Tracks Books

I tried the run/walk and it works. Hopefully this will enable me to continue my triathlon career.

The seller described the book accurately except for the smell. Someone at some point in time had marked out something on the inside cover with one of those industrial-strength black permanent markers (the ones that are one step above a Sharpie). It stank to high heaven. I had to get a razor blade and cut a rectangle of the paperback cover out because the smell was so bad. But otherwise the book was in fine condition.

A friend at work recommended this book and I have already learned so much from it. It is just a terrific resource from a novice to a more advanced runner. highly recommended, an easy read.

Great stuff - a workable, practical guide that will suit beginners and seasoned runners alike. A really worthwhile purchase and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their running experience and remain injury-free.

I was very disappointed with this book. The information was outdated and the section on women's running was inaccurate.

I have read some running books. This one provides more general information. If you are a novice trying to improve, this book is highly recommended. It also includes the official NYC marathon guide.

I absolutely loved this book. After reading it I felt that I was far more prepared to both physically and mentally take on a marathon. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is starting to run and wants to get ready for any length of race.

Be aware that this is not a comprehensive guide, you should look elsewhere for information on nutrition or lifting. But if you are looking for a solid running guide, this is the right book for.

Kindle Version only: I ended up buying this book in print after I found that many of the charts were impossible to read on the Kindle. This is just one of the reasons I have been disappointed with the Kindle.

This book has an extensive amount of information, race charts, pacing charts, training guides for runners of various levels and for various events (5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon). Special chapters on marathon recovery, mental aspects of running, racing strategy, and so on. I've had this book for over a year and find myself turning back to it again and again. Well organized and easy to flip through and find the information that I need (sometimes with the use of the very handy index).

When I bought this book I was just starting to run longer distances and hadn't been in any races, so I wasn't the target audience. If you are like me. you'll be a little unsure what your 10K pace is, for example, because you may never have run one. But if you think you're going to be in races and care about your time, I would suggest that this book is worth buying and reading even if those are still in your future.

The book is also kind of old-fashioned, based on what I've picked up elsewhere. It focuses on total weekly mileage more than seems to be in fashion these days, for example, and that approach may not work for those like me who are getting into this at an older age (I'm 46). It also talks about calling race organizers on the phone rather than looking at the race's website, which seems kind of quaint in 2007.

What's really good about it is that it covers so much. It gave me a lot of good tips for little things to remember before my first race (the San Francisco Half Marathon). It gives guidance for many different lengths of races. It talks about injuries and other issues that may come up. It even talks about balancing running with the rest of your life.

With a good update this would be a 5 star book, and even as it is, it's well worth your time.

"Go for the Goal" is about Mia Hamm, one of the best soccer players in the world and about her struggles, difficulties, and accomplishments in her life. She helped lead the women's world cup team to a victory in 1999. She has faith that every one that dreams about being a soccer star, go for it! This is one of my favorate books not only because I play soccer competitively but because she has showed me some techniques and strategies she used to be an amazing soccer player. This book is interesting and factual about Mia life and could help change your idea about soccer.

This book is great for anyone who likes soccer and Mia Hamm. It has training tips, drills, and it tells a lot about Mia Hamm. I can't put the book down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love women's soccer and mia hamm takes the cake. this book makes you feel like you're part of the game. the narrative is good and mia has put some personal and important photos in the book that you'll cherish as well.

for the soccer lover, run out and get it immediately!

super.

1. chapters on her ideas is just extremely inspiring
2. soccer tips are great.

Personally, I found this really boring. I'm not really sure what I just read. I was kind of hoping that there'd be some personal insight because Mia Hamm is a facsinating person. When I finished I really wasn't inspired, or informed, or anything. I was just bored. There are better books out there, this one isn't really worth your time.

Excellent resource for training. I recently completed Ironman Louisville in 12:29:56 by following the 26 week plan in this book. It was awesome!

This book is awesome for someone that just doesn't know how much training they really need. There specific plans for race distance and athletic ability along with how to make your training plan work with all of the other responsibilities in life.

