Meet Sherman Leopold Kindle, aka K1, a ninth grader beginning his high school journey as a talented but apprehensive member of the cross country team. Over the course of the season, he learns to rise to the challenge of the work through self-discipline, teamwork, and most importantly, empathy. Sherman's often hilarious, sometimes pathetic, and ultimately inspiring coach mentors all of the runners - whether veteran or rookie, braggart or slacker, star or dud - in less-than-conventional fashion. Despite his life falling apart, Coach Viddstein molds his team and leads them to their greatest success. Written in the warm, nostalgic style of John L. Parker, Jr.'s classic Once a Runner, this novel is about the value of self-discipline and training, and how athletic skills strengthen character. As Sherman learns to conquer his own limitations, he discovers the lessons that Coach Viddstein instills in him are essential to understanding his conflicted feelings for his family, teammates, classmates, and the grueling sport that has chosen him. High School Runner demonstrates that while individual races may be won or lost, the real sense of triumph comes from knowing how to pace oneself in this mad dash we call life. "If you're a runner, this story is a must-read. If you're not, read it anyway. Very funny." -Mark Hentemann, executive producer/writer Family Guy "Funny, inspiring, distinct of character, and rich in detail, High School Runner rightly belongs in the canon of other fine tales of the track. Kenley more than lived up to my standard with such books: it made me want to go out and run - fast. -Neal Bascomb, author of The Perfect Mile "A solid debut set in the demanding world of high school distance runners, lit with pathos and humor." -Kirkus Reviews

How can high school athletes unlock their potential and become excellent runners? In Consistency Is Key, nationally known coach Jay Johnson helps high school runners understand how to realize their potential and race fast. Written specifically for high schoolers-and drawing on Johnson's twenty years of experience working with high school, collegiate, and professional runners-Consistency Is Key is a simple yet impactful book for any athlete who wants to improve. Consistency Is Key focuses on the fundamentals of running, which can be applied to both cross country and track and field training. Johnson explains why high school runners need to build their aerobic engines, while also doing the strengthening exercises necessary to create a strong chassis. He makes the case that "revving the engine" most days is necessary if a high school runner is going to race to his or her potential. It's crucial that high school runners realize there are dozens of ways to structure an effective training program, provided the fundamentals are always in place. Unlike most running books that go into lengthy detail about exercises physiology, Consistency Is Key offers a foundational understanding of key concepts, while giving athletes actionable items to improve. And it includes case studies of eight exceptional programs that show how these fundamentals can be put to work. A concise book, Consistency Is Key will help any high schooler better understand what it takes to be an excellent runner.

Running can shape a young athlete in healthy, positive ways for the rest of her life. Girls Running offers the guidance and tools girls need to thrive on their running journey, right from the start. With straight talk on training, physiology, menstruation, sports nutrition, a winning mindset, body image issues, gear, team-building, and competition, Girls Running educates and empowers young runners to achieve their potential and love running more. Inspired by high-school phenom Melody Fairchild’s groundbreaking running journey, and with the coaching insight from Fairchild and coauthor Elizabeth Carey, Girls Running is a valuable toolkit for middle- and high-school runners. Backed by science, research, and over 100,000 miles of experience, this resource answers the most timely and sensitive questions that girls face when their bodies change and the miles increase. Girls, parents, and coaches will see ways to navigate puberty, mental health, eating disorders, and the pressures of competitive running. Girls Running is a go-to guide for everything girls need to know to run betterand love the journey while doing it!

"Through the hours of protests as well as the back and forth decisions on the ruling, I lost my enjoyment for the sport. By the end of it all I didn't want the medal, I didn't want the title, and I didn't want to run another race. It was not the disqualification that killed me, it was the wait where I had to sit around and internalize whether I was a cheat, as I knew others were doing the same." Hurt Me If You Can is an autobiographical account of Matt Baxter's journey through high school in New Zealand. As a thirteen-year-old, Matt had little interest in being a runner. Like his peers, he wanted to play the "fun sports," and running did not fit that mold. It took an unexpected medical event before Matt considered joining his school's cross country team. He did not know it at the time, but over the next few years running was about to become Matt's identity. From 2008 to 2012, Matt fought his way through adversity and held onto hope that running was going to take him places. At the same time, Matt was trying to navigate the complexities of being a teenager who loved some aspects of school, and hated others. By his final year, Matt didn't want to just be labelled as a good runner, he wanted to be remembered as the best that his country had ever produced. It was not going to be an easy task, but Matt was ready for that challenge.

Travis Macy summited glacial peaks in the French Alps, rappelled into vast limestone caves in China, and ran through parched deserts in Utah. Most famously, he won one of the country's marquee ultra-distance events: Leadman, a high-altitude series of super-long-distance races, culminating with a 100-mile mountain biking race and a 100-mile trail run. Macy accomplished it without exceptional strength, speed, or flexibility, and without high-tech performance labs or performance-enhancing drugs. His secret? A precise and particular outlook he calls the "Ultra Mindset," principles for daily life that are neither mysterious nor the sole province of ascetics or elite athletes: embrace fear, rewrite stories we tell ourselves, and master the art of seeking help, among others. By applying the principles such as "It's All Good Mental Training," "When you have no choice, anything is possible," and "Never quit...except when you should quit" to other areas of life, anyone can find success that otherwise would have seemed impossible. Coauthored with award-winning running writer and journalist John Hanc, The Ultra Mindset blends exciting personal memoir with actionable, research-based advice. Dramatic stories of Macy's far-flung experiences in the professional endurance-racing world lead into relevant mindset principles, reflective self-assessments, mind- and body-enhancing workouts and activities, and compelling case studies. Macy's stories keep the pages turning as you forge your own winning outlook for success in business, sports, and life.

Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon Training offers prescriptive programming for all levels of runners. Not only will it help you learn how to get started with your training, but it will show you where to focus your attention, when to progress, and how to keep it simple.

Japan is the most running-obsessed country on earth. A 135-mile relay race, or "ekiden," is the country's biggest annual sporting event. Thousands of professional runners compete for corporate teams in some of the most competitive races in the world. The legendary "marathon monks" run a thousand marathons in a thousand days to reach spiritual enlightenment.Yet so much of Japan's running culture remains a mystery to the outside world. Adharanand Finn, the award-winning author of Running with the Kenyans, spent six months immersed in this one-of-a-kind running culture to discover what it might teach us about the sport and about Japan.As an amateur runner about to turn 40, he also hoped to find out whether a Japanese approach to training might help him run faster. What he learns—about competition, team work, form, chasing personal bests, and about himself—will fascinate and surprise anyone keen to explore why we run and how we might do it better.