A sensible, balanced, low-stress approach to running In ALBERTO SALAZAR’S GUIDE TO RUNNING, the three-time New York City marathon winner and former marathon world-record-holder draws on the latest research to show you that a twenty-minute, two-to three-mile run can be just as beneficial as a longer, harder run. He offers a complete year-long program designed to build beginning runners’ weekly distance to a relatively short fifteen to twenty miles. Salazar also points out the many advantages of helping your running program with aerobic and strength-building activities. Interspersed throughout the book you’ll find fascinating and instructive anecdotal sidebars in which Salazar shares the hard-won lessons he’s learned about running, fitness, avoiding injuries, and more. There’s also valuable advice for more experienced runners on trail running, winter training, cross training, and increasing distance.

Alberto Salazar burst onto the American and world marathon scene with a victory in the 1980 New York City Marathon. During his running career, he set one world and six U.S. records in various distances. He broke long-standing marathon records in New York in 1981 and Boston in 1982, and won the New York event three years in a row. A fierce competitor, renowned for maintaining a grueling training schedule that often included running up to 130 miles a week, Alberto Salazar was beset by injuries that prematurely ended his running career. After a hiatus lasting more than a decade, he made a sensational comeback in 1995, when he won the 53.75-mile Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa. A marketing consultant with Nike, Salazar now runs mostly for fitness and enjoyment, rarely covering more than 5 miles at a time.

Richard A. Lovett, PhD., is an avid runner and veteran of numerous marathons. A former law professor, he is now a full-time writer.