Tracks Books

This is the book to have on how to keep your feet, knees, and any other body parts working as well as they can. Great diagnosis on whatever ails you as a runner. Timeless and still universally useful regardless of how old the book is. This is my second copy in the last 15 or so years.

A must read book for any runner at all stages of fitness and running experience.

Very good book. Has a plethora of useful tips for veteran and beginner runners alike. Highly recommended.

I so wish I had this book when I just started running! It should have helped me prevent so many painful experiences as well as bills from physiotherapy... This book covers everything from choosing the correct shoes and injury preventing techniques to diagnosing and treating foot and leg injuries. The writer seemed very knowledgeable and he certainly helped me. With his simple advices I can run long distances again without pain and I couldn't do it in almost a year! I had no idea there are so many things that need attention when running safely. Think all runners need this knowledge.

This book was recommended to me by a co-worker and it got me through my first half marathon. I still use it as a reference. I've since gifted it to several friends who also run.

The book was sent to a friend. I am not able to review it since I will not be receiving it.
Bryan Boatwright

We recently experienced the crushing feelings of extreme grief in the death of our 22year old son. Someone lent me this book because they had found solace and comfort in reading this book. They had also dealt with the death of a child. I found a lot of answers to help me deal with the grief and hopefully heal someday. The last two chapters helped me the most. They helped me find one of the elements that has been missing from my life in the past few months and that is "hope".

Mr Claypool used his own experiences of coming through the darkest night into the sunshine of a new day. Very easy to read and understand. I recommend it to anyone wanting to work through grief in a positive way.

Dr. Claypool's book has rescued more people from the depths of grief than any I can recommend. He lost his daughter and this book is four sermons he gave during her illness and then after her death from leukemia. Dr. Claypool himself died in 2005, so his teachings become that much more important to share. He leads the reader to understand that we are sad when we lose someone, but we are enriched by ever having known the person. His words truly are the light at the end of the tunnel -- for anyone who is lost in darkness. For yourself or for someone you care about -- read this book.

I lost my husband in November 2005,even as I write this it doesn't seem
possible. I was given all the books on being a widow and all the platitudes about being in a better place,he's whole, he's happy....I didn't care, he wasn't here. Then I read this little book...John Claypool didn't need 200 pages to tell me what I needed to know...it was alright to
question God, I didn't need to accept that this was "Gods Will"...I could question, I could yell at God but ultimately everything is a gift...Using Job as his example he led me from despair to a measure of peace...I still hurt, a lot, but I try to remember that my husband was a gift, and I'm better for having him in my life. Mr Claypool has a gift for saying a lot in a little space...he lost his daughter and speaks from experience...he showed up in my life at the right time....this book is for the care of your soul.....Mr Claypool is a gifted,interesting writer and I look forward to reading more....

The title says it all, as co-authors Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas amp things up to delve into the training and racing for those who are seeking to achieve big goals in the vast venues of road racing events; from the fast 5k to the grinding marathon.

The charts, analysis and text is geared to be guides over specific periods of time. The book - while a comparably "easy" read - is best used in conjunction with a training/racing schedule, hence it may find a cozy home next to a log and not gathering dust on a shelf.

Pfitzinger was one of the top road racers - and 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon champion - in an incredible era for runners and events. The knowledge and tips he shares are for the long run.

What I like most about Pfitzinger's and Scott's book is that it is a very friendly efficient book that gets right into the subject matter and it breaks down what others describe in more complex fashion, like VO2 Max, into much simplier terms making the comprehension easy and in far fewer pages. Although written in the very late 90s, this book is still an excellent guide for HS and runners virtually up to local elite status. "Daniels Running Formula" is probably mote satisfying, and more detailed for top guns but Pfitziner and Scott give you a lot of the same information with a variety of workouts based on goal times at various distances. The authors even quote Daniel's research and others so it still is in the game. If you want a quick grasp training book that is top knotch, pleasant to read with examples and pictures, then this is your book.

Pfitzinger's book finally delivers on what I always want from a book on a complex subject, simple explanations and simple solutions. Why write 800 pages when 188 will suffice. If you are only looking to train for 5K's then you can skip the section on 10K and marathon training and get even more concise explanations. This book gives short, simple explanations to the key elements of a training program. We now know everything we need to know about VO2 max and lactate threshold training, their relative importance, how to improve them and how to incorporate them into your training program. Pete indirectly points out how most of us are doing no lactate threshold training (by running most of our daily runs to slow) and doing all of our interval work to fast. I recommend this book to anyone looking to improve his or her racing times.

