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PODCAST

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz

All types of running related books are reviewed by two non-elite track, road and trail runners. Observation and description of running books intended to inform, help and inspire anyone involved or related to running at any level. Whenever possible we chat with the author about the book, but if not then we try to do it justice.If you have been enjoying the podcast and want more, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also go to our Buy Me A Coffee website where we have a few more posts:

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All Episodes

98:12

The Art of Ultrarunning, by Ian Sharman

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/10/01

Send us Fan Mail Book overview: The Art of Ultrarunning: Tried & Tested Strategies for Long-Distance Runners compiles coaching strategies with illustrative stories from professional ultrarunners to create a convenient resource to help you improve your running. An elite-level racer and coach, author Ian Sharman provides practical guidance for runners at all levels; whether you are at the back of the pack or are going for gold, there's something to learn from his decades of experience...

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89:40

Running in the Dark by Paul Walmsley

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/09/15

Send us Fan Mail Send us Fan Mail Book overview: Once a nationally ranked long-distance runner, Canadian Peter Whitby abandons his career as an engineer and moves to a small US town in the Pacific Northwest where he can train year-round and pursue his running dreams. After a chance encounter with a local entrepreneur, Peter finds himself drawn into the race of a lifetime with a substantial winner-take-all cash prize. With the help of a new training partner, a previous love interest and a coac...

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73:29

Showing Up, by Nedd Brockmann

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/09/01

Send us Fan Mail Book overview: Showing Up by Nedd Brockmann is a memoir about his incredible 3,953-kilometre run across Australia. At age 23, the former electrician ran from Perth to Sydney in 46 days to raise millions of dollars for homelessness. Written with raw humor, the book explores his "why can't I?" mindset, early discipline in sports, and the physical and mental toll of voluntary suffering to inspire readers to embrace discomfort and chase big goals Author Bio and Interesting...

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90:57

Dying to Run, by Matt Fitzgerald

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/08/15

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alan and Liz welcome back frequent-flyer guest Matt Fitzgerald to talk about his rawest and most personal book yet: Dying to Run: An Athlete's Quest for One More Finish. This is Matt like you've never read him. After long COVID took away not just running but his ability to move, work, and feel like himself, he made the reckless, wonderful decision to attempt a 100-kilometer ultramarathon in record-breaking desert heat. We dig into what long COVID actually is ...

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117:10

Blood sweat and Spikes by Lyle Smith

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/08/01

Send us Fan Mail Send us Fan Mail In the running boom of the 80s the small town of Bernardsville New Jersey emerged as a magical place for the sport, producing champions at all levels of distance running. The young, passionate experimental coach of the junior program feeding a lot of the success was Mark Wetmore; before he became of the worlds best collegiate coaches. Blood Sweat and Spikes is a story of one of the runners in that town (Lyle Smith) and the people that made it unique in the hi...

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96:45

Alan, Liz and Shayan’s Running Chatter and Rundown on...

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/07/15

Send us Fan Mail Here we are again with a recap of 10 running books. This time is a first with Shayan added to the usual Alan and Liz mix Here's a list of all 10 books and and a link to the full podcast episodes in which they are featured. Chasing the Grid by Ken Posner https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17934193 Fuel for Thought by Renee McGregor https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/17951831 Ultra Women by Lily canter and Emma Wilkinson https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/e...

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86:04

One Step Forward, by Gene Jochen

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/07/01

Send us Fan Mail In One Step Forward , we follow Gene from his initial unhealthy lifestyle as he transforms from sedentary starter to 11x Ironman finisher—with a 10-year Boston Marathon streak During this journey Gene extracts over 100 life lessons from his running but applicable to all kinds of situations. They fall into 5 major categories Perseverance and ResilienceMental Strength and Self Talk Community and SupportPersonal Growth and TransformationService and Giving Back G...

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99:16

Marathon Excellence for Everyone, by John J. Davis PhD

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/06/15

Send us Fan Mail Marathon Excellence for Everyone is a bible about marathon training and racing. It has 50 chapters divided into 8 sections (not counting the appendix): First stepsThe phases of marathon trainingTraining plansRace day and beyondThe science of marathon performanceThe science of fuelingOvercoming illness, injury, and other setbacksAdvanced training techniques John Davis is a scientist, writer, and coach. His work uses modern machine learning and biostatistics to understand...

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82:13

This Is Not About Running, by Mary Cain

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/06/01

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk with author, former professional runner for the Nike Oregon Project and current Irish national runner, and Stanford medical student Mary Cain about her memoir: This is Not About Running. We ask her about her youth, growing up in an abusive athletics system, training for Alberto Salazar as a high schooler. We also talk about her work with Atalanta NYC and The Athlete's Survivors' Assist, her growth and the many hats she wears as a survivor, leader, men...

