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The Science of Running

The Science of Running

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  • Create Date：2022-05-04 09:53:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Steve Magness
  • ISBN：0615942946
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

If you are looking for how to finish your first 5k， this book isn't for you。 The Science of Running is written for those of us looking to maximize our performance， get as close to our limits as possible， and more than anything find out how good we can be， or how good our athletes can be。 In The Science of Running， elite coach and exercise physiologist Steve Magness integrates the latest research with the training processes of the world's best runners， to deliver an in depth look at how to maximize your performance。

It is a unique book that conquers both the scientific and practical points of running in two different sections。 The first is aimed at identifying what limits running performance from a scientific standpoint。 You will take a tour through the inside of the body， learning what causes fatigue， how we produce energy to run， and how the brain functions to hold you back from super-human performance。 In section two， we turn to the practical application of this information and focus on the process of training to achieve your goals。 You will learn how to develop training plans and to look at training in a completely different way。 The Science of Running does not hold back information and is sure to challenge you to become a better athlete， coach， or exercise scientist in covering such topics as:

· What is fatigue？ The latest research on looking at fatigue from a brain centered view。
· Why VO2max is the most overrated and misunderstood concept in both the lab and on the track
· Why "zone" training leads to suboptimal performance。
· How to properly individualize training for your own unique physiology。
· How to look at the training process in a unique way in terms of stimulus and adaptation。
· Full sample training programs from 800m to the marathon。

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Reviews

Jens ，

Summary: the next best book out there， ideal for when you've reached a plateau and you want to take your training to the highest level。 This book stands out if it comes down to building your season， timing the changes in intensity and lots of examples are given。 It's really packed with science， some of it applied to lactate and VO2 max testing， but even more so about your metabolic systems， working of the muscles and biomechanics。 Even more， it goes on to use those neurological insights， for exa Summary: the next best book out there， ideal for when you've reached a plateau and you want to take your training to the highest level。 This book stands out if it comes down to building your season， timing the changes in intensity and lots of examples are given。 It's really packed with science， some of it applied to lactate and VO2 max testing， but even more so about your metabolic systems， working of the muscles and biomechanics。 Even more， it goes on to use those neurological insights， for example， to design workouts that elicit a better adapatation to it。 Additionally， it is very insightful on what the limitations of research are when it comes to transferring the findings to real-world coaching。 My only drawback compared to Danniels Running Formula is that， in the end， you're overwhelmed with his labels as "specific endurance" or "direct speed support" "speed endurance" or "speed support"， "endurance support" or "direct aerobic support"， without it being clear anymore to the reader what system he is aiming to stress。 Whereas the latter， Jack Danniels， has a very easy-to-use classification with associated paces to train。 Yes， it is more of a simplification， especially on the faster-than-race-pace side， but imho it is of more value to the reader。 。。。more

Joshua Pitzer ，

It is VERY COMPLICATED， but what it teaches is important for serious runners。

Jess ，

Pro-tip: Hire someone who can read and write to edit your book before you publish it so you don’t have a trash book with typos and misspellings， you absolute moron。 Also， the author copied and pasted his masters thesis into the first few chapters of the books。 Nobody wants to read the intro to your masters thesis。 Nobody。 Idiot。

Danielle ，

Check out a full book review on my running blog: https://237diaries。wordpress。com/2022。。。 Check out a full book review on my running blog: https://237diaries。wordpress。com/2022。。。 。。。more