I would also suggest buying "Daniels Running Formula". I bought it last summer and my 5K's times went down from 19:40 to 18:50. I bought "Road Racing for Serious Runners" to basically get a second opinion on Daniel's theories. Actually these are not opinions or theories. These are time-tested methods back by sound science. I'm 43 years old and I'm living proof that random training will yield random results. Both Pfitzinger and Jack Daniels book will eliminate the "lets try this" approach to training. Both books cover the same topics and both authors come up with the basically the same training program. Daniels book breaks his schedule into 4 six-week phases while Pfitzinger has a 10-week and an 11 phase. When you look at both plans it becomes obvious and almost laughable on how easy it is to improve on your racing times (and in my case actually cut back on the training intensity).

I would buy both books so you can really feel good about your new training methods. Pete's book is simpler and has separate schedules for some of us low 20-40 mile per week folks. Daniels book has slightly more science and covers more topics. Daniels also has been around longer and has trained more athletes. There are only a few contradictions in Pete's book. He states on page 21 that your volume of Vo2 max workouts (your hard intervals) should be 1 workout per week with a total distance covered of 4 to 8K with the possibility of adding a second lower volume session each week. This corresponds with Daniels book where he has 2 Vo2 max sessions each week (or 1 Vo2 Max and a race). But when you get to the detailed 5K schedules for the 20-40 miles per week you only see 6 Vo2 max workouts scheduled in 21 weeks, despite them being listed as the number one priority. Also only 5 threshold workouts are scheduled in the last 11 weeks for the 20-40 mile schedule. I guess Pete is no dummy. He knows that Bill Rodgers may not use his book and that it will be geared towards people like me. He knows that I'm going to sneak in a combination of ten 5K and 8K races this fall before I attempt to peak in early December. The Daniels book just encourages it and has those realities clearly shown on the schedules. Just buy both books, start training smarter and in some cases a little easier. I've bought bad unhealthy lunches for [PRICE]. If you run this will be the best [PRICE} you will ever spend.

Very good book for learning to race everything from 5k to marathon distances. There is no fluff, just the facts on how to prepare for a specific race distance. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is the authors schedules are a little too general for those of us who must have a detailed schedule. This book is not a beginner's book. To get the most from it you need to have some experience running races, even if you are a slow runner.

If Jack Daniel's book is the bible of running, this book is a close second. Clear, concise, and with good training tables, this book is a nice tweak on Daniel's book.

Using the methods espoused in these two books has improved my race times dramatically. Instead of random training, every training run now has a purpose; be it a slow easy run or speed workouts at the track.

An excellent book that starts with the basics and progresses in a clear and easy to understand manner. It has good exercises to build your skills and covers the broad spectrum of tracking (humans, animals, stalking, tracker dogs, etc). I have bought several tracking books over the years and I think this is the best to get started with. "Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning How" by Jack Kearney is also excellent. Tom Brown's "Science and Art of Tracking" provides a different perspective to round out your tracking skills, but some people find his spiritual style a bit heavy-going. If you're into tracking humans, "Tracking-Signs of Man, Signs of Hope" by David Diaz is good, and "Tactical Tracking" by David Scott-Donelan is good if you're already fairly competent as a tracker. An excellent book for any tracker is "Tracking and The Art of Seeing" by Paul Rezendes. It will greatly hone your powers of observation and deduction. But, if you're just getting started and only want one book, I highly recommend The SAS Guide To Tracking (along with a readiness to practice lots!).

This book is great for someone interested in tracking, the author goes beyond just the basic skills and givs key examples of training and techniques to improve skill.

Well worth a Read!

This is a very interesting book to read and has lots of great illustrations.

Note that this book is not about the SAS, just great tracking skills and it is well worth reading.

