Huge List of Running Movies and Books (Read 2276 times)

Let me know if you have any to add, the list is currently at 26 movies and 92 books.  Now at 42 movies, 149 books.

Order of this list

Movies

Books:

Training

Ultramarathons

Nutrition/Weight Training/Injury

Biographies and Novels

Other

Movies

Running the Sahara (2010)

With Charlie Engle, narrated by Matt Damon.  4300 miles in 111 days, enduring temperatures up to 140 degrees.

Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons-50 States-50 Days

It's Dean Karnazes again.  The title is pretty self-explanatory.

The Runner: Extreme Ultrarunner David Horton

Follows Dave as he runs over 40 miles a day for 66 days trying to set the speed record for the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Running on the Sun (1999)

Follows the 1999 Badwater race.  Goes into the lives of some of the competitors and what motivated them to get there.

On the Edge (1985)

A once-promising runner who was unfairly banned from amateur competition twenty years ago sets out to recapture his lost glory and begins to train for one of the toughest races in America, the Cielo Sea.

Robber

A champion marathoner leads a double life as a serial bank robber, sprinting between fixes (and away from police cavalcades) as many as three times a day. A lean, visceral study of pathological compulsion from Austrian director Benjamin Heisenberg, featuring a riveting central performance by Andreas Lust (Munich).

Running America (2010)

Charlie Engle and Marshall Ulrich run from San Francisco to New York.

Spirit of the Marathon (2007)

Follows six people that train for and race the 2005 Chicago Marathon.

1000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky

Follows the training and racing of Anton Krupicka.

The Dipsea Demon

A 96 year old man runs the 2nd oldest footrace in America, the grueling Dipsea race, for a world record 68 consecutive times. An American original, he has lived alone all his life on his 400-acre homestead in the Sierra Nevada foothills with no running water, electricity or house.

Trail Running

DVD on trail running with Dave McMahon and Ray Zahab.

A Race for the Soul

Documentary covering the Western States race.

Chariots of Fire

The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism.

Jericho Mile

Rain Murphy is a man sentenced to life in prison, choosing to do his time in near-isolation, and engages in distance running when given the opportunity for free-time. While his form and speed capture the attention of prison officials who believe he could be competitive for the Olympics, Murphy expresses disinterest. But when the one man he has befriended is taken advantage of by political groups within the prison, Murphy decides to pursue the opportunity presented to him in his memory. This action not only has profound changes on him, but also on the atmosphere of the inmates in the prison and their outlook on the accomplishments he can make.

Running Brave

Story of Billy Mills in the 1964 Olympic 10,000m

Prefontaine

It's the true-life story of legendary track star Steve Prefontaine, the exciting and sometimes controversial "James Dean of Track," whose spirit captured the heart of the nation! Cocky, charismatic, and tough, "Pre" was a running rebel who defied rules, pushed limits ... and smashed records ... in an incredible against-all-odds quest for Olympic gold!

Without Limits

The film follows the life of famous 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine from his youth days in Oregon to Oregon University where he worked with the legendary coach Bill Bowerman, later to Olympics in Munich and his early death at 24 in a car crash.

Fire on the Track

Fire On the Track is the story of this young lion's life, as told through rare footage and the memories of those who knew him best - his teammates, coaches, family and friends. Interviews include David Bedford, Frank Shorter, Ian Stewart, Bill Bowerman, Jeff Galloway, Dick Buerkle, Lasse Viren, Dana Carvey, Mac Wilkins, Kenny Moore, Dave Wottle, Alberto Salazar, and many more.

Across the Tracks

Though this movie is slightly cheesy, and obviously neither Brad nor Ricky's best work, it is very entertaining nonetheless. Brad Pitt as a track star...need I say any more? And Ricky Schroeder as a troubled youth looking to make a fresh start...brilliant. The best part of the movie is the drunk scene (if you watch it you'll know what I mean), which can be reenacted over and over with your friends for hours and hours of guaranteed hilarity.

Run Reckless

A motivational documentary that will give you great insight into the daily outlook, mindset and madness of a professional runner to help you get to that next level. 2-time Olympian Anthony Famiglietti gives you an inside look at what it takes to become one of the best runners in the world.

Four Minutes

Starring legendary actor Christopher Plummer (THE INSIDER, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) and Jamie Maclachlan as Sir Roger Bannister -- you and your family will cheer on this amazing account of a gifted runner's triumph! After Mount Everest was conquered in 1953, the last great individual challenge remained the four-minute mile. While many sought to break through the most famous barrier in sporting history, it was medical student and driven amateur Roger Bannister who did it -- astounding the world. Written by renowned sportswriter Frank Deford -- don't miss one second of this remarkable achievement, both on and off the track.

The Four Minute Mile

The Four Minute Mile is the compelling story of Roger Bannister and his rivals, the runners who shared his dream and pursued it with unrelenting tenacity. It was a quest for athletic immortality that spanned eight years, three continents and captivated a post-war world avidly seeking new heroes.

Dr. Nicholas Romanov’s Pose Method of Running

Learning how to run doesn't get any simpler! The Pose Running DVD contains all the information you need to understand what running is and how to learn to run the right way! Used by everyone from amateur runners to Olympic & National team members of USA, Great Britain, Russia and Mexico. Dr. Nicholas Romanov, the Russian sport science professor and British National Triathlon team coach, teaches you how to run easier, faster, safer with his pioneering Pose Method® of Running Video.