Francesc ，

I am a 'recreational runner。' I read all I can about running because I like running， and because I want to learn new ways to train， etc。 I found this to be arguably one of the best running books around。 However， it's written for the professional coach/runner。 From the introduction in p。 1: "This is not your typical watered-down， mass-market training book that relies on cookie-cutter programs。 There will be no formulaic training regimes or easy to follow training plans included。 Instead， this boo I am a 'recreational runner。' I read all I can about running because I like running， and because I want to learn new ways to train， etc。 I found this to be arguably one of the best running books around。 However， it's written for the professional coach/runner。 From the introduction in p。 1: "This is not your typical watered-down， mass-market training book that relies on cookie-cutter programs。 There will be no formulaic training regimes or easy to follow training plans included。 Instead， this book is designed to challenge the athlete， coach， or scientist。" Regardless of this， I found the book to be excellent， and I'd still recommend it to any runner regardless of his/her level。 In p。 147， the author lists his coaching influences， among them Renato Canova， Antonio Cabral， Peter Coe， and Arthur Lydiard。 I am missing Jack Daniels， a 'favorite' coach of mine。 （Daniel's Running Formula， 2005 IS referenced at the end in the 'References' list， though）。 Steve Magness' philosophy of running could be summarized as "Training stimulus = Adaptation GIVEN adequate recovery and nutrition。" This is presumably pretty much the same equation he presented in 'Peak Performance' with Brad Stulberg: "Stress + Rest = GROWTH，" where adaptation is growth， stimulus is stress， and recovery is rest。Finally， a note about the publishing of the book （by Origin Press， 2014）。 The book contains several orthotypographic inconsistencies that should have been fixed before printing。 The design is 'frugal' at best。 The book looks more like a thesis typed by a college student， than a commercial book for sale。 There are no pictures and no graphs， and the few tables accompanying the text could have been enhanced by a better， more visually appealing design。 The same goes to the quality of the paper。 The book is large （11x8 in）， which I very much like and appreciate。 I have read the paperback edition。 There is a Kindle edition， but I have not seen it， so I can't comment on it。 This does not have any impact of my rating the book with five stars， but if there is a second edition， this is an opportunity for improvement。P。S。 Steve Magness is the man behind 'The Science of Running' podcast， which you may follow at https://www。scienceofrunning。com 。。。more

Joseph ，

Lots of good science and coaching ideas。 Along with the grammatical and spelling errors I thought the concepts could have been better organized。 This sort of book needs an index and glossary。

Edgars Bernāns ，

Nice read about running science。

javier ，

I liked the holistic approach to training that this book presents。 I've tried the Daniels running Formula methodology for the past year， and completed the Red and Blue programs but didn't see much improvement on my overall speed and times -- they got me into decent aerobic shape but didn't help me achieve my race goals。 I'm hoping that "The science of running" will help me create a personal training program that will take me to the next level。 I liked the holistic approach to training that this book presents。 I've tried the Daniels running Formula methodology for the past year， and completed the Red and Blue programs but didn't see much improvement on my overall speed and times -- they got me into decent aerobic shape but didn't help me achieve my race goals。 I'm hoping that "The science of running" will help me create a personal training program that will take me to the next level。 。。。more

Adj Prof Clayton Williams ，

The science section is solid。 The coaching section not for amateursI'm a Professor of applied complexity science， so I loved the first part of the book。 I'm also an amateur long distance runner so I was keen for part two BUT Magness relies on his reader having a solid foundation and familiarity with running jargon， which I am still building， and a lot of this went over my head The science section is solid。 The coaching section not for amateursI'm a Professor of applied complexity science， so I loved the first part of the book。 I'm also an amateur long distance runner so I was keen for part two BUT Magness relies on his reader having a solid foundation and familiarity with running jargon， which I am still building， and a lot of this went over my head 。。。more

Bertalan Thuroczy ，

An other great writing about every asp3cts of running。 As a runner， I recommend it to everyone who wants to understand the physiology behind running。

Hershel Shipman ，

Excellent book to read， even if you are not an endurance athlete。 The sections on periodization and adjusting programming to an athlete's needs is worth it on their own。 Excellent book to read， even if you are not an endurance athlete。 The sections on periodization and adjusting programming to an athlete's needs is worth it on their own。 。。。more

Stef Cornelissen ，

As a lifelong runner/triatlete I find this book a treasure trove combining the recent scientific nitty gritty and coaching insights into an integrated approach to training。 Of all the stuff related to training this is by far the best I have come across in 45 years （Joe Friel included and that is saying something）。 One of the eye openers was the discussion on fatigue and the fact that we do not yet know what it is 。。。 For sure not lactate but a decision of your brain - and how we reach te conclus As a lifelong runner/triatlete I find this book a treasure trove combining the recent scientific nitty gritty and coaching insights into an integrated approach to training。 Of all the stuff related to training this is by far the best I have come across in 45 years （Joe Friel included and that is saying something）。 One of the eye openers was the discussion on fatigue and the fact that we do not yet know what it is 。。。 For sure not lactate but a decision of your brain - and how we reach te conclusion that we cannot push on is still very much out for review。 So the good news is: you can probably train you brain to cope :-）。 another important suggestion: build your base from two sides （speed and endurance） not the classic bottom up。 Etc。 Etc。 But - yes there is a but - it is not your easy gobble up popular recipe book。 I have struggled through now for the second time and expect I will revisit often。 Hard work but worth the trouble！ 。。。more