This book is an extensive source of material for tracking humans, but also covers material on all facets of tracking and related skills (stalking, observation and navigation skills). This book has its flaws; some that would make animal tracking experts and Tom Brown "Brownies" cringe; for example mistakes and statements made by Carss about determining the sex of deer. Overall this is very minor mistakes to me. As far as the Human (mantracking) and military tracking portions, I think most of the information is right on, seeing as most was gleamed from military sources like the New Zealand and Australian Special Air Service. One of most interesting topics covered in this book not found in other works is the Track Pursuit Drill (known in U.S. circles as the Track Following Drill), which is a methodical procedure of following sign/spoor that falls somewhere between the step-by-step method and the aggressive speed-tracking. The TPD was adopted for heavily vegetated areas but is suited for all terrain. Also of note is to please be aware that this title was originally published (1st edition) as "The Complete Guide to Tracking" which is identical in everyway other then the cover and size, the 2nd edition being slightly larger and squarer in shape. This book is to be revised and updated for 2008, so keep your eyes open for it! As a professional military tracker I can not recommend this book more. Anyone who wishes to learn a broad base of information on tracking this is the book to start with no matter if you track humans or animals.

Exciting book to read. The information offered in this book is very convincing, and it gives the reader an insight in what it takes to track humans or animals. I haven't practised everything I learnt from reading, but that's the other attractive aspect of this book: it is exciting and interesting just to read as a pastime and learn something more about human and animal behaviour.

Some concepts are not for the beginner. Let's you use your imagination to create outstanding layouts.

This is a great book on how to run and plan your next model railroad. Gives great idea's and samples of yards, train movements and point to point locations. Not just for beginers.

John Armstrong is one of the best known names to the model railroad hobby. He has written extensively but this book is his finest work.

A person interested in railroads finds himself caught up in lots of detailed scenes and complex trackwork. Armstrong explains what it all does and why it is arranged in the way it is. He does this by explaining railroad practice in the real world and then by looking at the problems faced by the modeler. He does so in a lucid and interesting manner...for the first half of the book.

While the first half of the book is dedicated to teaching about how railroads operate, the second is intended to teach how to model them effectively. He explains broad general concepts and then refines things and explains them in easy stages. He knows where the pitfalls are and he points out solutions.

This is a useful book for anyone from beginner to advanced but especially the beginner.

I don't think anyone in the model railroad hobby can say enough about the contributions of the late John Armstrong. His layout designs are masterpieces of getting the most out of a given space and working with the tradeoffs we all enevitably face. The book gives an overview of prototype operations and then goes into countless ideas and pointers for design and operation. I found the section on curve planning (p. 76), schematics (Chap. 8), and laying out an "easement" (p. 116) particularly useful. I recommend this to anyone planning a first layout or for anyone building a second layout after messing up their first. It is a good companion to "Classic Layout Designs," also by John Armstrong.

This book will teach you exactly what it claims. Numerous prototype examples are used throughout the book to give the reader an insight into how you can design a realistic track plan. This book has helped me to better understand why prototype railroads arranged track in certain ways. Excellent book, highly recommended.

This is a true and exciting story that will make you never want to give up on your dreams. I really liked this book and recommend that you read it.

My granddaughter needed books on Wilma Rudolph for a 5th grade school project. This ended up being her favorite. The text was just right for her understanding and she really liked the illustrations. As she was reading it she clutched it to her chest and exclaimed to me, "Grandma, I love this book!" It prompted a conversation about overcoming doubts, believing in yourself and what things inspire us... a conversation I don't think we would have had otherwise.

i am a reading specialist in Washington, DC and chose this book b/c i love David Diaz and because, like wilma, my children have many obstacles in their lives. i simply can not finish this book without nearly crying in front of my class. i've read it so many times, but the suspenseful writing and triumphant ending never get tiring. it is a truly wonderful story and wonderfully told and illustrated by this duo.

Inspirational stories fill hundreds of picture books every year. Most are simply awful. They either tell tales that are loose plots barely supported by facts or they paste together a slapdash concoction of truth and fiction with as little thought as possible. The truly beautiful bio-picture books out there are as rare as hummingbirds in autumn. So it was with great joy that I located "Wilma Unlimited" and found it to be not only inspirational but also a darned good read. Written by Kathleen Krull (the woman who could make long dead musicians fascinating in "Lives of the Musicians" and bring Cesar Chavez to life in the recent "Harvesting Hope") and illustrated by David Diaz the book is the best possible way to introduce kids to one of the world's greatest athletes.