RunSmart: Fast, Efficient and Injury-Free Running

This DVD is a drill and exercise guide to fast, efficient, and injury free running. Efficiency is the missing piece to a significant portion of every runners training program. Improving your efficiency will yield faster running at the same effort. The human body is similar to a race car: you can have a big, powerful engine, but the pistons are not firing properly, the engine is useless. Just like a race car, a tune up to determine the efficiency of your movement can ensure a finely tuned machine! The information on this DVD will provide you with drills and exercises that promote fast, efficient, and injury free running.

Run for Your Life

Boston may have done it first, but the way Run For Your Life tells it, it was the New York City Marathon that put the idea of the big city road race on the map, in the process adding immeasurably to the popularity of running in general. When it began in 1970, the New York event consisted of four circuits around Central Park, where a few hundred participants shared the roadway with baby carriages and hansom cabs. In 1976, when the race expanded to include all five of the city’s boroughs, it attracted some 2,000 athletes, including Olympians Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers.

The Long Green Line

Cross country isn't a glamor sport, but that doesn't mean you should run away from The Long Green Line. Cross country, which involves teams of runners traversing hill and dale for points, doesn't attract a lot of attention, but there are great stories to tell; this documentary is more about the people who run than about the sport in which they compete. Its focus is legendary coach Joe Newton and his York High School program, from neophyte freshmen recruited from the halls of the Elmhurst school to Newton, arguably the greatest high school coach in the country, regardless of sport.

Evolution Running: Run Faster With Fewer Injuries

For the past decade, African runners have dominated distance running at its highest levels. Research on what makes these runners faster consistently demonstrates normal VO2 Max and lactate threshold levels for elite runners. Their height, weight, and limb-length ratios all fall into the normal category. Clearly and consistently, what sets the great African runners apart is that they are more efficient than their competitors, running faster without expending more energy. Experts in running economy agree that running barefoot through childhood contributes significantly to the extraordinary economy of these athletes. We're not suggesting that you run barefoot. We are suggesting that you take the time and effort to learn the techniques that may be more natural running barefoot, and implement them into your shoe-running technique.

Running-The BK Method

FIVE HOURS OF CONTENT-2 DISK SET!An advanced running technique is presented based on the application of knowledge gained from anatomy and biomechanics. You will get tremendous insight into how different muscles work together as well as alone during running. Extensive information is given on the structure and function of the most important muscles. Topics include start and acceleration, high-speed and efficient running. This takes into account differences in backgrounds and interests of runners. Information on technique is provided on two levels. Level 1 assumes that the reader has no prior knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics. Complicated principles are explained clearly without in-depth discussion of human anatomy. Level 2 assumes a basic knowledge of anatomy and some insight into biomechanical principles in as far as they are relevant to running.

100 Miles to 40

The Western States Endurance Run is an ultra-marathon that starts near Squaw Valley, California and winds 100 miles through the Sierra Nevada mountains along an old gold mining trail.

Competitors face 100+ degree heat, 18,000 feet of elevation gain, and the dangers of running in the dead of night.

Yiannis Kouros-Forever Running

Forever Running gives an in-depth look at the life and philosophy of the legendary Yiannis Kouros, known as the "Running God," "Golden Greek," "Pheidippides' Successor," and as the "Master of Pain." Kouros holds records from 100 miles to 1,000 miles, from 200 km to 1,600 km, and from 1 day to 10 days.

Saint Ralph

An inspiring story about the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon. Ralph is a fatherless 14-year-old with a seriously ill mother, who knows he's a time bomb waiting to explode into greatness, except that he has no idea where that greatness will manifest itself. An unfortunate incident of self-abuse in the community pool inadvertently sets him on this road when, as penance, Ralph is conscripted to the cross-country team. Desperate to believe a miracle will bring his mother out of a coma, Ralph becomes a convert to the church of running, and determines to win the Boston Marathon.

 The Runner

Meet Italian Marco Olmo, Ultra runner and defending champion as he spends a year training for what may be his final race, Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc. Starting his running at age 27, he is now more than double that age and still bringing home more hardware on each outing. By day he works as a driver in a quarry, and other times he can be found in the remote areas around his town putting in the miles. His wife, Renata, is his support team and sounding board. She appears to be the one who knows Marco the best, if anyone can say that they know him at all.

5000 Meters: Nothing Comes Easy

Every four years, the world of track and field focuses on one event, and in 2004, the focus was on Athens. Across the U.S., runners dreamed of representing their country, competing against the best, and being an Olympian.

Five Thousand Meters: Nothing Comes Easy chronicles the quest of nine runners attempting to make the team in the 5k.

Run, Fatboy, Run

On his wedding day, London lay-about Dennis (Pegg, who co-wrote with Michael Ian Black) deserts his pregnant fiancée, Libby (Crash's Thandie Newton), seconds before the ceremony. Crippling insecurity--which remains unexplored--prevents him from finishing anything ("Not even a sentence," Libby quips). Flash-forward five years, and he's a loving dad to son Jake (the charming Matthew Fenton), but sports a small potbelly, smokes too much and entertains no ambition beyond his job as security guard at a high-end boutique. Fortunately, he has friends, like gambler Gordon (Shaun of the Dead co-star Dylan Moran) and avuncular landlord Mr. Ghoshdashtidar (Harish Patel). Fit American financier Whit (Huff's Hank Azaria) shakes up his routine when he starts seeing Libby. To win her back, Dennis trains for the same 26-mile charity marathon as Whit. No one believes he can make it to the end, and even Dennis has doubts, but true love is a formidable motivator.

