The 5 Top Running Books to read this December

While I was training for my Ultramarathon, my girlfriend bought me "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. It was a brilliant book which I thoroughly enjoyed. Since then, it got me into reading more running books, so with the long winter evenings upon us, here is my top 5 list of running books you should read this December:

1. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
2. Run Fat Bitch Run by Ruth Field Ruth, a 36 year-old mum of twins, thinks this makes her your very best friend, and the title of her best-selling book, Run Fat Bitch Run, is the tough-love mantra she is urging women to repeat to themselves to get jogging and lose those carb pounds and stodge-induced rolls.
3. Why We Run: A Natural History by Bernd Heinrich Originally released with the title of “Racing the Antelope: What Animals Can Teach Us About Running and Life,” this book explores the idea that human evolution was made possible by the ultra-distance running capabilities of human beings. Author Bernd Heinrich, a biologist and award-winning nature writer, investigates the physical, spiritual and primal desires and instincts to compete in a blend of anthropology, psychology, philosophy and his own personal passion for running long distances
4. The Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age by John Bingham Known by fans as "The Penguin" for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is one of the unlikely heroes of the modern running boom. In this warm, witty memoir, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to "adult-onset athlete." It’s a must-read for new fitness-oriented runners or lifelong runners who have kept running despite slowing down through the years. What Bingham proves is that if he can become a marathoner and a healthy runner, anyone can
5. Running Full Circle by Frank Greally Athletics stars past and present – as well as many members of the Irish running community – gathered in Dublin recently for the launch of Frank Greally’s autobiography, ‘Running Full Circle’. The former champion distance runner and long-time managing editor of Irish Runner magazine has had, by his own admission, many ups and downs, and that is reflected in the book’s subtitle, ‘Footprints on a Rocky Road to Redemption.’ The book traces Greally’s emergence in the 1960s as a prodigious talent in his native Mayo, his turbulent years as a homesick scholarship athlete in East Tennessee — where he majored in English Literature and journalism as well as ‘music and moonshine’ — and his subsequent struggles with depression and alcohol.