Training Plans for Multisport Athletes: Your Essential Guide to Triathlon, Duathlon, XTERRA, Ironman, and Endurance Racing
This is an awesome book! It's exactly what I have been looking for. The training schedules are easy to follow. It also has all the information one would need regarding fueling etc. I love it! Denise, Vernon, B.C. Canada

This book has everything for the multi-sport athlete. I like how this book could help a person grow from a sprint to ironman triathlete. I have used this book to help make plans for friends who want to do duathlons and for myself to prepare for a series of olympic distance triathlons and one 70.3. I found her workout plans are a great guide post to building an individualized plan (gives a good base of what and how much I should be doing). If schedules permit, her workouts straight out of the book are wonderful! I really like how the workouts are rated not just by time, but by effort and I notice a steady build with more or less recovery weeks every 3-4 weeks---just like I've read a person should do to train. This has become my personal traithlon training bible complete with sticky-note tabs all through it for quick reference. I don't know how I ever prepared for a multisport without it!

This is a wonderful book for triathletes of all levels. Gale is both a gifted athlete and a talented writer. She presents the facts without getting overly complicated or high tech. She acknowledges the need for super effective time management without "dumbing down". I have been a fan of Gale's for many years due to her column in Triathlon Life magazine. This book expands on some of the concepts in her column and spells out succinctly how you can make your own plans happen.

She comes across as approachable without talking down. Yet Gale is one of the most accomplished coaches in the country, currently getting Team USA ready for Beijing. All that said, I do believe this book is best utilized by beginners....Still, it is a wonderful resource for the tri community - grab it and use it! And, enjoy.

Let me just say that I admire this woman. What she accomplished was incredible - trekking mostly alone across the Australian desert with her 3 camels. And she had to go out and get the training she needed without much help, and a lot of prejudice against women.
However, I found it hard to relate to her. I was rooting for her, but I kept thinking that I would NEVER have put myself in those situations to start with. I love to travel, but I'm not that adventurous.

This book was so inspiring, I had to order it twice. I had lent my original copy which was given to me as a gift, and the person lost it. I ordered a second copy because this book was a keeper, and foolishly I lent it out again, and lost it again. I now have a brand new copy again, which just arrived, and I will not be lending it. This is a book I will keep forever as a reference, or to read ove and over at times in my life when I need to be motivated, or need to find the strength to endure.

Well I could begin and go on for pages but let me keep this short.

A young woman heads to the edge of civilization as most people know it.
She learns about how people really are by her interaction with others who are barely making it.

Heads into the wilds of Australia where she learns quite a bit more about herself and 'the raw undercurrent of what she thought was civilization' (you like that bit there?) Interspersed with some shots of the outback. This is the story behind the great coffee table book which is filled with some great photos.

Also part of the beginning of the age of interactive CDROMS (unfortunately the CDROM will NOT play correctly on anything newer that about 1990, win95 mac os9)

Highly recommended

This story is 254 pages long and the first 100 pages are nothing but the battles Robyn fought with the townfolk and their feelings about Aborigines, her landlord, finding suitable camels and then training them.

When she finally starts her journey from Alice Springs two years after her arrival there, one is relieved to finally read about the torturous journey she undertook, both with the locals, those annoying tourists along the way, and her intermittent relationship with photographer/sex partner Richard from National Geographic. Somewhere in the middle of the book the journey lost its meaning for me, although I finished the book. It was obvious by then that Robyn made this trek to wrestle with the demons within her, to battle something she had been battling all her life.

A travelogue is always a journey of one's own soul and Robyn's soul was troubled from the start, both from loneliness and what appears to be either drug or alcohol addiction (she mentioned several times how she'd drink her whiskey hard after trouble with the camels.)

I have to admire her for finishing her journey, but she doesn't give her partner enough credit for pulling her through this. She loves her camels and her dog and yet sometimes she treats them as less than that, and like some readers have already mentioned, she paid dearly for that in the end. Some of the honesty angered me and I wanted to yell out "Woman, why would you do something like that!"

This is not an adventure I'm willing to emulate. Although Australia and its people and terrain fascinate me, I'd be much happier along the eastern shore.

The integrity of this writing, this soul-baring, reminded me of Doug Peacock's Grizzly Years: a flight from the insanities of civilization into the healing refuge of nature's raw dangers. Tracks was written by a rare bird; this is writing from the guts. For a first book, exploding out of nowhere, chronicling a soul in search of what is ultimately significant, Robyn Davidson has got the write stuff. Intrepid is the word.

