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Running the Edge: Discover the secrets to better running and a better life

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Olympian Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano team up to share their personal quest and a unique running philosophy that breaks the mold of traditional running books. By tapping into the transformative power found in the distance run, Running the Edge inspires readers not only to push their limits as runners, but as human beings in a relentless pursuit of excellence in everything. Borrowing from philosophical notions ranging from humanistic psychology and Buddhist monks, all the way to adrenaline junkies, Alcoholics Anonymous, and even the World of Warcraft, Goucher and Catalano take readers on a pilgrimage of self discovery and personal improvement. Six mirrors guide the way as Running the Edge methodically leads readers to a heightened awareness of their own personal attributes, and compels them to break free from the curse of normal and the chains of average by "running the edge" towards their maximum potentials. Interlaced with rich storytelling along with personal insights offered from elite Alan Webb, Amy Yoder Begley, Chris Solinsky, Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rupp, Kara Goucher, and Paula Radcliffe, the book reads at a brisk pace worthy of its subject matter. Although there is a sharp focus on running, the principals and tenets outlined in Running the Edge could be equally applied to almost any passionate pursuit in life. Even non- runners will find the stories and philosophies enlightening, uplifting, and motivating.Fans of the book Running With The Buffaloes by Chris Lear will find an older more introspective Adam Goucher. He pulls no punches as he draws on his faults and short comings both as a runner and as a person. He recognizes the mistakes he has made in his training and life and uses that awareness to propel him forward in a quest of self improvement.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2011

87 people are currently reading
348 people want to read

About the author

Adam Goucher

1 book8 followers
Adam has a long list of accomplishments both as a student and as an athlete. In 1994, during his senior year of high school, he not only was the student body president but also managed to run away with the Foot Locker national cross-country championship.

Adam signed with the University of Colorado as the nation’s number one recruit and quickly made a name for himself by placing second at the NCAA cross-country championships in Arkansas and leading his team to a second place finish.

During his collegiate career, he was an eleven-time All American and captured four individual NCAA titles.

Before Adam graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1998, he had already developed a passion for personal growth and began speaking with several local high schools about the value of running and setting goals.

After completing his collegiate career, Adam signed a contract to run professionally. He also continued to work with the CU men’s and women’s team as a volunteer assistant coach under Mark Wetmore.

In his career, Adam has won eight individual U.S. championships and qualified for the finals in the world championships seven times. In 2000, Adam represented the United States in the Sydney Olympic Games.

Adam continues to run and battle through injury, but also has an eye toward giving back to a sport that has given him so much. He wishes to share his passion with other runners and use what he has learned from running to be not only the best athlete possible, but also the best husband, father, brother, son, and friend.

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5 stars
72 (17%)
4 stars
128 (31%)
3 stars
136 (33%)
2 stars
51 (12%)
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17 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Terzah.
573 reviews24 followers
December 19, 2011
I live in Boulder, domain of runners but also of Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle and other New Age-y, self-help-y, laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank-at-our-neuroses types. I'm not a fan of this stuff, or of the self-help, self-love and self-improvement movements or pop psychology in general. The ideas of "because I deserve it" and other Oprah-esque cloakings of hedonism are big turn-offs. I (and I'd wager many middle- and upper-class Americans) actually do plenty for ourselves. It's other people we should be focusing on.

That said, I do believe that while perfection isn't possible and happiness isn't reached via a check-list or a particular spiritual practice or a set of goals, improving one's character IS a worthy process to embrace. That's where "Running the Edge" comes in.

Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano were teammates on the University of Colorado cross-country team made famous (among runners anyway) by the book "Running With the Buffaloes." Goucher went on to become a professional runner and an Olympian, while Catalano coached runners and taught. In the introduction to this book, they say they wrote it because "both of us realized that as good as our lives were, we could do better."

Though non-runners won't relate to a lot of the material here, becoming a better runner is really only a sub-point. The point is becoming a better person in your family life, your education and other facets by examining yourself in what Goucher and Catalano called the "six mirrors," among them initiative and personability. There are exercises at the ends of the "working" section of the book to help you do this.

It took me a long time to read this book, not because it wasn't enjoyable (Goucher and Catalano's anecdotes are funny and inspiring, and the writing is unpretentious and clear) but because I actually tried to work through the "mirrors" and really absorb what the authors were trying to impart. In the days leading up to the marathon I trained for in September, I read "Running the Edge" daily.

Does it work? Well, I'm still a work in progress. I don't believe any one book can change a person overnight. But the authors know that. I liked their no-excuses attitude and their frequent references to the truth that we are all "in progress" and that ultimately the only way any of us can make a positive change in the world is to make positive changes in our selves. A sprinkling of philosophy gave their ideas some intellectual heft. Their sense of humor and humility made them appealing guides.