Elwin Kline ，

Great book on exercise science。The author admittingly turned his Masters Thesis into a book， that ended up doing very well and taking off to be quite financially rewarding。 Good for him！ I am sure there are plenty of thesis/dissertations out there that this path could be pursued and I am all for it。 This book is split into two parts， Part 1 is full of immensely heavy， very deep dive， biology and science of the human body relating to exercise。 It was so in-depth that it almost pushed me away。。。 b Great book on exercise science。The author admittingly turned his Masters Thesis into a book， that ended up doing very well and taking off to be quite financially rewarding。 Good for him！ I am sure there are plenty of thesis/dissertations out there that this path could be pursued and I am all for it。 This book is split into two parts， Part 1 is full of immensely heavy， very deep dive， biology and science of the human body relating to exercise。 It was so in-depth that it almost pushed me away。。。 but， I stuck it out and I am very glad I did。 This is definitely Master's level material for sure。Part 2 gets into the working out portion of the book。 While the author is dedicated to running specifically， the concepts and ideas presented can be easily transmuted into other types of exercises such as weightlifting， rock climbing， swimming， team sports， so on and so forth。 Non-runners， do not let this scare you aware from this， and just be creative enough to be willing to adapt what is presented and gear it towards your chosen exercise/fitness discipline。 I learned a lot from this book for sure and very much enjoyed reading it。 However， the fitness industry is super opinionated。 There are many people who think that their way is the best over others， for example: fitness methodology xyz （CrossFit， Traditional Bodybuilding， Running， Rock Climbing， you name it） is the best， cardio before vs after vs separate for workouts is the best， diet abc is the best， so on and so forth。 The author is totally guilty of this as well， which is expected for this field but still doesn't make me like it anymore。 -1 star mainly for that and me disagreeing with some of his blanket statements and opinions。 Overall though， anyone from the dedicated fitness practitioner to someone who wants to get started， this is a great resource。 The author does sort of bash newcomers in the introduction to this book， saying essentially along the lines: "This is not for beginners， if you want to go read a one size fits all cookie cutter how to move from the couch to your first run， this book is not for you"。 If the author wants to narrow his audience like this， whatever。。 it's his choice。 However， I will disagree in that even if you are in a place where you want to get better and learn more this book will totally support that goal。 Do not let the authors elitist attitude that you need to be able to run marathons in order to enjoy this book throw you off。 。。。more

Brian Rock ，

When I'm doing something， I always want to know why I'm doing it and how it works。 This usually leads to me reading a lot about things and trying to understand them。The problem with reading about running is that oftentimes， the same truisms and best practices are repeated in self-reinforcing circles。 Because some coach used a technique with success in some situation， people use that technique in many situations。Often times this works out well， but not always。。。That's where science comes in， and When I'm doing something， I always want to know why I'm doing it and how it works。 This usually leads to me reading a lot about things and trying to understand them。The problem with reading about running is that oftentimes， the same truisms and best practices are repeated in self-reinforcing circles。 Because some coach used a technique with success in some situation， people use that technique in many situations。Often times this works out well， but not always。。。That's where science comes in， and if you want to understand the science of running you should read this book by Steve Magness。 He answered many of the questions I had about running and how the body adapts to running。 He also answered many questions I didn't know I had。The other problem with science is that it's often taken out of context。 When people do cite research studies on the internet or in the media， it's usually to highlight one particular training method as being the next best thing。Steve takes a much more measured approach to things， and this has the feel or a real academic work。 Although my graduate studies were in the social sciences， and not the hard sciences， it's clear that Steve did a lot of homework to put this together。I don't want to get too into the weeds here， but you can read more about my substantive takeaways from the book here。I will say that this book is not easy to get through。 A basic understanding of science will be helpful， although I have no training in human biology or exercise science and I was able to understand things。 Steve does a good job of explaining complex scientific topics and relating them to very specific examples that runners will understand。 At the same time， some of the sections on science can be quite dense。Steve explains from the get go that this isn't a book for true beginners， and I agree。 But， while he definitely targets highly competitive and advanced runners， I think anyone who is trying to become a better runner would benefit from reading this book。You'll learn how the body adapts to training， why you should incorporate certain types of workouts into your training， and how to increase your speed and endurance。 Although you won't walk away with any specific training plans， you'll understand the components of training plans much better - and you'll be able to adjust any training plan you find to your own needs。 。。。more

Jannis ，

Interesting but dense book for the professional。 Does not lend itself to the Audiobook format as well as other， less technical non-fiction books。 I have enjoyed the first part （and learned a lot from the presentation of the existing research on running， training and fatigue） and skipped some chapters in the second part （as I'm not a running coach nor training at those levels myself）。 Interesting but dense book for the professional。 Does not lend itself to the Audiobook format as well as other， less technical non-fiction books。 I have enjoyed the first part （and learned a lot from the presentation of the existing research on running， training and fatigue） and skipped some chapters in the second part （as I'm not a running coach nor training at those levels myself）。 。。。more