Born in 1940 to a family of twenty-one people (nineteen siblings, no less), Wilma Rudolph was initially a sickly child. Though she was energetic enough, she often caught every disease imaginable. At the age of five, Wilma's left leg twisted inward and it was clear that she'd come down with polio. Still, Wilma was a determined child and she consistently exercised her unruly leg to get stronger. After continual practice, she was finally able to walk free of the leg brace that had weighed her down. At twelve the brace was put away for good and Wilma started participating in sports. She led her high school basketball team to the finals, catching the eye of a college coach. Before you knew it, Wilma was recruited into the Tennessee State University's track-and-field team on a full ride scholarship. In 1960 she competed in the Olympic Games in Rome. The book sets this part up beautifully. Wilma arrived with a twisted ankle into a place filled with television cameras (the first time they ever filmed the Olympics), the place "shimmering heat", and her competition consisting of runners who had run faster races than she ever had. Then Wilma proceeds to win one... two... three gold medals! The last medal is especially dramatic, hinging on the moment when Wilma drops her baton and STILL beats the other runners in the 400-meter relay. The last double page spread in this book shows Wilma standing, "tall and still, like a queen", earning the last of her three medals. It's a truly proud moment for all who have the privilege to experience it once again in picture book form.

Krull has a way with words. I'm not saying that Wilma Rudolph's life is dull. Far from it. But in the hands of a lesser author this story could easily have been bogged down in all the wrong moments. This author knows which moments should be given full glory. The moment when Wilma removes her brace and walks proudly into church will banish from your mind that similar pseudo-inspirational moment in "Forrest Gump". Wilma's struggle at the Olympics through pain and skepticism puts the reader through the same strains. You yearn for this woman to beat them and beat 'em she does. Then, best of all, come the illustrations of David Diaz. This is my first Diaz experience, though I suspect that I'll read many more of his books as the days go on. Diaz has accompanied his illustrations in this tale with sepia toned photographs. The book's endpapers display the outlines of footprints in the dirt. The title page is an evocative view of ivy climbing a raw wooden fence. Behind his colorful illustrations, each background photograph refers to the corresponding scene obliquely. When Wilma and her mother take the bus to the hospital, the photograph is a close-up of a wheel. When she packs away her leg brace, it's shredded packing paper. A great relief it is indeed that the colored illustrations are worthy of their sepia compatriots. Though these pictures may appear blunt at first, they are filled with the most delicate of designs. I loved watching the character of Wilma as she aged. As she grows in confidence, her posture improves and back stiffens until, by the last shot, she is standing taller than all the women around her. Than all the women in the world.

"Wilma Unlimited" should be known to everyone living in American today. This is inspirational without being either annoying or faux-patriotic. It's an actual honest-to-goodness amazing story. The book is beautiful and its story is worthy of its packaging. I challenge you to read it and not shake your head at least once in amazement. It's just that good.

I have used Wilman Unlimited in my classroom for the past few years. It is a fantastic book to use any time during the year, but good for Black History Month also. I use it with fourth graders to teach sequencing and analyzing character. I highly recommend this book.

My copy of the book is already dogged eared and littered with pop up markers throughout. a must have book!

I can't say how much resourceful this book is for users and it has so many ideas that I think it will be resourceful book for me for a long time.

This book is a find. There are so many useful tips on each page that it is worthy of a spot on your bookshelf. You will learn little things that will make a difference.This book is outstanding and worth the price in what you will gain.

This book is so much more than just handicapping. It delivers on handicapping and is really the best book that I have seen anywhere. I almost always have it opened and referred on a daily basis.

this book is an excellent guide on the topic for people of all levels. If you've been considering getting into horse racing and don't know where to start or if you've already been into horse racing for a while and are looking for ways to improve your results - Get this book. Get it now.

Yessiree, I give it 5 stars as a running book. I was finding I was docking some books and CDs; because I approached it like, is it perfect enough to get the highest rating like a Shakespeare play or a symphony?

I go with the genre it belongs too; and too, I'd say those who have had substance abuse/alcohol problems would find it inspiring too; cause Dick became addicted to pain killers; and did some things; that were indeed wrong.

It's a good book for athletes, cause Dick's body did start to break down some; even away from his being prone to some bad accidents. It makes me ponder, we hear about so many athletes who later end up being not in the best shape because of their sports career, say like Larry Bird. It makes you think, it's great to run that great Boston Marathon in '82; but is it worth it in the long run.

I agree, the book may have minor blemishes, might be choppy in parts in the latter half of the book, but it shouldn't keep anyone from reading it, indeed, some of this could have been expanded on.

