Amazon.com (ISBN 0936070277, Paperback)

As a young man, Jeff Galloway traveled the world and entered international running events, satiating his desire to compete and cultivating his love of the sport. He became the "running equivalent to a ski bum," and his book, Galloway's Book on Running, retains that laid-back feel while still managing to be an incredibly comprehensive source. Anecdotal and engaging, the book opens with an American running history and the Five Stages of a Runner, which sets a bar by which you can measure yourself and minimize "the pitfalls and maximize the gains of your running future." Galloway then describes how the three levels of training--base, hills, speed--are crucial to enhancing and improving performance. Reasonable mileage programs for specific race distances, such as "Less mileage for a faster 10K," address the many myths circulating about mileage requirements for injury-free and effective training programs. You'll also find such minutiae as the natural reactions of the human body when running in hot or cold weather and hints for a more comfortable run. Note this striking warning: "Men, please wear more than nylon tricot shorts if you value your future family production. Penile frostbite is no joke." Whoa! He also discusses the importance of hydration: "Many of the undesirable aspects of racing--poor performance, muscle soreness, even injury--are partially or wholly attributable to dehydration." And, for those curious about the physiological reasoning behind hitting the "wall" or the difference between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fiber, an entire chapter is committed to "Physiology--What Happens Inside When You Run." --Cate Bick