Runner’s High

When teenagers from one of the nation's toughest neighborhood in Oakland, California sign up to train for a marathon, they begin the journey of a lifetime. Runners High is an intimate character driven documentary of struggle, courage, and hope. During a season filled with conflict and possibility, four of these teen bare their dreams, joys, tears and fears. As several stumble under pressure in emotionally charged moments, others realize the journey begins with the power and commitment to accept responsibility for their own futures. Runners High shows that no matter what happens next, one season of training to run 26.2 miles can change your life forever.

The Olympic Series: Golden Moments 1920-2002

This DVD is over 6 hours long, containing many of the outstanding performances, including Jesse Owens, Bob Beamon's magnificent world record breaking by nearly 2 feet in the long jump at in 1968 in Mexico (Beamon broke down into a seizure, not believing what he had just done...the delay in the result was because the length of his leap was beyond the measure of the equipment), Boxing's Teofilo Stevens of Cuba, winning gold 3 times consecutively at the superheavyweight, Uganda's John Akii-Bua (RIP) becoming the first to run under 48 seconds at the 400 meter hurdles, Lee Evans in 1968 becoming the first man under 44 seconds in the 400 meters (the black power salutes by Tommy Smith and John Carlos are not left out), Cuba's Alberto Juantorena becoming the first Cuban track gold medallist when he won in (and first man ever with golds at both Olympic events)both the 400 and 800 meters run. The list goes on and on.

Training for Track and Field: Distance Running

Coach Joe Walker presents a comprehensive distance running and cross country training program applicable to runners at any level! The program provides specific routines for developing the complete distance runner without over training. Among the topics covered are: warm up routines, the diagonal run, hill training, interval training, circuit training and the principles of distance training. This DVD is a valuable resource for coaches and athletes looking to gain the edge over the competition.

ChiRunning DVD: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running

NEW EDITION! Practiced by thousands of runners, the ChiRunning technique is easy to learn and takes the benefits of running beyond cardiovascular and aerobic by addressing the needs of the whole person; joints and ligaments, body and soul. You'll learn to run using your highly efficient core muscles while relaxing the rest of your body, allowing gravity to do the work instead of your legs. Using principles of T'ai Chi, ChiRunning combines ancient wisdom with modern physics to transform your running experience.

Marathon Challenge

Every year thousands of athletes from across the globe flock to Boston to run the city s marathon, known worldwide as the ultimate test of stamina and endurance. But how do you run 26 miles if you have trouble making it around the block? With good coaching, discipline, and lots of group support, as NOVA shows when it follows 13 sedentary people through a nine-month regimen designed to prepare them for the grueling Boston Marathon.

Building a Better Runner: Building from the Ground Up

This DVD contains over 80 minutes of content and over 100 different exercises designed to improve strength, prevent injury and help athletes run faster. The vast majority of the exercises require no equipment and can be done in a gym, on the track or even in a basement. The Preventive Exercises are designed to prevent injury in areas that are most problematic for runners, such as the plantar fascia, the patellar tendon and the iliotibial band. While we can't guarantee that these exercises will prevent these injuries, there is no doubt that anyone who adds these exercises to his or her weekly training regimen has a better chance of running injury free.

Forrest Gump

The Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Best Director Robert Zemeckis, and Best Actor Tom Hanks, this unlikely story of a slow-witted but good-hearted man somehow at the center of the pivotal events of the 20th century is a funny and heartwarming epic.

Hood To Coast 2-Disc Special Edition DVD

Heartfelt, funny and inspiring, the documentary HOOD TO COAST follows four very different teams on an epic journey to conquer the world's largest relay race. A 67-year-old heart attack survivor returns to conquer the race that nearly killed her, a family in mourning runs to honor the memory of their beloved, a group of film animators test the limits of their athleticism (or lack thereof), and a group of aging jocks show they still know how to have a good time. A celebration of personal determination and the power of family and friends, HOOD TO COAST proves that you're never too old or too young to attempt the extraordinary. Variety called it "a Treat for the sports-minded and sports-phobic alike." Special Features include 95 minutes of Extras: 24 Additional Scenes and 'Making Of' Featurette; "Where Are They Now?" Updates; Director's Commentary Panel Discussion featuring Bart Yasso of Runner's World and Mary Decker Slaney

Fast Women

Fast Women follows four female runners from the same running club as they aspire to reach their goals. Fast Women shows what happens when four driven women follow their dreams. Winner Best Documentary at the 2010 Mammoth Film Festival.

Books

            Training

Lore of Running, by Tim Noakes

While not ultra-specific, this hefty book covers pretty much every detail of running.  See if you have the endurance to read all 944 pages.

The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running, 2nd Ed. by Adam Chase

Training, equipment, racing, injuries, nutrition.

Daniels' Running Formula, 2nd Edition
Training methods developed by the great coach Jack Daniels.

Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon-How to be your best coach, by Brad Hudson
Training insights by the former coach of Dathan Ritzenhein.

Running with Lydiard

Since the success of his New Zealand athletes Snell, Halberg and Magee at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Arthur Lydiard's name has been synonymous with the best training methods used by the world's top middle and long-distance runners. Instructing runners in Finland, Mexico, Venezuela, Denmark, Japan, the USA and New Zealand, Lydiard has continued to refine his methods, and this manual contains information on exercise physiology, diet, injury prevention and cure, discussion of Lydiard's methods and revised training schedules.

