Book of the Day: The Conditioning of Distance Runners

Title: The Conditioning of Distance Runners

Author: Tom Osler

From the book: “Running is an art, not a science. It is best learned not only through years of extensive racing and training, but through careful recording of each workout, observation, experimentation, and constant evaluation of these results.”

Takeaway: Tom Osler is a pioneer of distance running training. This book was originally published in 1967 — it’s a foundational text I think most running coaches would benefit from reading. It’s short, under 75 pages. Osler offers sound training principles based off of Lydiard’s “miles make champions” school of thought. Like any text over 50 years old, there are some outdated remarks, but surprisingly a good amount of content is still valid. Read this to see how much, and how little, has changed in distance running training.

Shop: Get your copy of The Conditioning of Distance Runners here.