As a novice 65 years old in his first year of running, our cover runner, John Cahill came to Dr. Miller to learn the physical and mental skills he needed to race a marathon. At 66 in his first marathon he ran a 3:04. At 72, he ran the same marathon in 3:05. As he approached 80, he was still running sub-4hr marathons. Now, in his early 90s, John typically runs a 5K nearly every weekend when he is not traveling around the world. In PROGRAMMED TO RUN, Dr. Miller shares how he developed the concepts that led to John's success - and countless other runners. Simply put, your running/racing potential is grounded in your biomechanical and attentional skills, which are intimately related. This book is a guide for the self-coached runner -regardless of sex, age, body type, or ethnicity - to assess, refine, and "program" optimal running and racing skills, which, as demonstrated by John, can last a lifetime. "After more than a decade of teaching thousands of runners, my staff, students, and I have concluded that PROGRAMMED TO RUN is the best guide to improving your running and racing available today. It is practical, easily understood, and illustrated with interesting and motivating stories based on Tom's own running and racing experiences, field research, and anecdotes of how novice runners transformed themselves into masters of their sport." Curt Munson, the founder of Good Form Running and past president of the National Running Retailers Association (2013). "When this book first came out in 2002, we said in the July/August issue, 'Miller's book is one of the most accessible and practical books we've seen on those minute and intangible elements that make the difference between good and great performances.' Programmed to Run contains timeless guidance and should be part of every serious runner's library today." Jonathan Beverly, Editor, Running Times magazine (2013). "I grew up practicing the elements of elite running technique because Tom was a frequent instructor at my parents' running store. Our zero drop shoes are designed to be used with the technique described in this book." Golden Harper, founder of Altra Running Shoes. A "Best of 2014" Amazon Editors' Choice!
About the Author: After more than 50 continuous years of running, field researching, and racing, Tom's quest for challenge and knowledge is alive, well, and thriving. In his mid-60s, he refocused his competitive/analytical instincts on the triathlon. At 69 he completed the Coeur d'Alene Ironman of a 1.2 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. At 70 and 71 he qualified for and competed in the Ironman 70.3 (half Ironman distances) World Championships. In 2013 Ironman ranked him 9th in the world and 6th in the USA in the 70-74 age group at the half Ironman distance. That year he also finish 3d in his age group at the Xterra National Trail Running Championships and followed that with a 2d place finish in 2014. At 72, Tom is focusing his competitive drive and scientific curiosity on run/bike/run duathlons and more trail running. You can keep abreast of his progress by checking his posts and blogs at www.programmedtorun.com.