How to Train For and Run Your Best Marathon: Valuable Coaching From a National Class Marathoner on Getting Up For and Finishing, by Gordon Bloch

REASON 1: It is written by an Olympic trials marathon qualifier who ran her first marathon non-competitively, just like you. REASON 2: It starts off with real stories of average first-time marathoners whose experiences prove that every mile of the race is worth it. REASON 3: It gives 26.2 compelling reasons why any couch potato will want to catch the running bug. REASON 4: It shows how running a marathon can help rebuild your self-esteem after a disappointing life experience and motivate you to live a fuller life. REASON 5: It explains in simple terms how to build your aerobic base from ground zero to where you can finally embark on the marathon training. REASON 6: It introduces you to the concept of cross-training which will help you prevent boredom and develop a well-rounded physique.

Galloway’s Book on Running, by Jeff Galloway

Olympic athlete Jeff Galloway shows how amateur runners can use the same training principles followed by world-class runners. He tells beginners how to get started, explains his ideas on stress and rest, and reveals secrets for running better.

Run With the Champions: Training Programs and Secrets of America’s 50 Greatest Runners, by Marc Bloom

Beginning with legends Frank Shorter and Joan Samuelson, this unique book contains the thrilling stories of our country's greatest runners-each a lesson in dedication, hard work, and an untiring passion for running. Draw inspiration from the story of Billy Mills (ranked No. 6, despite his short career), then try out his Tee-to-Greens Golf Course Training method. Or, if you have a goal race, borrow a page out of Lynn Jennings' training notebook: the methodical 4-Stage Buildup System.

Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger

Shave minutes off your time using the latest in science-based training for serious runners. Advanced Marathoning has all the information you need to train smarter, remain injury free, and arrive on the start line ready to run the marathon of your life.

Running to the Top, by Arthur Lydiard

His description of a systematic, detailed training program for beginners and top-runners is based on a clear defined conception of fitness. Beneath detailed schedules for the training, the book includes tips concerning equipment and outfit, nutrition, prevention of injury, therapy and the relationship between the coach and the athlete. Furthermore a test-system is introduced, which enables the athlete to determine the absorption of oxygen through the fatless body mass.

Coaching Cross Country Successfully, by Joe Newton

One look at Joe Newton's record and it's easy to see why he's achieved near-legendary status as a cross country coach. During 48 years at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, he has dominated like no other cross country coach ever has, leading his teams to 19 national titles and 24 state titles. At home, his squads have been nearly invincible, winning 98% of their meets.

Now in Coaching Cross Country Successfully, Newton shares the secrets to his unmatched success. With this complete guide, you'll get a firsthand account of how to teach, train, and motivate like the master. You'll learn not only how Newton built his running dynasty but also how you can apply his principles of discipline, dedication, and teamwork to create your own winning cross country program.

Run to Win: The Training Secrets of the Kenyan Runners, by Jurg Wurz

The reader will learn about the training secrets of the stars and will also receive valuable tips for his own career or sports life, be it as an amateur jogger or an ambitious runner. This book is a must-have for all running coaches and runners, and also for all those who want to learn more about the backgrounds and secrets of the Kenyan success story. The features include: a must-have for all running coaches and runners; learn the training secrets of the stars; and lots of valuable tips for the amateur jogger to the ambitious runner.

More Fire: How to Run the Kenyan Way, by Toby Tanser

Training methods used by the greatest Kenyan runners in the world.

Explosive Running: Using the Science of Kinesiology to Improve Your Performance, by Michael Yessis

If you are a serious runner, you want to improve your ability to run faster and longer without injury. Many runners have bought better shoes or spent longer hours on the track trying to improve, only to end up frustrated with back and leg pain. But the secret to improving your run is simple--your stride is only as good as your physical abilities allow. Making a few simple changes in strength, flexibility, speed of movement, and technique will help you reach your genetic potential.

Brain Training for Runners, by Matt Fitzgerald

Based on new research in exercise physiology, author and running expert Matt Fitzgerald introduces a first-of-its-kind training strategy that he's named "Brain Training." Runners of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels can learn to maximize their performance by supplying the brain with the right feedback.

Bill Bowerman’s High Performance Training for Track and Field

High-Performance Training for Track and Field by legendary coaches and authors Bill Bowerman and Bill Freeman is a step-by-step guide for teacher-coaches at all levels. Coaches in their first years will find it to be a model for success, and experienced coaches will find its systematic analyses of training methods an invaluable addition to their own expertise. This book adds the theoretical bases that underlie training, summarizing what researchers know about training and competition and discussing the most advanced, scientifically monitored, foreign endurance training system in the world today. It tells, briefly and simply, what you need to know about periodization in training, overload theory, and the effects of nutrition and psychology on today s training. The training patterns reflect the very latest scientific training methods. Chapters include: The Essentials of Scientific Training, The Oregon School of Running, Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays, The Jumps, The Throws, The All-Around Athlete, and Directing Track and Field Programs.

