Books
We’re proud to announce that we are coming out with an eBook guide in June!
Our eBook guide, THE SAGE RUNNING SECRET: A Guide to Speedy Ultras – how to run faster on any surface at any distance, is coming out! (check back at SageRunning.com in July for the official release!).
A little about the eBook:
This is a relatively short eBook, a guide basically. It is NOT a “complete book of running” and NOT a “how to” guide for beginners that introduces the basics of the sport. We’ve read a lot of those longer, textbooks-like volumes though! Don’t expect any nutritional menus or elaborate stretching routines or gear mentions/reviews. No, this book is straight-forward and to the point: Our key golden nuggets of training wisdom so to speak…what we’ve learned over 20 years of combined experiences in the sport of distance running as well as from coaching many others (including multiple sub 3-hour Boston Marathon runners to Western States 100 qualifiers and many others looking for that next “edge” in running performance) condensed into a practical, “non-fluff” format. We want to get you out the door and improving right away!
In writing the book, we’ve used some metaphors and analogies to explain scientific training principles in a way that is fun, engaging, and easy to understand: Some of our chapter titles:
“Are you a Prius or Mustang?” (an introduction to Running Economy)
and
“Periodization is like building a Pizza”
Our goal in writing this is to empower you with “THE HOW” and “THE WHY” of specific workouts/training approaches and what you can personally do to give yourself the ability to reach that next level in running! Many texts and coaches can preach to do certain workouts and training cycles, but few spell out the specific reasoning behind the training stimulus that these kinds of workouts can provide for ultra runners in the context of all Mountain-Ultra-Trail events. Furthermore, our focus has been on harnessing and applying the power of SPEED in a variety of ways and applying that to ultra-marathon running in an effective, practical and methodical manner. We cover our top ways to prepare for events from technical mountain and SkyRunning races to road ultras and beyond! Any surface, Any distance…we’ll tell you how to improve!
With a recent trend of top MUT Runners coming from a shorter distance cross country/track/road background we’ve seen many course records fall and shifts in the lead pack at races. This is no coincidence! There is a competitive advantage that comes from shorter speed (racing and workouts) and higher intensity sessions within training cycles. After reading our eBook, THE SAGE RUNNING SECRET, this competitive advantage will be yours!
While we admit that some genetics and “talent” play a role in ultimate running ability, there is still A TON of potential improvement to be gained from runners like yourself (so don’t worry if you didn’t run cross country or track in school or got into running later in life!). Individual variations do occur (as well as very specific course-distance/trail demands!), but our general principles are applicable to a wide-variety of runners and mountain-ultra-trail running events! We cover the full spectrum, because we race all these different types of events ourselves and want to perform at the highest level!
Ideally this eBook guide is perfect for you if you are the following type of runner:
1. You’re been racing at least a handful of ultras/marathons
2. You’ve been running and training for at least 2-3 years.
3. You want to reach that next level in running, improve, and get closer to your true potential in the sport.
4. You’re a sub 4 hour marathoner looking to make the transition to trails/ultras/mountains.
5. You’re ready to gain a different perspective on training and harness a newfound, competitive advantage!
The eBook guide comes in two versions and will be at least 35-40 pages in length and include a few diagrams and pictures to help illustrate some points.
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Sage’s other book, Running For The Hansons: An Insider’s Account of The Brooks-Sponsored Marathon Training Group Made Famous by Olympian Brian Sell, was published in May 2011. It reads more like a memoir.
From the backcover:
“Running For The Hansons” offers the reader a glimpse of what it is like to be a professional distance runner, to run in a major sponsor’s shoes, and to live a lifestyle structured around training and racing. It is a first-hand, exclusive account that delves into the elations, the disappointments and the re-discoveries of what it takes to be an elite, American distance runner. The story provides a framework of The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, a post-collegiate marathon-focused training group based in Michigan that was made famous by the progression of 2008 US Olympian Brian Sell. Runners of all ages and abilities will quickly recognize that the thought processes of such athletes mentioned in the story can be applied to their own running. The mega-mileage, 140-mile weeks and puke-inducing workouts and races that are discussed in the book are relative extensions from the challenges that any high school team, college cross-country team or marathon-training group must learn to conquer together. As a collective whole, the sacrifice and commitment of each individual yields a camaraderie, synergy and motivation for the entire group to break through pre-conceived barriers (which are the very efforts demanded to achieve new personal bests!). This is a story about dreaming big, following your heart and taking risks. It is a story of triumphs, disappointments, and how one may find meaning and purpose in life through a “simple” passion for running.
Included in the contents are informative sections about training, racing, and what it takes to become one of the best marathon runners in the country.
The 320 page book is 5.5” by 8” and is currently available to order in paperback and in eBook/Kindle form at www.Amazon.com. Thanks so much for the support!
The Covers:
Front and back covers
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