Runner's World The Runner's Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster »

ROSS TUCKER, PHD, serves as scientific editor of Runner’s World South Africa, a consultant technical expert with Adidas South Africa, and editor of Health 24, South Africa’s largest fitness- and health-related Web site. Tucker, a competitive runner himself, lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

JONATHAN DUGAS, PHD, holds a post-doctoral fellowship with the University of Chicago. He is the cocreator, with his colleague Ross Tucker, of the popular Science of Sport blog. A qualified USA Cycling coach, he lives in Chicago.

MATT FITZGERALD is a prolific health and fitness journalist. He writes regularly for such national publications as Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and Triathlete. With nine books to his credit, he also creates interactive training programs for runners and triathletes and leads clinics at triathlon and running events throughout the U.S. He lives in Northern California.

Every day scientists learn more about how the body adapts to the stress of running—and how various body systems contribute to running performance. Leading the charge is a fresh generation of brilliant young exercise physiologists including Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas, whose work has demolished many long-standing beliefs about running. Now Tucker and Dugas, whose blog, Science of Sport, has already created a devoted readership, join with esteemed fitness author Matt Fitzgerald to provide a captivating tour of the human body from the runner’s perspective. Focusing on how runners at all levels can improve their health and performance, The Runner’s Body offers in a friendly, accessible tone, the newest, most surprising, and most helpful scientific discoveries about every aspect of the sport—from how best to nourish the runner’s body to safe and legal ways to increase oxygen delivery to the muscles. Full of surprising facts, practical sidebars, and graphical elements, The Runner’s Body is a must-have resource for anyone who wants to become a better—and healthier—runner.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Musculoskeletal System

Chapter 1 Meat Machines 11

Chapter 2 The Morning-After Problem 28

Chapter 3 Big Impact 43

Chapter 4 Weak in the Knees 54

Part 2 The Cardiorespiratory System

Chapter 5 More Mileage per Milliliter 78

Chapter 6 Blood, Sweat, and Gatorade 95

Chapter 7 The Mysterious Muscle Cramp 112

Part 3 The Metabolic System

Chapter 8 Maximum Fuel Economy 132

Chapter 9 All You Can Eat 152

Chapter 10 Leaner, Lighter, Faster 166

Part 4 The Central Nervous System

Chapter 11 Mind Matter over Body Matter 185

Chapter 12 It's All about Style 199

Chapter 13 The Joy of Running 216

Part 5 The Immune System

Chapter 14 Radicals and Inflamers 232

Chapter 15 Outrunning Illness 246

Chapter 16 In the Long Run 256

Index 269