Treadmill Training for Runners, by Rick Morris

The popularity of the treadmill is exploding. More and more runners from beginners to top level competitive runners are using the treadmill to train for all race distances from 2 miles to a full marathon. The treadmill is the ideal piece of exercise equipment to help you meet your running goal whether it's to learn to run or set a new personal record. This is the definitive book on treadmill training. Treadmill training for Runners will show you how to use the treadmill to reach your running goals. You'll learn how to: Shop for, purchase and maintain your treadmill Lose weight using the treadmill Increase your fitness and reduce stress Incorporate the treadmill into your training Avoid common treadmill pitfalls Solve common treadmill training problems Train to race a 5K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon using the treadmill This revised and updated Second edition of Treadmill Training for Runners includes over 60 treadmill workouts with 12 new treadmill workouts not included in the first edition.

 Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, by Hal Higdon

Though the running boom appears to have peaked and even tapered off somewhat, the marathon is still the ultimate running experience for many runners. Higdon's book, although well written, offers very little in the way of new information on training for or running the marathon. Previously published works such as Joe Henderson's Complete Marathoner (Anderson World, 1978), Andy Friedberg's How To Run Your First Marathon (S. & S., 1987), and Ricard Benyo's Making the Marathon Your Event (Random, 1992) offer very similar advice. However, Higdon's anecdotal style provides entertaining reading and may inspire aspiring marathoners. The author provides details of many of his personal marathon experiences as well as those of other top American marathoners such as Bill Rodgers, Don Kardang, and Dick Buerkle. This book will appeal to general readers seriously considering training for their first marathon. For large sports collections.

Half Marathon: You Can Do It, by Jeff Galloway

If you are thinking about training for a Half-Marathon, Jeff Galloway can help you prepare well, enjoy the training and glow from the achievement of crossing the finish line. Author of the bestseller "Marathon - You can do it!" Galloway now offers a state-of-the-art book on the highly popular half marathon distance. Jeff's trademarked run-walk-run method has helped hundreds of thousands of average people to get off the couch, train for marathons and half marathons without injury and has helped veterans to improve times. This book offers a step-by-step program that starts with setting up your training each week. Jeff will show you how to select a realistic goal, and which workouts are needed to prepare for various performances. The book is loaded with tips on how to stay motivated, eliminate aches, pains, and injuries, with the minimum training needed to enjoy other aspects of life. There's practical information on nutrition, building endurance, shoes, stretching, strengthening and much more.

Marathon: You Can Do It, by Jeff Galloway

Marathon: You Can Do It! details Olympian Jeff Galloway’s revolutionary walk/run training methods that have enabled tens of thousands of people to run marathons. This innovative method opens up marathon running to everyone — not just rock-hard athletes, but also those who may be out of shape, overweight, or past their athletic prime. This updated edition includes the new "magic mile" time trial, fat-burning techniques, adjustments in the weekly schedule to prevent injuries and improve performance, and quick fixes to keep runners motivated during latter stages of marathon.

Healthy Intelligent Training: The Proven Principles of Arthur Lydiard, by Keith Livingstone

Based on the proven principles of Arthur Lydiard - Runners World "Coach of the Century" - this is a must-have volume for anyone involved in middle-distance running. "Healthy Intelligent Training" provides readers with an easy-to-follow guide to the principles and training techniques that guided numerous athletes from across the globe to World Records and Olympic Gold.Written by a former national-level runner, with contributions from Olympic medalists and coaches, this superb volume shows you how to plan and follow your own training program to reach peak performance when you want.

Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor, by Joe Friel

With Total Heart Rate Training, you can design a personalized program that practically guarantees you’ll achieve your fitness goals. You’ll be able to determine the precise and optimal heart rate for each day’s workout by using your heart rate monitor to keep you on target. It’s like having a personal trainer telling you when to go harder and when to back off.
This book also shows how powermeters and accelerometers enable you to compare your body’s input, as measured by heart rate, with its output-power or pace. It’s a combination that allows you to train at your peak for that competitive edge.

The Running Times Guide to Breakthrough Running, by Gordon Bakoulis

At a time when participation in running events is booming, hundreds of thousands of runners are looking for their next challenge - from training longer, to racing faster, to getting back into form following a layoff or injury. "Running Times" magazine has compiled a collection of elite coaches, athletes and fitness professionals who all provide the reader with the tools to make a personal running breakthrough. This guide covers every aspect of training and racing - from clothes and shoes to endurance, speed, strength and flexibility training and from racing preparation and tactics to rest and recovery. Customized training programmes are included for various distances and all types of speed workouts, as well as injury prevention strategies and guidelines for nutrition and hydration.

Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot, by John L Parker, Jr

John L. Parker, Jr. is one of running literature’s great luminaries. As the author of Once a Runner and Again to Carthage, he is revered, quoted, and imitated. He also wrote this wonderfully accessible, witty guide to training with a heart-rate monitor. His common-sense approach aims to force you to take easy days—easier than you can even stand at first. And mix these in with periodic hard days, all precisely calibrated to your resting heart rate and maximum heart rate, to achieve levels of running fitness you had never before been able to attain. His program is very specific, with numerous tables and graphs for runners of all levels. He imparts his wisdom with extraordinary clarity and wit, making the whole experience one of hiring a wise, encouraging, and amusing coach.

Alberto Salazar's Guide to Running : The Revolutionary Program That Revitalized a Champion

In Alberto Salazar's Guide to Running, the marathon hall-of-famer draws on the latest research and his own experiences to show why, when it comes to reaping the many health and fitness benefits of running, harder and longer isn't better, and consistency matters most. He shares his hard-won lessons on running and outlines a sensible and adaptable low-impact training program for nonrunners wanting to get fit, runners dissatisfied with their current workouts, runners recovering from injuries, and anyone looking for a fitness program they will follow for years.

Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing : Championship Advice for Faster Times from 5K to Marathons

Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing covers a wide array of needs, including:

Base training
Speed training
Nutrition
Avoiding and dealing with injuries
Mental conditioning
Race preparation
Goal advancement
Weight training
and much more!

            Ultramarathons

Relentless Forward Progress

Covers training plans, fueling, injury prevention and much more.  Great for beginners, but veterans could probably learn a few things as well.

Running on Empty, by Marshall Ulrich

Covers his entire life of running, but focuses on his run across America in 52 days at the age of 57.  Yes, 58 miles a day for 52 days at the age of 57.  Enough said.

Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon, by Neal Jamison

Features stories by Ann Trason, Tim Twietmeyer, David Horton, Ian Torrence and many more.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall

This book would be an entertaining read even if you were not a runner.  Focuses on the Tarahumara Indians and Caballo Blanco, a white man learning to run like them.

Extreme Running, by Kym McConnell

Covers 24 of the most extreme races, including Badwater, Marathon des Sables, Pike's Peak, Transalpine Run, Antarctica Marathon, Everest Marathon and many more.

Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes

Dean's media prowess might be more impressive than that of his running, but the book is pretty entertaining anyway. 

The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultrarunning Greatness by Pam Reed

Pam dominated the scene for a long time.  This book doesn't focus on the running and training as much as I would have liked, but she battled anorexia, so a lot of pages go to speaking about that.

Tales From Out There: The Barkley Marathons, by Frozen Ed Furtaw

100 Mile race with 59,100 feet of climbing and 59,100 feet of descent.  Since the race began in 1986, only 9 runners have finished in the 60 hour cutoff.

The End of the Trail: A 100 Mile Running Odyssey

Written by a guy who just got under 24 hours, so a very different perspective than focusing on the guys who win in 14 or 15 hours.

The Lure of Long Distances: Why We Run by Robin Harvie

 Boring in the middle but a good book overall about the authors quest to finish the spartathlon. The race that traces the famous trip from Athens to Sparta.

To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance by Kirk Johnson

Book detailing the author's quest to run Badwater.

Run: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, by Dean Karnazes
Another installment of the Dean Karnazes saga.  What food will be delivered to him on a run this time?

A Few Degrees from Hell: The 2003 Badwater Ultramarathon, by Scott Ludwig

 The 2003 race included Pam Reed, Dean Karnazes and 71 other runners.

A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning, by Don Allison

• Advice on training and racing
• The physiology behind ultrarunning

50-50: Secrets I learned from Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days by Dean Karnazes

Packed with practical advice and including training regimens, 50/50 will inspire you no matter what your fitness goal is, whether it's simply walking around the block, running a 10K, or completing yet another Ironman.

And Then the Vulture Eats You, by John L Parker, Jr

True tales about ultramarathons and those who run them.

Getting to the Point: In a Dozen Pairs of Shoes, by Brian Stark

Getting to the Point. In a dozen pairs of shoes is the story of the first modern-day trail run across America. Running alone and wearing only a 10-pound pack, ultra runner Brian Stark often had to rely on the kindness of strangers, and hope for mercy from the elements. Over the course of his 8-month trek across America, Brian learned first hand what this country is really like, the diversity of its people and their experiences. This is more than just a book about running, it's a book about people. If you liked Forrest Gump or A Walk Across America, or if you just like a rousing good story complete with daily wrong turns, surprising rescues by strangers, a blossoming romance, and a Hollywood ending, this book is a must read.

A Hundred Reasons to Run 100k, by Margreet Dietz

A Hundred Reasons to Run 100km reflects a personal journey that will strike a chord with anyone intrigued by the prospect of trying an ultramarathon. The idea for this book was born 10 days before author Margreet Dietz did a 100km race. While finalizing her physical preparations, she also wanted to ready herself mentally as best as possible. An experienced 3:07 marathoner and five-time Ironman finisher, she knew endurance athletes ponder the question, Why?, during the most challenging moments in an event. It's good to have an answer.

            Nutrition/Weight Training/Injury

Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatment for Athletes by John Vonhof

This is vital information for ultra runners.  It goes through the aspects of anatomy, biomechanics and footwear that can lead to blisters and injuries, and recommends plans of prevention and treatment.

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald

Good if you have a few extra pounds to lose to get to your optimal weight.  Even if you don't, it offers great insights into nutrition for the endurance athlete.

Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan

Basic nutrition tips for runners, bikers, triathletes.

The Athlete's Guide to Recovery by Sage Rountree

If you are doing all the right workouts and not seeing the results you would like, maybe your recovery needs some work.

The Runner’s Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer and Faster, by Ross Tucker

Every day scientists learn more about how the body adapts to the stress of running—and how various body systems contribute to running performance. Leading the charge is a fresh generation of brilliant young exercise physiologists including Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas, whose work has demolished many long-standing beliefs about running. Now Tucker and Dugas, whose blog, Science of Sport, has already created a devoted readership, join with esteemed fitness author Matt Fitzgerald to provide a captivating tour of the human body from the runner’s perspective.

