Running the Edge: Discovering the Secrets to Better Running and a Better Life

Motivation to get off the couch and pursue personal improvement. Authors Goucher and Catalano share their unique running philosophy, demonstrating how the transformative power of the distance run can inspire readers to push their limits as runners and as human beings. Borrowing philosophical insights from distance mavens, humanistic psychologists, Buddhist monks, adrenaline junkies, and even “World of Warcraft” online gamers, Running the Edge takes readers on a pilgrimage of self-discovery as the authors relentlessly pursue excellence in everything.

Interlaced with rich storytelling and personal insights from elite runners. Running the Edge reads at a brisk pace worthy of its subject matter, offering stories and philosophies that even non-runners will find enlightening and uplifting. The authors’ perspective is rounded out by contributions from some of the best-known runners in the world, including record holders and Olympians like Alan Webb, Amy Yoder Begley, Chris Solinsky, and Dathan Ritzenhein.

Insight born of experience and enthusiasm. Adam Goucher, a professional runner, and Tim Catalano, a psychology instructor and running coach, are two highly visible members of the long-distance running community. They were teammates for a year while running for the University of Colorado Buffaloes, but they developed a friendship and shared a passion for running that never faded. Their “Run the Edge” blog site features entries that capture the spirit of running to achieve physical, emotional, and mental fitness.

Adam Goucher signed with the University of Colorado as the nation’s number-one recruit and quickly made a name for himself by placing second at the NCAA cross-country championships in Arkansas. During his collegiate career, he was an eleven-time All American and captured four individual NCAA titles. After college, Adam signed a contract with a shoe company to run professionally. Adam went on to win eight individual U.S. championships and qualified for the finals in the world championships in track and cross-country seven times. In 2000, Adam represented the United States in the Sydney Olympic Games. Adam continues to run and battle through injury, but he also has an eye toward giving back to a sport that has given him so much. Author Hometown: Portland, OR

Tim Catalano ran varsity track and cross-country for the storied University of Colorado athletic program, a transformative experience that sparked a lifelong interest in running. During his twelve-year teaching career, Tim worked at high schools in three countries, and he served as a head track and cross-country coach for ten years. With a lifetime of involvement and interest in human behavior and the transformative influence of running and other activities, Tim has developed a passion to combine the teachings of psychology and the sport of running.