this book to be a great refresher for someone who is an "expert" but also useful to those who are just beginning. If you follow the author's guidelines and work through to the end of the book you really will learn a back handspring. This book is easy to read and the directions are clear and concise.

Written by former competitive gymnast and current trainer Rik Feeney, Back Handsprings: the Secret Techniques is a straightforward guide for cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, martial artists, and choreographers. Chapters cover the four areas that any athlete needs to work on in order to master the back handspring: conditioning, training, environment, and desire. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams illustrate the step-by-step instructions to strengthening muscles, aligning one's body properly, performing appropriate training drills, and more. "In both the handstand and the back handspring, it is very important that you position your hands correctly to prevent injury to the wrists, elbows, and arms. If your hands are turned out, you can cause the elbows to lock which could lead to hyperextension injuries, dislocations, or worse." A "must-have" for anyone seeking to master the back handspring.

written so that if a child is reading it, she'll understand it.
very helpful for a beginner and advanced. Drills and skills to straighten out problem backhandsprings. best book out there
for this skill.