Christopher Kelsall ，

If you have run for long enough， you will have been met with injury， niggles， irritations， tightness and muscular as well as gastrointestinal cramps。 You will have been banged up， tossed around and have run through storms of fatigue and with tailwind-blowing gales of finely tuned fitness; you will have seen it all。During that span， you will have picked up all sorts of correct and incorrect physiological jargon from professionals， running friends， Google-searched bro-science as well as real scien If you have run for long enough， you will have been met with injury， niggles， irritations， tightness and muscular as well as gastrointestinal cramps。 You will have been banged up， tossed around and have run through storms of fatigue and with tailwind-blowing gales of finely tuned fitness; you will have seen it all。During that span， you will have picked up all sorts of correct and incorrect physiological jargon from professionals， running friends， Google-searched bro-science as well as real science。 You will have become a running encyclopedia of information of various degrees of quality。Run long enough， and you will have limped into the physio’s office to tell him or her all about the （name the niggled body part） abductor， piriformis， sciatica， gastroc， soleus， patella， IT band – you know the drill – like an expert。Now runners new and gnarled veterans alike can have a reference manual good enough to put their physio out of work – well， sort of。If you are new to running， this book will save you all sorts of agony。 Read it。Read more: https://athleticsillustrated。com/book。。。 。。。more

Owen ，

A very scientific and detailed look at running and training。 I listened to the audio book and thought it was read well。W0w - lots of detail and theory。 Great for me， perhaps too much for some。 Magness does point out that what runners and coaches adopt typically happens before scientific proof。 There is also good discussion about training， its impact， and who is being trained。Untrained athlete - almost any regular program will show improvements。Trained athlete - a more logical training program an A very scientific and detailed look at running and training。 I listened to the audio book and thought it was read well。W0w - lots of detail and theory。 Great for me， perhaps too much for some。 Magness does point out that what runners and coaches adopt typically happens before scientific proof。 There is also good discussion about training， its impact， and who is being trained。Untrained athlete - almost any regular program will show improvements。Trained athlete - a more logical training program and more time is needed to show improvement。Super athlete - may not benefit from training the way a trained athlete does。 Because of this， studies that show that some training "works" for a group of athletes really only shows that the training works for similar athlete。 Because the program works for them it may not work for you if your fitness is much higher or your age is much greater。 Different training will also do different things to different types of runners。 Distance vs sprinters。Magness also points out that stressors be used to achieve the results the runner or coach wants to achieve。 A simple example: Should a long-distance runner train using fuel （calories） along with water on long runs？ What is the intent of training？ If the intent is to train the body to use limited calories more efficiently then the answer is train without or reduced calories。 If the intent is to train the body to not have GI distress when consuming calories on the run （perhaps for an ultra runner） then the answer is yes。I thought the book was great， but can understand if some find it a little dry or long。 。。。more

Doug ，

there is a TON of _great_ information in this book。 but I feel like it's written for a very specific audience -- the whole of which I do not belong。 I am neither a sports scientist or a coach of elite atheletes， so I bailed out of this book early。 I got a TON of great information and food for thought out of it， but at the end of the day， I am nowhere near in the shape I was in when this book would have been more useful to me。 If you're a coach or sports scientist， definitely read this book。 Mayb there is a TON of _great_ information in this book。 but I feel like it's written for a very specific audience -- the whole of which I do not belong。 I am neither a sports scientist or a coach of elite atheletes， so I bailed out of this book early。 I got a TON of great information and food for thought out of it， but at the end of the day， I am nowhere near in the shape I was in when this book would have been more useful to me。 If you're a coach or sports scientist， definitely read this book。 Maybe if you're an elite competitive runner， too。 Or maybe the parent of one。 That's probably the whole of who I would recommend this book to。 。。。more

Herbie Behm ，

Steve Magness thoroughly explains the physiology of running and how to apply that understanding to human adaption necessary for athletic success。 He explains his different types of workouts as well as the internal pathways those workouts trigger in a simple way that can easily be applied to any program。 This book certainly enhanced my program planning and understanding of athletic development。

