• Are you struggling to think of gift ideas for that special person in your life who loves running?

• Have you been asked by someone else for gift ideas for you?

• Or are you simply looking to treat yourself over the festive period?

Then this article should help!

Books are the perfect present for Christmas.

You’ve got loads more time to sit around reading.

Plus you need help to stay motivated in preparation for January 1st - when your resolutions start and you become that new man or new woman that you’ve always said you would be!

These books are some of the best ones that I’ve read that have helped me with my own running.

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1) Beyond Impossible: How An Ordinary Mum Became A Record-Breaking Ultra-Runner - Mimi Anderson

Beyond Impossible is an inspirational book about Mimi Anderson - my former coach - and her journey to become a world-record ultra-runner.

It’s a really easy book to read, with some truly amazing stories. And it was one of the books that really ignited my passion for ultra-running.

Amazon Summary of Beyond Impossible, by Mimi Anderson

“After coming to terms with anorexia, Mimi begins to reassess her relationship with food and finds a new resolve in running.

With a renewed sense of purpose, she decides to take the sport that saved her life to the next level, by entering the epic Marathon De Sables in the Sahara desert, despite still being a novice runner.

One startling success leads to another, as she finds herself taking on ever-more-challenging races from the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, USA, to the 6633 Extreme Ultramarathon in the Arctic all building up to her biggest challenge yet… Attempting to gain the Guinness World Record for the fastest time by a female running 840 miles from John O Groats to Land s End.

This incredible story of how an ordinary mum ran her way into the record books will inspire beginner runners and die-hard marathon devotees alike. She proves that no matter where life takes you it s never too late to achieve your dreams and do the impossible.”

2) Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - David Goggins

Can’t Hurt Me is a book from world-famous motivator David Goggins.

Goggins went on a truly transformative journey from a horrible childhood to being one of the most impressive athletes on the planet.

This book is not just full of amazing stories. But it’s full of very practical and actionable advice to help you fulfil your own potential.

I listened to the audiobook version, which was a really unique, and engaging format.

The book was read by someone else. But at the end of each chapter Goggins would discuss the key themes, adding depth to the original book.

Amazon Summary of Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins

“For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare — poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights.

But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes.

The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him “The Fittest (Real) Man in America.”

In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities.

Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.”

3) Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, The Ultra-Runners and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen - Christopher McDougall

Born to Run is one of the most famous running books out there. It’s got all the ingredients of a fascinating book. - A compelling story, intriguing characters and an in-depth look at the history and culture of ultra-running.

This book is a must-read for any runner.

And because McDougall used to be a journalist, he makes the book very easy to read with his incredible grasp of language. Something that not all running authors get right!

Amazon Summary of Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall

“At the heart of Born to Run lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world.

In 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals.

A small group of the world's top ultra-runners (and the awe-inspiring author) make the treacherous journey into the canyons to try to learn the tribe's secrets and then take them on over a course 50 miles long.

With incredible energy and smart observation, McDougall tells this story while asking what the secrets are to being an incredible runner.

Travelling to labs at Harvard, Nike, and elsewhere, he comes across an incredible cast of characters, including the woman who recently broke the world record for 100 miles and for her encore ran a 2:50 marathon in a bikini, pausing to down a beer at the 20 mile mark.”

4) Natural Born Heroes: The Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance - Christopher McDougall

Natural Born Heroes is a lesser-known book by Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run. But it is just as good.

Yet again, McDougall has a compelling story and insight into what it takes to be a great ultra-runner. This time he travels the world learning about free-running and fat adaptation.

Amazon Summary of Natural Born Heroes, by Christopher McDougall

“When Chris McDougall stumbled across the story of Churchill's 'dirty tricksters', a motley crew of English poets and academics who helped resist the Nazi invasion of Crete, he knew he was on the track of something special.

To beat the odds, the tricksters - starving, aging and outnumbered - tapped into an ancient style of fitness: the lost art of heroism.

They listened to their instincts, replaced calories with stored bodily fat and used their fascia, the network of tissue which criss-crosses the body, to catapult themselves to superhuman strength and endurance.

Soon McDougall was in the middle of a modern fitness revolution taking place everywhere from Parisian parkour routes to state-of-the-art laboratories, and based on the know-how of Shanghai street-fighters and Wild West gunslingers.

Just as Born to Run got runners off the treadmill and into nature, Natural Born Heroes will inspire casual athletes to dump the gym membership for cross-training, mud runs and free-running.”

5) Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of An All-Night Runner - Dean Karnazes

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of An All-Night Runner is a book from one of the most-famous ultra-runners in the world, Dean Karnazes.

Karnazes was one of the first people to popularise ultra-running, by doing some incredible feats and getting some significant media exposure in America.

The book explains some of his stories with humour. And again, despite the niche nature of these books, it is a really easy read.

Amazon Summary of Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes

“Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles - the equivalent of ten marathons - without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, to the South Pole, and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running.

With an insight, candour and humour rarely seen in sports memoirs, Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people - non-runners and runners alike - to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and simply get out there and run.

Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked:

• Why do you do it?

• How do you do it?

• Are you insane?

… and the follow-up queries:

• What, exactly, do you eat?

• How do you train to stay in such good shape?”