It's a good book, kind of for your couples too; I mean, I admire his wife, Maureen, for staying with Dick; for her care, love and also standing up to him some.

I definitely, would like to read "Duel in the Sun" to continue reading on Mr. Beardsley, really, along with his rival at the Boston Marathon, Alberto Salazar and along with "Pre" Prefontaine himself; there certainly is more to read on these famous track runners from America.

As Dean Karnazes' book UltraMarathon Man is getting to be compulsory reading for Greeks (but not only them of course), I think Minnesotans and those from the surrounding areas should read this one, especially if they are interested in the sport.

Beardsley reminds me a bit of the great American cyclist from the turn of the century (meaning near 1900) Major Taylor, in that his glory descended into lows.

After going through this book, I am still contemplating parts of it and how we and history will see Dick, but I definitely would wish him and his family the best. Some parts of it, really are astonishing; and it is astonishing as a whole. He certainly has given a lot to the Marathon.

I have heard Dick Beardsley speak and he is awesome. I purchased his book to give for gifts at Christmas time. He has persevered through the toughest of obstacles and is still standing with his wife by his side!

My husband is a marathon runner & enjoys reading. We have met Dick Bearsley when we ran the Detroit Lakes Half marathon. My husband really enjoyed this book. He learned alot about Dick Beardsley & his marathons.

Very well written book! It shows the high and low of Dick Beardsley's running career and life. It is a very quick read, with no slow sections. It might be the best book about running that I have read.

This book is about the life of a runner named Dick Beardsley. It talks about his life goals in running and how he got into a bad habbit of using pain killers. The book takes place in the mainland, and not in a certain place because he traveled a lot to race. See i am a runner so i like the book because it gave me the motivation to go on when the going gets tough. If i compare this book to other book i would say it is not the best running book i have read but, it is better than the other types of books i have read. I think if you are a runner you will really like the book cause it teaches you to be tough in a race and some pointers on how to run marathons. If you do not run i dont think you will have a strong liking with this book. It can get kind of boring a some parts, but the parts that tell about his races really made me want to read on, so if you are a runner i think this book is better for you than if you are not a runner. So be a runner!

I have been a horse racing fan for 20 years, and in all that time I have never fully understood the meanings of different race conditions and how these conditions can influence the outcome of the race.

This is one of those books that any handicapper from novice to old pro can benefit from. I've read through it once and fully intend to read it over and over until I have mastered every item in it.

This book is a must own for anyone who takes Horse Touting seriously, one of the only books besides Beyers that actually ues statistical information to back up his stuff. James Quinn is one of my new favorite authors.

Essential to any bettor's library. This book has cut my handicapping time in half as I eliminate the absolute non contenders in minutes. Combined with form analysis, this book also points out the strong favorites and chalk in just a bit more time.

This is the most valuable book I own on horse racing. James Quinn writes so clear and knows so much about the sport. This books tells you all the different types of races and what horse is most qualified to win those races. It has helped me out so much. I don't bet, but I enter contest online and you have to be prepared for every type of race when you enter them. An excellent read for everyone.

I've read several books on handicapping and wagering on racing. Some have been very good and very helpful.
None were as helpful as this.
As a casual handicapper, you learn to look at speed figures and try to guess who's fastest. But the fastest horse doesn't always win. Class and form are sometimes overlooked.
This book taught me to look at who belongs and who doesn't. And who was meant to win this particular race.
After you read this book, you won't miss as much regarding class and form. This will likely lead you to more live horses at longer odds. Especially when so many others use speed as their primary criteria and create short prices for the horses with the highest Beyers.
And the appendicies are a tremendous tool for day-to-day handicapping. A must-read for any serious handicapper.

My copy of the book is already dogged eared and littered with pop up markers throughout. a must have book!

I can't say how much resourceful this book is for users and it has so many ideas that I think it will be resourceful book for me for a long time.

This book is a find. There are so many useful tips on each page that it is worthy of a spot on your bookshelf. You will learn little things that will make a difference.This book is outstanding and worth the price in what you will gain.

This book is so much more than just handicapping. It delivers on handicapping and is really the best book that I have seen anywhere. I almost always have it opened and referred on a daily basis.

this book is an excellent guide on the topic for people of all levels. If you've been considering getting into horse racing and don't know where to start or if you've already been into horse racing for a while and are looking for ways to improve your results - Get this book. Get it now.