E。 Nicholas Mariani ，

Hands down the best book on running and endurance training I've read so far。 I'll be honest， as a casual runner/cyclist who engages in those activities mainly for exercise and peace of mind， a lot of the detailed information in this book was frankly above my pay grade。 But for competitive athletes looking to improve their race times， serious marathon runners who want a boost to their endurance， or people like me who just find exercise science incredibly interesting， I have to imagine that this b Hands down the best book on running and endurance training I've read so far。 I'll be honest， as a casual runner/cyclist who engages in those activities mainly for exercise and peace of mind， a lot of the detailed information in this book was frankly above my pay grade。 But for competitive athletes looking to improve their race times， serious marathon runners who want a boost to their endurance， or people like me who just find exercise science incredibly interesting， I have to imagine that this book would be indispensable。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

Jaume Lloria ，

This a very nice and comprensible book for understanding all mechanisms underpinning running exercise。 Many perspective and important questions are exposed。 Highly recommended！

Lukas ，

Reads just like it promises， like a scientific report。 Very interesting and exhaustive on the subject at hand。

Brad Cooke ，

This book contains lots of good stuff; it's basically a thesis。 However， it is rife with so many spelling and grammatical errors that it's about as readable as the average twitter post written on an iPhone。 Hopefully future versions benefit from some editing！ This book contains lots of good stuff; it's basically a thesis。 However， it is rife with so many spelling and grammatical errors that it's about as readable as the average twitter post written on an iPhone。 Hopefully future versions benefit from some editing！ 。。。more

David John ，

Being an aspiring coach， this book outlined a ton of great information that really changed how I look at running。 From the body being forced away from homeostasis to the real benefits of hill workouts early season， I kept making all the great knowledge that filled the pages cover to cover。 Thought that the training plans that were outlined were easy to follow and were made even more purposeful by the information that lead into them。 This book will definitely be a great resource for me moving for Being an aspiring coach， this book outlined a ton of great information that really changed how I look at running。 From the body being forced away from homeostasis to the real benefits of hill workouts early season， I kept making all the great knowledge that filled the pages cover to cover。 Thought that the training plans that were outlined were easy to follow and were made even more purposeful by the information that lead into them。 This book will definitely be a great resource for me moving forward and will be something I show my athletes to help them understand the "why" behind the process that is drawn up for them。 。。。more

Alstin Benton ，

Quality Book。。。 this book is spot on with the coaching trend of getting away from the focus being solely on Physiology and moving to the mental aspect of sport。 Every great coach has found out the importance of this in athletic success

sahil ，

Not the easiest of the books to read。 But he makes it clear in the prologue and you know what to expect。

Anders Risager ，

I use it as a encyclopedia for running 😉

Ha Truong ，

More than enough for who just love to run and run for fitness。 It's perfect for sport scientist and coach and who want to maximize their performance。 More than enough for who just love to run and run for fitness。 It's perfect for sport scientist and coach and who want to maximize their performance。 。。。more

Andreas ，

An fascinating book if you are interested in the bio-chemical processes that lead to adaptation of the body when you run。 There is no magic formula， and somewhat surprisingly， the best coaches always seem to be a step ahead of science。 The author does a good job in comparing the different approaches and makes it clear when theory is shaky。 The presentation of the material itself could have been better， I think I have read the parts I was interested in a couple of times until I understood the rel An fascinating book if you are interested in the bio-chemical processes that lead to adaptation of the body when you run。 There is no magic formula， and somewhat surprisingly， the best coaches always seem to be a step ahead of science。 The author does a good job in comparing the different approaches and makes it clear when theory is shaky。 The presentation of the material itself could have been better， I think I have read the parts I was interested in a couple of times until I understood the relations。 A welcome deep dive into the clockwork that we call the human body。 。。。more

CJ Fusco ，

Let me be frank here: I’ve read many books on training for distance runners， and this is easily the best。 Moreover， I’ve found that when I’ve integrated the concepts therein into my own coaching， it’s had a sizable， noticeable， and measurable impact。 The only reason I’m not giving it 5/5 stars is because of the frequent grammatical errors， as well as the fact that the units of measurement displayed in the sample training plans are inconsistent; if there was a 2nd edition that smoothed out these Let me be frank here: I’ve read many books on training for distance runners， and this is easily the best。 Moreover， I’ve found that when I’ve integrated the concepts therein into my own coaching， it’s had a sizable， noticeable， and measurable impact。 The only reason I’m not giving it 5/5 stars is because of the frequent grammatical errors， as well as the fact that the units of measurement displayed in the sample training plans are inconsistent; if there was a 2nd edition that smoothed out these rough edges， this would be a near-perfect training manual。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Science of Running

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Science of Running&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Science of Running&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0