Running Related Non-Fiction

Betsy's list of running-related classics last month inspired me to impose on you my list of favorites that I impose on my Star-Gazette readers. Here we go:

Sentimental journeys: "Hal Higdon's "Boston -- A Century of Running;" "The Boston Marathon -- The History of the World's Premier Running Event," by Tom Derderian; "The New York City Marathon: Twenty-Five Years," edited by Peter Gambaccini.

How-tos: "Galloway's Book on Running;" Bob Glover's "The Runner's Handbook."

Scientifically-sound resource: Dr. Tim Noakes' "The Lore of Running."

Best 26.2-miler resource book: "The Ultimate Guide to Marathons," by Craythorn and Hanna. (They gave Monster and Wineglass rave reviews!)

All-time Classics: "Running and Being -- the Total Experience," by George Sheehan; Jim Fixx's "The Complete Book of Running," anything by Joe Henderson.

A Good Laugh: Anything by Don Kardong, one of the few reasons to subscribe to Runner's World.

Best Trail Resource: "Guide to Trails of the Finger Lakes Region," from the Cayuga Trails Club. Also, "How to Shit in the Woods," by Kathleen Meyer.

Great book by a female runner who belongs to our club: "The Athletic Woman's Sourcebook," by Janis Graham of Ithaca.

Best book by a professor at my alma mater: "Daniels' Running Formula," by Jack Daniels.

Classic log: :"The Complete Runner's Day-by-Day Log and Calendar," edited by John Jerome.

Good history lesson: "Marathon: The Clarence DeMar Story," by Clarence DeMar.

Best book -- not about running -- to give a runner: Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About the Bike."

-- Diane Sherrer