6) Grit: Why Passion and Resilience are the Secrets to Success - Angela Duckworth

Grit is the only non-athletic book on this list. But I’ve included it because the ideas within it are so applicable to running and exercise in general

This book has been hugely popular in recent years, because it states that your success relies more on your psychology, rather than talent or luck. And this is different to a lot of the thinking before this.

Duckworth argues that consistently pushing through tough times and bouncing back when things aren’t going right is the key to success.

Throuhout the book, Duckworth gives examples of top athletes who have used ‘grit’ to achieve success, rather than relying on their natural talent.

Amazon Summary of Grit, by Angela Duckworth

“In this must-read for anyone seeking to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth takes us on an eye-opening journey to discover the true qualities that lead to outstanding achievement.

Winningly personal, insightful and powerful, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that – not talent or luck – makes all the difference.

7) A Life Without Limits - Chrissie Wellington

A Life Without Limits is the life story of the most successful female Ironman athlete of all time - Chrissie Wellington.

It’s a fascinating insight into someone at the absolute top of their game. How they got there. And how they stayed there for such a long period of time.

Amazon Summary of A Life Without Limits, by Chrissie Wellington

“Chrissie Wellington is the world's number 1 female Ironman triathlete - a four times World Champion.

In 2009 she was voted 'Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year' and in 2010 was awarded an MBE.

She is the undefeated champion of Triathlon, having won thirteen Ironman titles from thirteen races.

Chrissie displayed unprecedented levels of stamina, strength and competitiveness in becoming Ironman World Champion in only her second event at Ironman level.

Her victory in Kona, Hawaii in 2007 finishing five minutes ahead of her nearest rival was described as the 'biggest upset in Ironman history' and 'a remarkable feat, deemed to be near impossible task for any athlete racing as a rookie at their first Ironman World Championships'.

This is the remarkable story of how a Norfolk girl - a 'sporty kid, swimming, playing hockey, running, but never excelling and always more interested in the social side of the sports scene' - became a world champion.”

8) Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men and Discovering Myself - Rich Roll

Finding Ultra is the story about Rich Roll’s transformation from an overweight, under-achieving middle-aged man, into one of the fittest men on the planet.

Rich Roll has now fully transformed, is a global icon and has one of the most successful podcasts in the world. Where he interviews some of the most successful and driven people on a weekly basis.

But Finding Ultra is the story of how he got to where he is today.

Amazon Summary of Finding Ultra, by Rich Roll

“On the eve of his 40th birthday, Rich Roll was in bad shape. His days were filled with work, stress, and junk food, and his nights were spent on the couch, remote in hand.

Taking out the trash was the closest he came to exercise, and, at 50 pounds overweight, a walk up the stairs left him winded.

He decided it was time to make a change.

After undergoing a diet detox, adopting a vegan lifestyle, and pushing his fitness regimen to undreamed-of heights, he was profiled by Men's Fitness as one of the world's 25 fittest men.

Among Roll's many jaw-dropping athletic feats: he completed the unprecedented "Epic 5" - five back-to-back Ironman-distance triathlons on five different Hawaiian islands in under a week. An achievement many said was impossible.

This is the story of that remarkable transformation, a complete physical and spiritual rejuvenation that proves that anyone can "find ultra" if they know how.”

9) Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth - Adharanand Finn

Running With the Kenyans is anther extremely well-crafted book from a journalist who loves running.

Adharanand Finn sets out to answer why the Kenyans are the world’s best long distance athletes. And to do that he goes an lives and trains with them for months.

Running With the Kenyans has loads of fascinating stories about how these unbelievable runners have grown up, live and train.

Amazon Summary of Running With the Kenyans, by Adharanand Finn

“After years of watching Kenyan athletes win the world's biggest long-distance races, Runner's World contributor Adharanand Finn set out to discover what it was that made them so fast - and to see if he could keep up.

Packing up his family, he moved to Iten, Kenya, the running capital of the world, and started investigating.

Was it running barefoot to school, the food, the altitude, or something else?

At the end of his journey he put his research to the test by running his first marathon, across the Kenyan plains.”

10) The Way of the Runner: A Journey Into the Obsessive World of Japanese Running - Adharanand Finn

The Way of the Runner is Adharanand Finn’s follow-up book to Running With the Kenyans. Again, he is looking at another running-obsessed country - Japan.

This book was incredibly interesting because I never knew that the Japanese were so crazy about running.

Just like Running With the Kenyans, this is another easy-to-read, yet fascinating book.

Amazon Summary of The Way of the Runner, by Adharanand Finn

“Welcome to Japan, the most running-obsessed nation on earth, where…

• A long-distance relay race is the country's biggest annual sporting event

• Companies sponsor their own running teams, paying the athletes like employees

• Marathon monks run a thousand marathons in a thousand days to reach spiritual enlightenment.

Adharanand Finn - award-winning author of Running with the Kenyans - moved to Japan to discover more about this unique running culture and what it might teach us about the sport and about Japan.

As an amateur runner about to turn forty, he also hoped to find out whether the Japanese approach to training might help him keep improving.

What he learned - about competition, about team work, about beating your personal bests, about form and about himself - will fascinate anyone who is keen to explore why we run, and how we might do it better.”

What Inspirational Books Have You Read?

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