Young Runners at the Top: A Training, Racing, and Lifestyle Guide for Competitors and Coaches

In today’s hyper-competitive world, young athletes are often pushed to compete and pressured to succeed to the point of burnout. It doesn’t have to be that way, though, because many young runners genuinely enjoy training and racing. But in order to train and compete intelligently―to become better runners yet avoid injuries or academic and social missteps―they need guidance.

Young Runners at the Top: A Training, Racing, and Lifestyle Guide for Competitors and Coaches provides helpful instructions and suggestions for runners of all abilities. Drawing on their experiences as coaches and runners, authors Brad Hudson, Lize Brittin, and Kevin Beckoffer insights into how pre-teens and teens can become faster and stronger athletes. Chapters cover such key topics as choosing the right gear, cross-training, the mental side of running, new technology, how to integrate running into daily life, and proper nutrition. Sample training schedules for beginning, intermediate, and elite runners make this a truly comprehensive resource for runners at all levels.

Using examples of athletes who have excelled both as youngsters and adults and citing wisdom from top running coaches, this book encourages young runners to develop the inner strength and discipline required in a demanding sport. Ultimately, Young Runners at the Top shares with athletes, coaches, and parents not only what it takes to become a top runner, but also how to maintain a positive attitude and enjoy the act of running day after day, year after year.

Brad Hudson is one of the most respected distance-running coaches in the U.S. He competed in the Olympic Trials Marathon and has coached a slew of world-class runners in Oregon and Colorado. He is the founder of Marathon Performance (http://www.marathonperformance.com/) and is the head of the Hudson Training Systems Elite group (http://hudsoneliteco.com/). Hudson is the coauthor of Run Faster From 5K to the Marathon.

Lize Brittinis a writer and runner. She is the author of Training on Empty (2013) and has written for publications such as Competitor, Active Cities, Boulder Magazine, and Thrill. At age sixteen Brittin set a women’s record at the Pikes Peak Ascent, considered one of the most challenging mountain races in the country.

Kevin Beck was a senior writer for Running Times magazine for over a dozen years. He is a regular contributor to Competitor Running, Triathlete Magazine, and Men’s Fitness and is the editor of the training book Run Strong (2005). Beck has coached at the high school and open category levels and gives talks across the country.