The crystalline expressions of her soul match the purity and desolation of the Outback landscapes. Even a guy like Edward Abbey was swept up in admiration for the courage of this person to embark on her 9 month odyssey. Truly a remarkable book - 5 plus stars.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

This book was recommended to me, and I am glad I took the recommendation. Kenny Moore, who wrote the screenplay for Without Limits, one of the two Prefontaine movies, does it again. One cautionary note: once you pick this book up be prepared to read for long periods of time without wanting to put it down.

This is THE book for anyone who ever ran ladders or repeat quarters (if you don't know what that means, you're still going to enjoy the story).

Had the opportunity to get my copy signed by Kenny recently. I told him that nearly lost my composure when I read the intro; if I would've had someone to tell me to slow down during training, I wouldn't have burned out at age 17.

I was bummed that he didn't include the picture of himself and Frank Shorter after the '72 Olympic Marathon; that shot has to win the award for best athletic facial hair by a duo.

The stories are woven together so masterfully, and it's hard to believe that the book covers a full century in time.

In the acknowledgements, Kenny's small note to the runners of Oregon really speaks volumes; namely, he apologizes for compressing and diluting their stories in order to fit them into the book. Anyone who has lived the life will surely understand the significance of that statement.

"Bowerman" is a collector's piece.

Being a native Oregonian, I loooved reading about the Bowerman family history. As a former runner, I enjoyed reading about the races. The book is very detailed and thorough. It's very well done. Enjoy!

I "raced" through this book and now plan to re-read in a more "paced" manner. I had read the excerpt printed in Runner's World magazine (Rodale publishes the magazine and also is the book's publisher) and looked forward to the book with high interest.

I very much enjoyed getting to know much more about Bowerman than I had previously. He was a multi-talented, caring (if somewhat imperfect) individual to whom all of us recreational runners owe a huge debt of gratitude.

I was surprised by the sections on Prefontaine, since Mr. Moore was co-author of the script for the movie "Without Limits". The movie painted a slightly darker picture of Pre than does the book. I was thrilled to hear of Pre's charitable interests and his work in bringing the Norwegians to Oregon.

Like other reviewers, I found some of the track info a bit technical for me, but enjoyed it. Also, I was a bit confused by some of the early Bowerman family chapters.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, however. It is a must read for runners of all types and anyone interested in the life story of a truly exceptional person.

Bill Bowerman lived an extraordinary life by any standards. He was a top college track coach who won four national NCAA track titles, the Olympic track coach during the fateful Munich Olympics, a decorated officer in the mountain/ski battalion during WWII, a co-founder of Nike, and with his millions from Nike, a generous philanthroper.

Bowerman seemed destined to live a life the generated great fascinating stories. Examples: He was coach to the stormy and supremely talented Steve Prefontaine. He (Bowerman) took on the American Athletic Union and its hypocritical stand on amateurism. He was in love with a woman who love him when he was a quarterback for the University of Oregon at the same time that she also loved the quarterback for the University of Southern California--a man who eventually become president of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. (The woman decided to marry the winner of the UO-USC football game! I won't tell you how that came out.)

As a result, this book is amazingly enjoyable at multiple levels. The stories are fascinating in their own right, but especially because Bowerman's life had as its backdrop some of the most amazing events in American history: the settling of Oregon, the Olympic movement, the running explosion that helped Nike become a multi-billion-dollar company, World War II, Viet Nam, and unrest among black athletes. The stories are skillfully written by Sports Illustrated writer and Olympic runner Kenny Moore, whom Bowerman coached. The book is also a story about character, integrity, and the winning spirit.

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon is more interesting and exciting than fiction. It's a must read for all athletes, especially runners, and it's a great read for everyone else. I highly recommend it.

All in all, I think this is a really nice intro, especially if you are new to triathlons. Nice overview of all the events, and good snip-its of advice on a training program and how to balance working on all 3 sports.

