Running Tough

216 pages published: 2001

About the Book

Imagine training with the best distance runners and running coaches of our time, learning their favorite and most effective workouts, and discovering their hard-earned secrets to success. With Running Tough you’ll find yourself running side by side with such world-class runners as Bill Rodgers, Libbie Hickman, Frank Shorter, Arthur Lydiard, Ron Clarke, Emil Zatopek, and Adam Goucher, tasting their unwavering dedication and determination, and viewing firsthand their training runs.

Written by prolific running journalist Michael Sandrock, Running Tough organizes the workouts by training goals to create a user-friendly handbook. This allows you to develop a customized training plan using the most appropriate workouts for training and racing. You’ll find chapters dedicated to

• long runs, to help develop aerobic endurance • off-road training, to build and strengthen the legs; • fartlek training or the "speedplay," to discover variety; • interval workouts, to increase speed; • hill workouts, to build strength and stamina; • tempo runs, to push anaerobic thresholds; • recovery fun runs, to heal muscles while emphasizing the enjoyment of the sport; and • building a program, to prepare for competition.

With Running Tough, you’ll have the tools to create enhanced training programs, discover new plateaus in your workout regimes, and meet the challenges of world-class competition. You’ll find that whether you’re looking for increased strength and endurance, improved aerobic or anaerobic capacity, or just a competitive edge, Running Tough will help you train with more efficiency, more enthusiasm, and more variety.

About the Author

Michael Sandrock combines 15 years of experience as an award-winning sport journalist with a quarter-century of running expertise. His first book, Running With the Legends, marked Sandrock as an expert and upcoming star in the field of sport literature. He currently covers running for the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, Colorado, and maintains freelance status with numerous publications, including Running Times, Runner’s World, Marathon & Beyond, and Trail Runner. He is also a member of the Colorado Press Association, where he has won numerous accolades for Best Sports Story of the Year.

As a runner, Sandrock has trained with many elite athletes and Olympic champions, with personal bests of 2:24:00 in the marathon and 30:23 in the 10K. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Colorado and varsity letters in cross country and track. Sandrock has coached high school track and has also coached overseas for the U.S. Information Agency.

Sandrock currently resides in Boulder, where he runs, writes, and manages the Shoes for Africa project that he founded. This program donates new and used equipment to underprivileged athletes around the world.

Words of Praise

“Sandrock understands the hard road of distance running because he has run the monsters. What Hemingway was for the bullfight, Rock is for the running race. No one writes about this sport as well.” C. Mark Wetmore Head track coach University of Colorado

“Mike Sandrock’s Running Tough illustrates beautifully that, when it comes to training, there are many roads to Rome. What shines through the pages of diverse workouts and inspirational stories is each athlete’s love of the sport, innovative spirit and capacity for hard work. A training treasure for the running enthusiast.” Lorraine Moller Four time Olympic Marathoner 1992 Olympic Bronze Medallist Masters World Records in 5K and 4 mile, 1995