The Best 21 Books for Runners in 2021
I love to read. I have devoured for years every issue of runner’s world that I can get my hands on. In addition, I love to read other runner’s blogs. We all have our unique stories and insights to share. Along with those comes the bad and the inspirational that always motivates me to kick my butt into gear! That’s where the best 21 books for runners in 2021 list comes in for me and hopefully you too!
I wanted to put together a list of “to-read” books for the year. In doing so, I ended up with what I think are the best 21 books for runners in 2021. Some of these are fairly old while there is one on the list that hasn’t even been published yet and will be later this year.
The Best 21 Books for Runners this Year
Here is my goal list for this year. There are soooo many books about running out there to teach and inspire you so don’t think that this is an all inclusive list. These are just the best books for this year in my opinion!
Don’t forget that these also make amazing audiobooks to listen to on your run!!
- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
- 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower by Matt Fitzgerald
- The Running Revolution: How to Run Faster, Farther, and Injury-Free–for Life by Nicholas Romanov
- Running Rewired: Reinvent Your Run for Stability, Strength, and Speed by Jay Dicharry
- Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi
- Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind by Mipham, Sakyong
- The Comeback Quotient: A Get-Real Guide to Building Mental Fitness in Sport and Life by Matt Fitzgerald
- Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery by Christie Aschwanden
- North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail by Scott Jurek
- Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor
- Run the Mile You’re In: Finding God in Every Step by Ryan Hall
- 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career by Meb Keflezighi
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
- Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek
- Run to the Finish: The Everyday Runner’s Guide to Avoiding Injury, Ignoring the Clock, and Loving the Run by Amanda Brooks
- Boston Bound: A 7-Year Journey to Overcome Mental Barriers and Qualify for the Boston Marathon by Elizabeth Clor
- The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter’s Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete by Matt Long
- My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon by Bart Yasso
- A Life Without Limits: A World Champion’s Journey by Chrissie Wellington
- Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
Preventing Injury
You may have noticed that not all of these are inspiration/motivational. I threw in a few that were more on injury prevention and education. I really like these books and think they can go a long way in helping out a runner to get strong and stay injury free. Heck, I’ve taken courses from Jay Dicharry who is on the list above!!
As runners we are constantly evolving and learning how to be better and keep going. Keep educating yourself on ways to improve and learn different ideas/techniques! Remember that some things work great for some people and not at all for others!!
End of the Year
I can’t wait to check back in at the end of the year with everyone to see how far we all got with the books!! Remember that this list is in by no means all exhausting but it is a place to start!! I can’t wait to get started. In fact as I’m writing this I have Born to Run sitting next to me to pick up and continue!!
What are some of your favorite books about running that you have read?
Keep Running!
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
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Dr. Abby Siler, PT, DPT is a Physical Therapist with 10 years of experience in a variety of settings. She has spent the majority of her time treating athletes in orthopedic clinics and worker’s compensation cases. She is a runner herself for the past 15 years and a lifelong athlete. Dr. Abby loves to teach runners how to stay injury free and out of her clinic.