I have another marathon in a month. I'm already re-reading parts of this book as that big day gets closer. I'll never be an Olympian. But I do like the idea that I haven't reached the edge of my potential in running or in anything else.

[Disclaimer: Goucher and Catalano answered questions from my readers on my running blog last August. I purchased this book myself, and my review is my own.]
Profile Image for Jean.
43 reviews
November 1, 2012
Well done. Fun examples. Living life on the "edge" really means living life as close to "excellence" as one can. One's edge is different than another's edge, but the principles of the book can apply to everyone.
Profile Image for Kim.
202 reviews2 followers
January 29, 2012
I bought this book thinking it would be full of running advice and anecdotes from professional runners. There were some anecdotes, which I enjoyed, but it was more of a self-help, personal reflection type book. The authors want you to keep a journal and reflect on different aspects of your life (running, education, career, etc.) through different mirrors (motivation,integrity, personability, etc.) . I guess this book has it's place if you need a kick in the pants to get motivated, but I was seeking more inspirational stories than reflective instruction.
2 reviews
September 19, 2012
I was hoping to get some motivation from this book to help reverse the running 'slump' I'm in, but this book isn't so much about running as it is about cultivating a mindful existence. I suppose there's value in the life improvement exercises if one wants to take the time to do them, but the only motivational portions I found were the running related quotes from famous elite runners scattered throughout the chapters. I don't need a 226 page book for a few motivational quotes.
Profile Image for Tim Catalano.
Author 1 book6 followers
September 12, 2012
Well since I wrote it, I have also read it! Without a doubt the best book I have ever written! :)
87 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2019
In summary, it's a trope filled self help book, I doubt the truth of many of their "totally crazy things we did" stories (see example at the end of review), and the stories they hold up as examples to live by are in fact dangerous mistakes that the reader should learn NOT to repeat.

This book starts of "OK" and then goes downhill. It falls into numerous self-help tropes including numbering and naming object lessons. One chapter is about the "5 life stories" and then "the 6 mirrors." This kind of tired self-help object lesson pandering is interspersed with interesting stories from the authors' lives. These stories are initially inspiring and back up their urge to "whenever possible, make 'someday' today."

However, as the book continues these stories devolve into cautionary tales about why this can turn out to be a terrible philosophy. Several stories illustrate the extreme ends of how "push your limits" can be harmful. Yet, these stories are not held up as warnings, but rather as encouragement.

As an example Tim tells a story about how he took the high school cross-country team he coached on a foolish run up a mountain in the dead of winter with no thermal gear or water. This resulted in 2 team members getting lost late at night, one of whom became too hypothermic to even shiver and who may have died had he not been discovered, completely by chance, by a group of hikers as he wandered off the trail. Another runner became delirious on top of the mountain and began removing his clothes and yelling at the sky. Tim concludes this story by recounting that the team "lived more in a single day and discovered more about themselves than some people do in a lifetime" and "by taking the initiative to get out the door...lived a story they will one day be telling their grandchildren."

Three team members could have legitimately died by Tim's own account and no member of the team was remotely prepared for the undertaking. It was a stupid, foolish, dangerous thing to do that only turned out okay because they got lucky. This isn't the kind of inspiration anyone should be following.

As a further point, as I read through the book I became less and less convinced of the author's relationship with the facts. Another "inspirational" story they tell is about deciding to ride their bikes 55 miles north to Fort Collins, despite one of them not having a bike and the other having an old one he hadn't ridden in 3 years. The authors claim they borrowed a bike and made the ride on rusty mountain bikes that left them blistered and hurting. They then challenged each other to complete the return ride in under 3 hours or else do it a third time the next day. Then, the next day they ran a 10 mile training run before getting on the bikes to ride home. They claim they then raced home and finished in 2:52:00, just in time to not need to repeat the challenge.

