The books below I recommend with an asterix. These books are fantastic, but there are parts of them that can seem to encourage things that aren't good. The thing to know about these books is that one is a novel, and the other is outdated by 20 years. Mark Wetmore from Running with the Buffaloes was my college coach and I can tell you his methods and philosophies have changed drastically. In either case, you'd be foolish to use them as training guides. In fact, good luck trying to train like a fictional character. There are some workouts in Once a Runner that even Eliud Kipchoge couldn't complete. More importantly, both books have really bad notions on nutrition. You cannot be an elite athlete without proper fueling. The inspiration from these books is tremendous, but the information can be worse than useless.

Geo Tam's Recommendations

• Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside With Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, And The University Of Colorado Men's Cross Country Team

• Once a Runner (Captivating Novel)

Melody Fairchild's Recommendations

• Girls Running - All You Need to Strive, Thrive, and Run Your Best - co-written by Melody Fairchild

• Lessons of a Lakota (Written by one of the all time greats!)

• Running in Silence: My Drive for Perfection and the Eating Disorder That Fed It (Covers a really important topic)

• On the Road to Find Out (Centered around women)

Matt Giannino's Recommendations

• The Passion Paradox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life

• Amazing Racers: The Story of America's Greatest Running Team and its Revolutionary Coach This book follows the Fayetteville-Manlius High School XC team. Their girls have won 11 National titles in 13 years. What's extra impressive is that they are a small school. The cautionary part of their story isn't written in the book: Their athletes are often burnt out post high school. Despite fielding multiple all americans every year, not one of their girls has ever scored a point in a meaningful college meet. Nevertheless, the book focuses on the psychology that elevates the team and not the training that probably burns them out.

• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

• The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance

• Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

Geo Tam: Books in my library that I haven't read yet.

• How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle - One of our former athletes found this book transformational.

• Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes: A Cookbook

• Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe - Local Boulder athlete wrote this one!