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57:08

31 Days, by Allie Bailey

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/05/15

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the transformative 31-day journey laid out by legendary ultrarunner and coach Allie Bailey. This isn't just a "how-to" for running; it’s a manual for the mental game of life. Whether you are training for your first 5K, an ultra, or just trying to navigate a career shift, Allie’s 1-2-3 structure (Focus, Example, and The Work) provides a realistic, down-to-earth roadmap to getting your head in the right place. We break down the 6-part framework, th...

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56:54

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by...

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/05/01

Send us Fan Mail Send us Fan Mail In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and—even more important—on his writing. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his ...

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55:25

SPECIAL EPISODE: Over 5 years of Running Book Reviews

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/03/18

Send us Fan Mail Discussion points in this episode 1. Focus on your protein --- Lauren Antonnuchi , High Performance Nutrition for Masters athletes 2. Carbs are good! Fuel your training -- Renee McGregor, Fuel for Thought 3. Enclothed Cognition is a real thing ! --- Kara Goucher, Strong 4. You can have running success as a warrior or a worrier --- Believe Journal, L...

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88:14

Still Running After All These Tears, by Lisa Jackson

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/03/01

Send a text Still Running After All These Tears is the newest book by Lisa Jackson, and it perfectly aligns with the realization I shared at the beginning of the episode. After years of sub-3 hour marathon attempts ending in disappointment, Liz took Alan's advice to "hold (her) goal lightly." Instead of focusing on the clock, her mantra became "run for those who can't." She explains in the intro story how she dedicated her miles to her late sister-in-law who passed away from breast cancer, a ...

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90:55

Advanced Marathoning (4th ed.), by Pete Pfitzinger...

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/02/15

Send a text Advanced Marathoning (4th ed.) is the newest version of the training book Alan and I have been using for our sub-3 hour marathon attempts. This version, like the last one, is divided into 2 parts: Training componentsElements of trainingNutrition and hydrationBalancing training and recoverySupplementary trainingAdvanced marathoning for masters runners (The older (and wiser) marathoner – in the 3rd ed.) Tapering for peak marathon performanceRace day strategyTraining programFol...

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69:24

Move, Rest, Recover, by Erin Taylor

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/02/01

Send us a text Move, Rest, Recover guides readers on the practice of rest and recovery. It tries to answer questions like: Why should I rest and recover?How do I know when to stop and rest?When I stop, what should I do?The book is split into 4 sections: Understand recoveryActivate recoveryStrengthen recoveryKeep recovering Erin Taylor is an international recovery expert, writer, and yoga teacher. For 20 years she has coached professional athletes, everyday runners, pre- and post-n...

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96:11

Running The World, by Robyn Godfrey

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/01/15

Send us a text In this episode we speak with Author Robyn Godfrey about her book Running the World. Robyn didn’t plan to become a marathoner. She stumbled through adolescence as a clumsy teen and later partied through midlife while searching for purpose. Everything shifted the day she laced up her running shoes. What began as thirty seconds on a treadmill grew into a running journey that redefined her life. Running the World follows Robyn’s quest to conquer all six World Marathon Majors—Tokyo...

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85:17

Practical Fueling for Endurance Athletes, by Kylee...

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2026/01/01

Send us a text Practical Fueling for Endurance Athletes delivers the practical, science-based information and strategies you need for long-term health and superior performance in your sport. Kylee Van Horn—registered dietitian, endurance athlete, and coach—will help you navigate the challenges of endurance sports with the following: Essential nutrition concepts that aren’t directed at weight loss The smart use of supplements Strategies for developing your ideal personal nutri...

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56:07

Road To Redemption, by Tom Fitzgerald

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2025/12/15

Send us a text For today's episode we got to read another fictional running story. These are rare but we've enjoyed every single one we read so far and this one was no exception. Toeing the start line of the 1983 Boston Marathon, Cooper McKenzie (the main character) finds himself in a race to make meaning of his troubled, unimpressive life. Cooper McKenzie is contending with the stark realities of middle age—he is fully disenchanted with his career, he is struggling to meet the financial need...

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100:31

Alan and Liz's Running Chatter and Rundown on Books...

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2025/12/01

Send us a text Here we are again with another recap episode. Alan and Liz chat about their last ten reads and we've also linked the full episode for each book in case you want to hear more! If you're behind in your listening then this episode is for you. You can get a feel for each of the last 10 books, before going back to the episodes in order of which books you're most interested in. Unbound, by Bill Donahue Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/976876/episodes/16892720 Run Less R...

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58:30

Ultra Women, by Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson

Running Book Reviews with Alan and Liz ·

2025/11/15

Send us a text Recently, a trend has captured public attention: female athletes have been beating the strongest male contenders, in the toughest races in the world, races designed for men. In Ultra Women, the authors (who are themselves endurance athletes) delve into the surprising science of sporting performance to explore the physiological and psychological differences between the sexes. They ask: could fat stores and muscle type (and capacity for not sleeping) really give women an edge ove...

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