Recommended Running Books: Chinese and English Running Books That Inspire Taiwanese Runners

Running and Reading: Thinking on the Move

Pheidippides, the father of the marathon, ran nearly 240 kilometers to report victory—surely he had no time to read. But modern runners have developed a curious hobby: digesting the pages they read the night before while running.

Books often have a fundamental impact on runners—they change how you understand running, and a shift in understanding can transform your training methods, mindset, and even lifestyle. The right book can change a runner more than a high-mileage training season.

Chinese-Language Books: Running Reads from Taiwan to the Chinese-Speaking World

The “Road Running Bible” Series (Taiwan Publications)

Taiwan has several homegrown running books that have built a solid reputation within the running community. Though not internationally famous, they are full of practical, local insights:

• Local interpretations of pacing strategies, designed for Taiwan’s climate and course characteristics
• Training cycles built around common Taiwanese full and half marathons, aligned with Taiwan’s race calendar

Recommended Chinese-Language Running Books

Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

This book holds a status close to a “foundational classic” in Taiwan’s road-running community. Murakami documents his marathon training in an essayistic style, but what truly captivates readers is not the training methods—it’s his profound observations on “solitude” and “perseverance”:

“The most important quality a long-distance runner must possess is the ability to keep running even when it hurts, even when it’s tough.”

This quote has been written in training journals and pinned to the top of running community threads by Taiwanese runners, becoming a shared spiritual motto.

English-Language Books: Key Reads That Changed Runners Worldwide

Born to Run

By Christopher McDougall

This book sparked a global barefoot/minimalist shoe craze in 2009. The story unfolds among the Tarahumara people of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, exploring through narrative nonfiction why the human body is the ultimate running machine. After reading this book, Taiwanese runners often begin to question the high-tech, thick-soled shoes on their feet.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

By Haruki Murakami (the original English edition of Murakami’s running book)

The English-language version of Murakami’s running book. If you want to read a passage in English over post-run coffee, this is an excellent choice.

80/20 Running

By Matt Fitzgerald

This book enjoys high recognition among training-focused runners in Taiwan. The core concept: elite runners spend 80% of their time at “easy pace” and only 20% at high intensity—the complete opposite of the “every run must be hard” mindset many amateur runners hold. After reading it, many runners finally give themselves permission to “run slower.”

Running with the Kenyans

By Adharanand Finn

A British journalist relocates to the training town of Iten, Kenya, documenting first-hand observations of African distance-running culture. For Taiwanese runners, the takeaway is often this: elite performance is not just about genetics—it’s also about lifestyle, culture, and the accumulation of daily habits.

The Runner’s World Complete Guide to Running

If you want practical training guidance rather than philosophical prose, this guidebook covers complete training methods from beginner to advanced marathoner, and it circulates widely among Taiwanese runners.

Principles for Choosing Running Books

With so many running books on the market, here are a few angles for choosing:

1. What stage are you at? Beginners need inspirational books; runners in training need methodology
2. What do you want to change? Speed, technique, mindset, or lifestyle? Different books focus on different aspects
3. Prose vs. guide: Some people need emotional resonance while running; others need actionable plans
4. When to read: The off-season (such as the summer reduction period) is the best time to read running books, allowing for thoughtful digestion

Further Reading: Running Podcasts as a Complement to Books

Beyond reading, Taiwanese runners are increasingly listening to running-related podcasts during training:

• International English podcasts: Marathon Training Academy, Runners Connect
• Chinese-language podcasts: Channels from major running communities, featuring training discussions and race recaps

Conclusion

The best time to read a running book might be on a morning after a training run—when your body still carries a slight ache, yet your mind is unusually clear.

Opening Murakami or McDougall then, you may discover that those words aren’t just about running—they’re about how a person finds a reason to keep moving forward in this world.

Related Reading

• Road Running Changes Lives: Transformation Stories and Psychological Gains of Taiwanese Runners
• Road Running and Volunteering: How Runners Give Back to Society in Multiple Ways
• Combining Road Running with Travel: Planning Local Race Trips on Business Trips
• Barefoot Running and Natural Running: Ground-Feel Training for Taiwan’s Climate