That works out to a 19.2 mph pace assuming no stops of any kind, which is difficult to believe considering they were riding with traffic on normal roads. By comparison, the average finish time for the bike leg of the Ironman 70.3 race (56 miles) for EVERY age group (excepting professional racers) is slower than this pace. [runtri website]

So, they claim that, completely untrained on a bike, using old mountain bikes not fit for them, after having ridden 55 miles the day before, and after having ran 10 miles that morning, they completed a Half Ironman racing bike distance faster than the vast majority of Ironman athletes do after having spent months training for the event and weeks tapering down to that specific race who are riding road and racing bikes fit to them... Yeah...BS.
Profile Image for Skye Leroux.
33 reviews4 followers
February 17, 2025
A how-to guide to becoming what the authors call a "distance maven", this book is for runners and would-be runners who are trying to up their game. By focusing on six core actions--initiative, responsibility, determination, adaptability, integrity, and person-ability--activities and lessons are provided in order to help with improvement. The author's also say that by applying these actions in other areas of one's life (family, education, career), one can become a distance maven in all aspects of life. I enjoyed the book very much, but have never really understood the need to fight through pain, cast personal concerns aside, and strive for as close to perfection as one can get in order to go out and run. This is probably why I'm not a runner! There are some points in the book that I have issues with and that I think could be problematic for some people. One of these is the idea that you should never settle for good--it should always be the pursuit of better. I was immediately reminded of that phrase "perfect is the enemy of good." That being said, I recommend this book especially if you are a runner or want to be a runner and are not sure of how to establish good running habits.
Profile Image for Joshua Thompson.
1,052 reviews547 followers
March 11, 2018
Sort of like a self-help book for runners. Catalano (co-author) has a psychology degree and it shows. I liked this one more than I expected I would.
Profile Image for Eliseo Magallon.
10 reviews4 followers
September 18, 2019
Honestly it wasn’t that great. Professional runners don’t double as great writers. But I will say that it was awesome to hear about adam’s perspective of his running career
Profile Image for Kevin.
245 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2024
First 3/4 of the book was interesting and engaging, the last 1/4 wasn't for me.
Profile Image for Jess.
173 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2024
I honestly can't even remember if I finished this book, which is never the best sign...
Profile Image for Ryan Funk.
1 review1 follower
September 13, 2025
The book is a little repetitive on its lessons, but the grey-bordered pages throughout the book are good resources to come back to.
1,584 reviews40 followers
December 26, 2012
fairly quick read (perhaps because I didn't do all the self-assessments and self-improvement exercises) by US Olympian Adam Goucher and his college track/x-c teammate Tim Catalano, mostly on the theme of using attributes evoked/refined by distance running to improve all aspects of your life. Be a better friend, spouse, worker, etc. by applying initiative, responsibility, integrity, personability, determination, and adaptability. Liberally sprinkled with anecdotes from their running (and in Tim C's case, coaching) careers and corroborating blurbs by other famous runners.

Nothing especially shocking, and I suppose if I were being consistent about it, I'd have to stay true to how much I ordinarily dislike the book genre of "I am very successful at X; therefore, I am going to extract what I take to be the principles responsible for my success at X and state with nothing more than anecdotal evidence that they are also crucial for success at Y, Z, and Q and will make you an overall better person" (maybe the most annoying being the two-way traffic between team sports coaches and self-congratulatory business CEO's). However, I did enjoy this book and find parts of it inspiring, maybe because the authors are young (compared to me!) guys with some humility and an ability to see themselves as works in progress along with the rest of us.

Today, for instance, I applied the "distance maven"'s commitment to adaptability by postponing a track workout to tomorrow on account of sleet-turning-to-snow. At one time I'd have lambasted myself as a wimp, but just for today my tight hamstring is thanking me for making the wise decision by adapting the plan. Thanks, Adam and Tim!

1 review1 follower
January 23, 2014
Title: Running The Edge
Authors: Adam Goucher/Tim Catalano Publisher: Maven Publishing # of Pages: 227

“Runners love a challenge. Their sport requires an internal drive foreign to most “normal” people. They not only push through the pain, but also welcome it. They live to test their limits, and if a gauntlet is thrown down, they embrace the chance to test their mettle” (Goucher and Catalano).
Adam Goucher is known as a very competitive runner. Him and his teammate, Tim Catalano, share their theories of becoming not only a better athlete, but also a better person. In the book you learn about the different steps to better your life in order to better your running abilities. It shares their different obstacles they had to overcome to help them be the athletes they are today. They discuss the difference between running being a pastime and being a passion. Once a runner, always a runner. “Running is not just a sport to some, it’s an identity” (Goucher).
This book is amazing for anyone who enjoys running. It breaks down the different values running can have towards someone. Some people might not understand why they enjoy running, but towards the end of the book, you’ll learn to understand why you do. It doesn’t just talk about running, but the steps you need to take in order to become a runner. Anyone can say they run, but only a few can say they are runners.
Profile Image for Jocelyn.
123 reviews
January 2, 2013
While there are many references to running, stories about running, and running metaphors, this book is mostly about being successful and motivated in life. I would put it in the "self-help" category, but it definitely wouldn't make sense to someone who is not a runner. I guess I was hoping for more running/training help. In the first half of the book there were a lot of times when I felt like it got a little "if you try hard enough you can get what you want". But I did feel like they tried to change that in the second half and talked about the fact that determination only takes you so far and not everyone is made to be a champion runner. I also didn't do the written exercises this time through, but I might read it again and try them.
Profile Image for Pia.
Author 14 books57 followers
Read
January 15, 2013
I'm 18% done with Running the Edge: When I downloaded this, I didn't realize it was more of a self-help book than a running book, but I decided to try it anyway. So far, there isn't much "help" either.

