Writing a book on nutrition has got to be one of the hardest because everyone has their own opinion. However, this author did a good job of presenting facts and offering up suggestions on how to improve your running while not forcing a particular opinion on you. I found the advice to be sound and definitely recommend.

This book was far more useful than I expected. It describe all nutritious needs for a runner from beginner to elite, step by step and with details in a very friendly and understandable language.
It affected my running performance and changed the way I fuel my body to a healthier manner.

I saw the reviews on this book and then checked it out from my library (with intentions to order it very shortly as it's a great reference). I'm only halfway through it, so basically at the fueling for a race and his concepts are fantastic so far. While you can tell where he is leaning, he doesn't seem to try to push his ideas and states that every person is different, but these are ideas to try to get yourself to this level. Also, instead of a focus on weight loss, his focuse points toward restructuring your body composition. A lot of the principals he brings up are carried over from other sources, and he discusses other diets out there and why they are necessarily appropriate for runners. I also love that he breaks down the types of sugars in various sports drinks, gels, and other options out there.

This is a well put together read that is full of useful info for the beginner to the advanced runner. I have been running for over a year and am in training for my first half marathon. I struggle to maintain a healthy running weight and this book really has helped me with that. I love all the advice on proper carb, fat, and protein intake. The book is easy to read and does not necassarily need to be read in any particular order. I would recommend this to any runner and have already.

This is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to learn how to best feed their body for running. As a beginning runner who's training for my first marathon, the information included in this book has been priceless.

As is the case with Runner's World, the quality of the writing is unique amongst sports-related publications. Most running books I've encountered so far generally have poor grammar and/or spelling, and tend to read more like grad school papers than informative books. Matt Fitzgerald's writing style manages to make the subject matter interesting and enjoyable.

References to websites and other resources for more information were also very useful. The section regarding supplements and where you can find out which ones are honest about their ingredients is fantastic.

Regardless of where you are in your training, I would highly recommend this book.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through this book and the advice that Matt supplies is extremely eye opening. I never knew drinking during your workout was so important.



This book is written from a very down to earth point of view. I felt like a coach or a friend was giving me advice. After reading most of this book I went ahead and ordered both the EFS (formerly E3 as mentioned in the book) sports drink and the Ultragen recovery drink. I'm completely convinced by Matt's detailed explanations that these products are really targeted to maximize your body's needs.



Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid runner. It will help you understand how certain foods and nutrition can help your body as a runner.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through this book and the advice that Matt supplies is extremely eye opening. I never knew drinking during your workout was so important.

This book is written from a very down to earth point of view. I felt like a coach or a friend was giving me advice. After reading most of this book I went ahead and ordered both the EFS (formerly E3 as mentioned in the book) sports drink and the Ultragen recovery drink. I'm completely convinced by Matt's detailed explanations that these products are really targeted to maximize your body's needs.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid runner. It will help you understand how certain foods and nutrition can help your body as a runner.

Fitzgerald offers a good overview of various nutrients and their role in race performance. The short coming of this book is that it doesn't offer specific menu plans. Great title, just falls a little short of being truly helpful.

I found this book a great asset to my running training. Matt Fitzgerald does a great job of explaining the reasons for the different enegy sources. He also tells how to get the proper amounts of protien from more that just meat sources. I'm only an "hobby" runner for fitness & health (to maintain a 100# wt loss) but this book made me feel like I could do more than I thought I could. I was hoping to cut 30-45 mins off my time. After reading and applying the info in this book I was able to fule myself for my 2nd marathon good enough to cut 58 minutes of my 1st marathon's time. I was able to run harder during the marathon (I had a faster 2nd half) & recovered better after it. It's easy to read & understand. I'm glad it's part of my fittness library.

I found this book to be very useful in more ways than one. It was extremely helpful in educating me on the advantages and disadvantages of the different sports drinks and recovery formulas available to long distance runners. I also found that it motivated me to eat a healthier diet in general. While much of the general dietary information was stuff that I already knew, some of it was not.
I have significantly changed the way I eat as a result of reading the book, and I regularly recommend it to friends whether they run or not.