Whether you are a coach or simply taking the do-it-yourself approach, The Art of Run Training is a useful guide that blends science with a decade's worth of professional observations from the field, so you'll gain new perspectives on the mental approach to training and racing. For example, you'll learn improved methods for correcting running form and teaching proper foot strike, as well as the reason why many people struggle to make these corrections. The Art of Run Training is packed with knowledge that is less commonly discussed within the running community.

The sport of running has come a long way for amateur runners, as race registrations and collective miles logged are at an all-time high. Along with this running boom comes an overabundance of information found in online articles and magazines, some of which is often contradictory. How do we piece it together and make sense of it all?

Using a conversational tone that makes the information easy to digest, The Art of Run Training offers practical knowledge in three foundational areas-psychology, physiology, and an effective approach for improved run mechanics. As a successful coach over the past decade, Mike Hamberger raises runners' abilities and enhances their confidence to do so.

Some of the other notions highlighted in this book include:
1) Running should be 10% mental, not 90%.
2) Switching running shoes will not change run mechanics.
3) The instruction to run with "short, quick strides" does more harm than good.
4) Garmin watches (or other GPS devices) hamper running performance.
5) Humans have better form when running fast, not slow.
6) The surging popularity of half-marathons and marathons is causing most injuries.
7) The need for a longer, more strenuous off-season phase than most runners attempt.
8) A runner should not use a race as "a training run."
About the Author: Mike Hamberger has been teaching sport psychology at Marymount University as an adjunct professor since 2009. He lives and works full-time in the Washington, DC area with his private coaching business, DC Running Coach, LLC, founded in 2006 (www.DCRunningCoach.com). Through his coaching, Mike has guided countless amateur runners and triathletes, members of military and law enforcement, as well as high school and collegiate athletes. He has been published twice as lead author in the Journal of Contemporary Athletics and as second author in the World Leisure Journal. He is frequently invited to speak at clinics and has been consulted by numerous publications, including Runner's World and Competitor magazines, and The Washington Post.

Mike received his Masters degree in Kinesiology (concentration in sport psychology) from the University of Maryland, where he will begin PhD studies in the fall of 2015 in Cognitive Motor Neuroscience. His education, combined with various coaching certifications, provided him the opportunity to be the head track & field coach and strength & conditioning coach at Sidwell Friends School for five years. He earned his B.A. in psychology at Widener University, where he was a 3-sport collegiate athlete, competing in football, rugby and as an All-Conference decathlete. After his undergraduate years, he competed in triathlon/duathlon for ten years, earning All-American honors and representing the USA three times at the amateur World Championships.

He believes that understanding the research in the field of social psychology unlocks the key principles of sport psychology, and that understanding human nature in this way offers much insight into the art of coaching and leadership.