{"product_id":"running-smart-isbn-9780262542449","title":"Running Smart","description":"\u003cb\u003eA science writer and recreational runner explores the science behind popularly held beliefs about shoes, injuries, nutrition, \"runner's high,\" and more.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConventional wisdom about running is passed down like folklore (and sometimes contradicts itself): the right kind of shoe prevents injury--or running barefoot, like our prehistoric ancestors, is best; eat a high-fat diet--and also carbo load before a race; running cures depression--but it might be addictive; running can save your life--although it can also destroy your knee cartilage. Often it's hard to know what to believe. In \u003ci\u003eRunning Smart,\u003c\/i\u003e Mariska van Sprundel, a science journalist and recreational runner who has had her fair share of injuries, sets out to explore the science behind such claims.\u003cbr\u003eIn her quest, van Sprundel reviews the latest developments in sports science, consults with a variety of experts, and visits a sports lab to have her running technique analyzed. She learns, among other things, that according to evolutionary biology, humans are perfectly adapted to running long distances (even if our hunter-gatherer forebears suffered plenty of injuries); that running sets off a shockwave that spreads from foot to head, which may or may not be absorbed by cushioned shoes; and that a good sports bra controls the ping pong-like movements of a female runner's breasts. She explains how the body burns fuel, the best foods to eat before and after running, and what might cause \"runner's high.\" More than fifty million Americans are runners (and a slight majority of them are women). This engaging and enlightening book will help both novice and seasoned runners run their smartest.Preface\u003cbr\u003e1 The Rise of the Long-Distance Runner\u003cbr\u003e2 The Usefulness of Running Shoes\u003cbr\u003e3 Back to Bare Feet\u003cbr\u003e4 Built to Run\u003cbr\u003e5 Training Load and Load Capacity\u003cbr\u003e6 The Right Fuel in the Tank\u003cbr\u003e7 A Spring to the John\u003cbr\u003e8 Running for your Life\u003cbr\u003e9 The Secret to Speed\u003cbr\u003e10 Fatigue is All in the Mind\u003cbr\u003e11 Running as Therapy for the Brain\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue: Do Your Own Science\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eBibliography \u003cbr\u003eIndex\"...a well-researched discussion...wannabes and runners of all levels should be engaged by this expert investigation of their favorite activity.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRunning Smart\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating exploration of the science of running. Van Sprudel separates facts from folklore on everything from training to nutrition and gear. She explains what convinced her to stop buying anti-pronation shoes, why a good sports bra is a better investment than a DNA test for performance genes, and why running injuries remain an ‘unsolvable puzzle’ despite so much research on them. The book will interest any runner who’s wondered how much of the conventional wisdom around running is backed by rigorous science.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eChristie Aschwanden, author of \u003ci\u003eGood to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery \u003c\/i\u003eand cohost of the podcast \u003ci\u003eEmerging Form\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Even if you don’t enjoy running, you’ll be enlightened and entertained by this fast-paced, informative, and comprehensive tour of the science of running and its effects on the body. You might also run farther and faster.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eDaniel E. Lieberman, author of \u003ci\u003eExercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Instead of recycling the same old myths about running, van Sprundel goes looking for actual scientific evidence, with surprising and entertaining results.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eAlex Hutchinson, author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eEndure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eMariska van Sprundel is a freelance science journalist who has written for \u003ci\u003eRunner's World\u003c\/i\u003e and other publications. The creator of \u003ci\u003eThe Rational Runner\u003c\/i\u003e, a blog about science and running, she is a running instructor for recreational runners at a Utrecht athletics club.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300752576741,"sku":"NP9780262542449","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262542449.jpg?v=1767735985","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/running-smart-isbn-9780262542449","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}