Just a slight nit with the swimming section where Terry Laughlin pretty much tells you not to spend any time on developing swimming endurance or much time in the water other than to do some drills. If you are a swimmer from the start, this is ridiculous. If you are new or less comfortable with swimming, this is also ridiculous because time in the water (and a modicum of endurance) will go a long way towards giving you the comfort level you need in the swim. "Relaxing" is a great bit of advice, but you can relax even better if you've built up some endurance along with an efficient technique. At a minimum, get used to swimming your race distance in a pool (even if it's breastroke or side-stroke) and better yet, try some open water swimming if you can. Swimming is do-able, swimming right is even do-able. Don't let the negative comments in the swim section of this book discourage you. Do the drills, but don't be afraid to follow them up with a little swimming!

If you have significant experience in any one of the sports, it may be of less use, but overall a very good basic resource. It has some training tables, offers insights into the difference between races with different lengths. I liked the explanation of triathlon rules and essential gear required.

I found this book to be very informative. The workout suggestions have been helpful especially the swim drills. I highly recommend this book for the tri newby.

This was the first book on Triathlon racing and training that I bought - several years ago. Its a well-written introduction to the sport and to training. An easy read, it covers all the basics - swim technique, biking mileage and the ever popular run.

I think any beginner should start with this book for the sections on nutrition, staying healthy and race preparation. Some of the best advice you can get - aside from fellow triathletes - is in this book about race day prep, things to know and do, etc.

Excellent beginners books for those preparing to enter this sport. This book is just what i was looking for, given all the questions I had surrounding Triathlon training. The input given in the book on the equipment recommendations proved useful in pointing me in the right direction. A great buy.

Roller derby is back, but very different from the banked track derby that many people remember from the 70's. The reimagination of derby as a flat track, skater-run sport started with a single league in Texas in 2003. Today, there are leagues of smart, strong women all over the country ready and willing to step into their skates and knock a bitch down.

A fascinating history of flat track roller derby, starting with the founding of the Texas Rollergirls in 2003, and continuing through th Dust Devil National Championship in 2006. Quotes, stories, and profiles from real rollergirls, in addition to fast-paced derby action, make this a book that will be almost impossible for skaters or fans of derby to put down.

Melicious describes her immediate enchantment with the sport after seeing a bout and her subsequent trip to the rink for her first practice. I could relate because I had the same reaction. Even though I hadn't been on skates since middle school, my local team has welcomed me and is patiently teaching me how to hold my own on eight wheels.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This book was so hard to put down that I read it in one day. It explained the inner workings of derby and motivated me to skate even faster and hit even harder!

-Madame Switchblade #75
Rogue Rollergirls, Fayetteville, NC

While Melicious' book does provide some insight into the modern roller derby revival, "Totally True" it's not. It is factual - that is to say there is nothing "made up," but she was under no obligation to apply journalistic standards of balance and integrity to her book. The facts that she did select reflect this.

This book was just what I needed. I just started as freshmeat with the Philly Roller Girls and read this book before I went to tryouts. It gave me an inside look at what I might expect in the derby world. Reading about Melissa's experience coming into her league and starting from scratch was really inspiring. She explains what it takes to be a derby girl, what to expect, how tough it all really is, and how rewarding it and the derby community can be. I definitely recommend this book if you're at all interested in the most recent derby revolution. It's taking over and it's awesome!

Amazing, witty and informative. Melicious' book taught me new ways to practice, ways to perfect my persona and even how to develop an awesome signature for autographs. This book is amazing for girls just starting their derby adventure and for girls that have been in the "biz" for years. I ate it UP! Ace Face, Star City Rollergirls. Roanoke, VA.

A real good reference material that's rigth on the money if you really want to improve your running times

great book for beginners to advanced runners. It will let you go from short distance to long in a short period of time, but remember no magical formula without discipline !

If you only buy one book on how to train, this is the one. I tell all my running friends that are looking to go longer distances or get their running to the next level that they need to buy this book and ChiRunning. This one to figure out how fast to run and how to train. ChiRunning to figure out how to run pain free and use gravity to run faster.

Buy this book. It has everything you need to figure out how fast you should be running in order to maximize your potential. It makes so much sense and it really works!