At 20%, after the last 3% being an affirmative rant as to why runners run, I'm calling it quits. I was hoping for some running stories and running tips with perhaps how running affects other aspects of our lives, but damn it, I am a runner, and I don't need pages and pages of why runners like to run and why nonrunners can never understand a runner's passion. Every runner knows that already.

Sadly, I don't think this book is going anywhere helpful, or deep, or anywhere near a pair of well-loved sneakers.

20% read: DNF
Profile Image for Sabrine Cutting.
75 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2013
A good overall inspirational book and resource that I would turn back to for encouragement and re-focusing.

This book was recommended to me by my sister when she first started running, and was sitting on my shelf "to read" as just another running book. I was pleased that it took a different direction and weaved life philosophy into running, as well as Goucher opening admitting his own shortcoming and personal journey. It was inspiring that elite athletes are truly ordinary folks with the same confidence struggles in athletic performance as the rest of us mortals.
Profile Image for Beth.
443 reviews10 followers
December 21, 2012
Dig inside the mind if a runner and you will find someone always wanting to do better, to push harder, to excel. This book explores the how's of getting from where you are to where you want to be. A self help book like any other having you assess where you are against where you want to be, except this has stories about pushing your limits. By no means a bad book. I was hoping for another "Chasing The Runners High. A Sixty Million Step Program" that in inspired me to set a goal of completing an Ultra.
Profile Image for Reagan Ramsey.
302 reviews42 followers
November 1, 2011
interesting but not deep or profound. this is a sort of "running as a metaphor for life" book, which is a great concept (it takes determination, initiative, personability, etc. to be truly successful), but not a new concept.

cool to read about adam and kara goucher, though. that was part of why i decided to read it. they seem to have a great relationship, and even a little bit of balance--surprising for two world class athletes.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
478 reviews9 followers
October 15, 2012
This was not particularly a "running" book but more of a "how do you mentally work on becoming an awesome runner" book. I guess I'm not that much of a go-getter because this really didn't interest me. I did none of the thought experiments, etc. because...meh. I did enjoy some of the short quotes & tales from famous runners, though. Picked this up for free via Amazon, so I got what I paid for!
5 reviews
March 23, 2013
Not what I was expecting given the title and authors. I was hoping for more of an insight into the technique and style of elite running. Though more of an exploration into becoming a better person overall I did appreciate the many links drawn between running and living a life full of vigor and accomplishment.
Profile Image for Julie.
120 reviews1 follower
March 23, 2023
Not sure what I would call this book….It’s like a self help book for runners, filled with hilarious and motivational stories from the passionate and fearless authors. This book was part self help, part inspiration and a whole lot of entertainment.
Suitable for runners, athletes and people who are interested in becoming a better version of themselves through a wholistic approach to training.
Profile Image for Bradley.
119 reviews
October 30, 2013
Not a big fan of the self-help genre. And that is exactly what this book is. Yeah, it's got a lot of good stuff in there, but I just struggle with it. It wasn't the inspiration I was hoping for.

I couldn't even read the final two chapters. Sorry guys.
Profile Image for Nancy.
38 reviews10 followers
January 27, 2013
Kind of self-helpy, but inspirational. This book preaches to the choir. Yes, running is awesome. I was hoping for more insights about technical ways to improve. But, if you are a newbie runner, or just thinking about it, this would be a good book to start.
Profile Image for Cara Simmons.
8 reviews
August 23, 2012
A different approach to exploring/discussing life and running. I liked it. I have only gotten my feet wet in both areas and looking forward to what is to come. A lot of work is to be done on both accounts...distance maven...count me in!!!
Profile Image for Heather.
379 reviews13 followers
April 17, 2013
Not terrible. A little repetitive, and definitely geared specifically toward people logging a lot of miles despite saying its for all runners, even beginners. Still, some compelling stories and some goo thoughts on improving habits.
15 reviews1 follower
June 15, 2013
Professional development is something I have been thinking a lot about that. This book was neat because it made me think about how the things that can make me a good runner can also make me a good professional.
Profile Image for Kim.
125 reviews5 followers
December 21, 2011
A little too self-helpy for my tastes, but had some nice messages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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