Runner’s World Performance Nutrition for Runners, by Matt Fitzgerald

This comprehensive guide distills the newest thinking in the science of exercise nutrition into practical, hands-on tips that will help runners stay healthy, recover faster, enjoy better workouts, and race successfully. Readers will learn:
• detailed information on nutritional topics important to runners, from balancing internal energy stores to proper hydration
• how to customize their diets to their individual training needs
• shopping tips and dining-out strategies to help runners maximize their nutritional intake
• the top 5 pre-race meals and top 5 healthiest snacks for runners
• nutritional tips for special populations, including women, children, diabetics, and older runners

Running Anatomy, by Joseph Puleo

Running Anatomy features 50 of the most effective strength exercises for runners, each with clear, step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting the muscles in action. But you’ll find much more than exercises—you’ll also see their results.

Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Running, by Rob Price

The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Running is the most comprehensive and up-to-date running-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round running-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

Endurance Sports Nutrition, by Suzanne Eberle

Find your endurance advantage in the foods you eat. Endurance Sports Nutrition will help you select the best foods, fluids, and supplements to train longer, recover more quickly, avoid injuries, and achieve your performance goals in any endurance endeavor.

Sports dietitian and former elite runner Suzanne Girard Eberle provides a proven fueling program that addresses the unique needs of endurance athletes.

Dynamic Stretching: The Revolutionary New Warm-up Method to Improve Power, Performance and Range of Motion, by Mark Kovacs

Dynamic Stretching teaches how to effectively prepare your body for physical activity while simultaneously improving strength, power, speed, agility and endurance. With more than 50 exercises—fully illustrated with step-by-step photos—this book shows how to take your workouts and abilities to the next leve.

The Runner's Yoga Book: A Balanced Approach to Fitness, by Jean Couch

The Runner's Yoga Book is an ideal companion for the weekend or professional athlete, for the reader who wants to stretch and relax, and for the developing yoga student who wants to establish a home practice. Drawing on over thirty years of teaching and personal practice, author Jean Couch offers precise instruction in all types of poses, guidelines for home practice, yoga routines for other sports, including bicycling, skiing, swimming, tennis, and walking, a resource guide for further study, and a yoga-poses-by-alphabetical-listing index. With over 400 photographs and illustrations showing students at various levels of expertise, The Runner's Yoga Book is a complete guide for yoga students of all ages and most levels of fitness.

The Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life, by Mark Verstegen

The intense focus on the muscles of your core--abs, lower back, hips, and thighs--will help you stand taller and prevent the back pain from which most people eventually suffer. The detailed nutrition section guarantees that you'll feed your muscles, starve your fat, and get boundless energy when you need it most. This program is like nothing you've ever seen before--it enables you to totally transform your body in just 12 weeks. The potential is within you, and the power to unleash that potential is within Core Performance.

Runner's World Guide to Cross-Training, by Matt Fitzgerald

In Runner's World Guide to Cross-Training, Matt Fitzgerald-seasoned runner, triathlete, sports and fitness journalist, and online coach to runners and triathletes-tells you everything you need to know about the very best cross-training exercises for runners, from the equipment you'll have to buy to the techniques you'll have to master. In addition to strength training and flexibility exercises, he recommends the six best non-impact cardiovascular activities for runners: pool running, elliptical training, bicycling, inline skating, swimming, and cross-country skiing. The book shows how to integrate running and cross-training, and features five complete sample programs that will train you to compete in a basic 10-K, advanced 10-K/half marathon, basic marathon, advanced marathon, and triathlon.

Injury-Free Running (Runner's World Best), by Thomas Hanlon

Runner's World Best: Injury-Free Running assembles the most reliable information on running pain- and injury-free--and speeding up the rehabilitation process by using the latest medical advances to treat common injuries. Runners of every ability will benefit from the book's wealth of expert tips on training, stretching, selecting proper equipment, and maintaining correct running form.

Runner's World Guide to Injury Prevention: How to Identify Problems, Speed Healing, and Run Pain-Free, by Dagny Scott Barrios

Here you'll find:

- The most important stretches for runners-and why you should not stretch an injured muscle

- How (and why) to change your biomechanics and stride legnth

- How to incorporate cross-training to prevent and heal injury

- The most important strength-training exercises for runners

- How to cope with the mental side of injury

- Special concerns for young runners, women, and older Runners

- The newest thinking in hydration

            Biographies and Novels

Once a Runner, by John L Parker

Every runner should either read this book or make their family members read it to learn the many idiosyncrasies of being a runner. 

Again to Carthage, by John L Parker

Quenton Cassidy is back.  This time, he is training for a marathon.  Who knows, maybe Parker will write a book in a few years in which Quenton starts racing ultras.

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore

No man has affected more runners in more ways than Bill Bowerman. During his 24-year tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon, he won four national team titles and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. He also ignited the jogging boom, invented the waffle-sole running shoe that helped establish Nike, and coached the US track and field team at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games

Pre: The Story of Steve Prefontaine

University of Oregon track star Prefontaine finished fourth in the [5000 meter] race at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Beyond that, he set numerous American records. But it was his personality, not his records, that set him apart.

The Four-Minute Mile, by Roger Bannister

Forty-some years after the barrier was broken it's difficult to imagine how daunting a challenge the four-minute mile once was, but for a generation of world-class runners it represented the impossible dream. Roger Bannister, the British middle-distance runner who finally achieved the epic quest in 1954, wrote this stunning memoir of his life as a runner a year later.

Duel in the Sun: The Story of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon

The 1982 Boston Marathon was great theater: Two American runners, Alberto Salazar, a celebrated champion, and Dick Beardsley, a gutsy underdog, going at each other for just under 2 hours and 9 minutes. Neither man broke.

Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile by Chris Lear

Alan Webb was just 18 when he broke a 36-year-old record by running the fastest mile ever for a high-school athlete, breaking Jim Ryun's mark by two seconds. Lear spent most of the 2001-02 school year with freshman Webb and his teammates at the University of Michigan, where many of America's best distance runners gather to learn from legendary coach Ron Warhurst. Though there have been any number of books chronicling the ups and downs of seasons in major sports, this may be the first to follow a group of world-class distance runners through a competitive cycle.

Run to Overcome, by Meb Keflezighi

When Meb Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon in 2009—the first American to do so in 27 years—some critics questioned whether the Eritrean-born runner was “really” an American despite his citizenship status and representing the USA on two Olympic and several World Championship teams. Yet Meb is the living embodiment of the American dream. His family came to the U.S. to escape from a life of poverty and a violent war with Ethiopia; Meb was 12 at the time, spoke no English, and had never raced a mile. Yet he became an A student and a high school state and national champion. And when he stood on the platform as a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympics, Meb knew his hard work and determination had paid off. How could life be any better?
Run to Overcome tells the inspirational story of a man who discovered the real meaning of victory, and who embodies the American spirit of overcoming the odds.

Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, by Ryan Hall

From the fastest American-born marathoner of all time, here is an intimate, day-by-day account of what it takes—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—to be one of the best in the world. This journal chronicles Ryan Hall’s 14-week preparation for the 2010 Boston Marathon, providing practical insights into the daily regimen of someone training at the absolute peak of human performance. It also reveals the spiritual journey of an elite athlete who is a follower of Jesus Christ.

The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story, by Jim Denison

Haile Gebrselassie revolutionized the world of long-distance running over the last decade. His world records stagger the imagination. He won two Olympic 10,000m golds, eight world and indoor championships; and set 17 world records over four different distances. Now he seeks a third gold medal over 10,000m in Athens. His biography is fascinating, detailing his early life in war-torn Ethiopia, and his rise to godlike status in the track world.

Paul Tergat: Running to the Limit, by Jurg Wurz

34-year-old Kenyan Paul Tergat has secured his place in the history books with his Marathon world record in Berlin at the end of September 2003. Today he is considered as one of the best runners of all time. At Olympic Games he won two silver medals, both times behind his friend and rival Haile Gebrselassie. This book will illustrate Tergat's way from an unknown runner in a tiny village in Kenya to the Marathon world record holder and Dollar-millionaire.

Paula: My Story So Far, by Paula Radcliffe

Paula Radcliffe has been hailed as one of the finest female distance runners of all time. Her amazing run of record-breaking victories in 2002 and 2003, including smashing the women’s world marathon record in Chicago and then again in London, showed an athlete at the peak of her powers. Such was her dominance that a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens seemed almost a formality. But as the world watched, and a nation held its breath, that historic race ended for her on a dusty curbside instead of the podium.

My Life on the Run, by Bart Yasso

Bart Yasso, an icon of one of the most enduringly popular recreational sports in the United States, offers a touching and humorous memoir about the rewards and challenges of running.

Marathon Woman, by Kathrine Switzer

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run what was then the all male Boston Marathon, infuriating one of the event’s directors who attempted to violently eject her. In what would become an iconic sports image, Switzer escaped and finished the race. This was a watershed moment for the sport, as well as a significant event in women’s history.

Running the Race: Eric Liddell

Olympic Champion and Missionary

A Cold Clear Day, by Frank Murphy

The story of Buddy Edelen.

Staying the Course: A Runner’s Toughest Race, by Dick Beardsley

For a moment Dick Beardsley became the most famous runner in the world by losing a race. In the 1982 Boston Marathon, Beardsley, foiled by a motorcycle that cut him off, finished two seconds behind Alberto Salazar in one of the most memorable contests in marathon history. Staying the Course recounts that race and the difficult years that followed, including his recovery from a near-fatal farm accident, his subsequent addiction to painkillers, and a public arrest for forging prescriptions. His story of overcoming obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal.

American Miler: The Life and Times of Glenn Cunningham, by Paul Kiell

Glenn Cunningham nearly died in a schoolhouse fire that claimed his brother’s life and left the seven-year-old’s legs so badly burned his doctor wanted to amputate them. But Cunningham endured the incredible pain and horrible scars; after nearly a year he learned to walk again. He went on to become one of the greatest track stars of all time, and a national hero. “The Kansas Flyer” set world records in the mile in 1934 and 800m in 1936. A comprehensive biography, with extraordinary depth of detail, fascinating anecdotes, and written with full cooperation and archives from his widow.

Steve Scott the Miler: America's Legendary Runner Talks About His Triumphs and Trials, by Steve Scott and Marc Bloom

Meet Steve Scott: three-time Olympian, the American mile record holder (at 3:47.69), and runner of 136 sub-4:00 miles and counting. His talent and determination have led him to the pinnacle of worldwide track and field for the better part of his 20-year career.

What about the Hood to Coast movie/documentary?

Thank you! This is a great collection- and saves me a lot of trouble.

Awesome compilation, thank you!

Not that it much matters, but The Spirit of the Marathon follows six people as they train for and run the 2005 Chicago marathon, not the 2007 edition.

The American Experience: Jesse Owens

It's a one hour documentary, available for free online viewing. I enjoyed it, though is was rather sad, too.