I'll start by saying most of the information in this book is available online for free. You can read about the theory and the success stories at various running websites and figure out the custom paces you will need to execute the plan on your own. I did exactly this and ran a successful marathon (3:45). I decided I wanted to ramp up the training for my next marathon and dropping the minimal ($10) on the book, helped. It reinforces the theory and gives you all the details and success stories to make you feel ready for the big day. The pace charts, tips and personal stories are all worth going back to, which makes this a book worth having.

Running three days a week is all a lot of people can squeeze in. This program truly minimizes burnout and leaves you recovered for each run. Each run is specific and relatively HARD compared to other training plans, but - as the book explains - each run has a purpose. This helps you mentally as you set out on each run. You know it's an important part of the program, not "just mileage". Don't get me wrong, I'm 3 weeks out from the NYC Marathon and I am VERY ready to be done, but I think it would be much worse if I had 4+ runs a week. That wouldn't work for my lifestyle.

SUMMARY: The program works and provides great training programs (You need to be strict with the cross-training). The book is a good reference tool to have handy to build your program and refer back to for information and motivation.

Just completed my 1st marathon last May 2008 and was very happy to have a 3:48:38 time (8:44 per mile) and viewed the experience as a tremendous "natural high" due to my age (43) and limited running experience. The only problem was the 18 weeks of training left and the marathon race itself left me burned out in the two months after the race.

Minor injuries were getting in the way of my training for a 1/2 marathon race on October 12, 2008. Needed to find a different training program that involved more that just running.

Finally discovered the FIRST Training program on-line and immediately started using the training method beginning on July 21, 2008. Within 3-4 weeks, the training really started kicking in. No more minor injuries and my running times improved unexpectedly.

After many practice runs, I kept asking myself why is my time this fast because I wasn't trying to run fast? The runs felt effortless, smooth, and the bicycle cross training made my legs stronger.

Bottom line on 1/2 marathon race day was a 1:33:13 time (7:07 per mile). In no way did I ever dream my time would be this low because my goal time was 1:38:15 (7:30 per mile).

I credit this all to FIRST Training. No way would my have time have been this low with other training methods. In addition, my confidence in my running ability has grown exponentially. During the entire training process, I felt as if I was working smarter, instead of harder. The most miles that I ever ran in one week totaled 30.

Thank you developers of FIRST Training and looking forward to my next marathon race!

This is a great book for beginning and experienced marathoners alike. It provides history, motivation, and a complete guide for everything from completing a first marathon to attaining a PR. Higdon has done a great job updating editions to keep up with nutrition products, such as gels and sport drinks.

I'm training for my first marathon and was given this book by my cousin who has run multiple marathons. I should say that I am in college and have been distance running since I was around 13. I run for fun, not really for competition and the idea of a marathon intimidated me because it seemed like such a far leap from what I am used to.

This book provides a lot of motivation but in ways I did not expect. I didn't realize upon getting this book that it was not only targeted to first time marathoners but also to people who really don't run. I found the provided training schedules to be a bad fit for my personal fitness. The novice schedules were too slow to start, and the advanced schedules were too intense. I also come from running 6, sometimes 7, days a week so only running 4 days is a problem for me.

Ultimately, this book is a great marathon book and I really enjoyed reading it. However, I do think it is targeted to the non-runner and wish it was a little bit more advanced.

Hal Higdon is one of the first names I heard when I started running. He's a true expert in a sport that can benefit anyone-no matter who you are.

I'm a pretty slow runner, but I like this book because it's welcoming. Higdon has helped thousands of people finish their first marathon and this book is putting years of experience on paper.

It's friendly even to beginners, and presents very specific ways to train for a marathon. It's idiot-proof and very, very forgiving.

This book is also a big shot of motivation, as well! Every time you pick it up it makes you want to go for a run-work toward that goal. I'd recommend this book to anyone. Not just people who want to run marathons, either-because it gives tips helpful for any runner from nutrition to clothing to pace and keeping yourself mentally in the game.

Sat and read this book all the way through in a sitting. Lots of fantastic practical tidbits for the first time marathoner, as well as those who have not quite qualified for Boston (yet). The August injury chapter was a favorite. Those sub 3 hour folks are probably reading something else anyways. His website is also quite good. Nice job, Hal!

Tons of great tips make this reference guide a must-have for marathon runners. There are also inspirational tidbits to get you back on the track.