If there's anything I enjoy as much as reading a good book, it's getting outside for a good run. If I had to choose between the two ... well, I don't.

I've been running roads and reviewing books nearly 30 years. At last count, my personal library holds more than 80 running books. And I've lent a few volumes that never did get returned.

So, choosing Michigan Runner's top 25 running books is a treat. I get to rethink many of my favorites, reread snippets or entire books.

I confess a bias: I've enjoyed almost every running book I have read. Other reviewers might not be as enthused as that.

I gave myself a couple ground rules. One, I had to have read the book. Going by others' reviews or a book's reputation wouldn't do. That eliminated a few, such as Billy Mills' biography "Running Brave," from consideration.

Two, I limited the number of books by one author to two or three. How easy, I thought, to select all seven of George Sheehan's books, then fill in the rest.

Apparent omissions were by choice. I know "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" is a cult classic, but I could never get into its stultifying prose. No biographies of Steve Prefontaine are here either. He too has become a cult figure. I've just never had any desire to read about him.

So after a nice long run, cool down by pulling up a chair and cracking open one of these:

Fiction
"Long Road to Boston" by Bruce Tuckman.

This is my favorite running novel. I first read it before taking part in the '92 Boston Marathon, and reread it as soon as I came home. Running Boston has been my most memorable experience in the sport and "Long Road" captured its essence for me.

"Once a Runner" by John Parker. Or is this my favorite running novel? I've never run track, nonetheless the descriptions of Quenton Cassidy's efforts and sacrifices, on and off the oval, have stayed with me.

"The Olympian" by Brian Glanville.

OK, let's flip a coin to discover my favorite running fiction. The personalities here, particularly the relationship between athlete Ike Low and coach Sam Dee, are fascinating. This too captures the mental and physical demands elite runners face.

Humor
"Hills, Hawgs & Ho Chi Minh" by Don Kardong.

A collection of magazine pieces, subjects ranging from climbing stairs in the Empire State Building, to a race held in -78 degrees wind-chills, to finishing a Boston Marathon with Johnny Kelley, to the 1980s Ultimate Runner races in Jackson, Mich. Sometimes informative, always entertaining and often hilarious.

"On the Run from Dogs and People" by Hal Higdon.

The articles here are all at least 30 years old. How fortunate. Higdon, whose tone is more light-hearted than hilarious, re-creates a running scene few remember. Imagine a Boston Marathon with just few hundred entrants, or a race awards table with watches and boxes of cigars. Yet his ageless stories about the rigors of Midwest running and "running from dogs" will bring knowing smiles.

Biographies
"Running Tide" by Joan Benoit (Samuelson).

This well-written autobiography tells the remarkable story of the first Olympic women's marathon champion. I was struck by two things: the enjoyment Benoit (Samuelson) gains from simple things, and her desire to excel, i.e. to train hard. A bonus is the advice she provides about training and life in general.

"Running with the Legends" by Michael Sandrock.

Twenty-one running greats are profiled, each teaching lessons wide and varied. Priscilla Welch offers counsel for couch potatoes; masters runners will be inspired by Lorraine Moeller. Accounts of Frank Shorter and Samuelson winning Olympic gold still bring goose bumps. My favorite is Emil Zatopek, famed for his exploits on and off the track.

Training
"Galloway's Book on Running" by Jeff Galloway. The first training book I consulted turned out to be the best-selling running book of all time. It worked wonders. Although I've changed some of my training since then (as has Galloway), many tenets he discusses here are as valuable now as then.

"Long Slow Distance" by Joe Henderson.

This nearly-three-decades-old book explains how slow training can help you race fast. Rereading an online version of it last winter was the tonic I needed in my current phase of running. Henderson's casual-yet-informative style makes him one of my favorites.

"Daniels' Running Formula" by Jack Daniels.

Daniels, proclaimed by many "the world's best coach," combines science, experience and readability. He has done the research to provide training programs, complete with examples, for elites and back-of-pack runners. He also explains why his methods work.

"How to Train" by Hal Higdon.

Take your pick of Higdon's books about how to run fast, train for a 10K or a marathon ... this one volume covers all. Higdon is easy to read and appeals everyone: old and young, women and children, tracksters and harriers, even racewalkers and triathletes.

"The Runners Book of Training Secrets" by Ken Sparks and Dave Kuehls.

Sometimes tips from elite runners seem overwhelming, but that's how they train and it's fascinating. Most significant are their often-contradictory approaches to intensity, stretching and nutrition: another reminder different things work for different runners. Elites are individuals just like us (only faster)!

"Road Racing for Serious Runners" by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas.

The experienced Pfitzinger works with the brash, witty Douglas to create a comprehensive manual. Their discussion of training may be too technical for some, but it serves to validate their ideas. And you'll enjoy Douglas' writing.

Specialty
"Boston: A Century of Running" by Hal Higdon.

A page-turner for Boston Marathon participants. Non-runners who wonder, "What's the big deal?" will get a glimpse of its special character. Higdon focuses on aspects that make Boston "Boston": the different starting lines, Heartbreak Hill, the girls of Wellesley, the Salazar-Beardsley duel in 1982. The photographs are, as the commercial says, "priceless."

"First Marathons" by Gail Waesche Kislevitz.

Thirty-seven runners describe their first "encounters with the 26.2-mile monster." If you've run a marathon, these stories will ring home. If you haven't, they'll come as close to explaining "why" as you will get, short of running a marathon yourself. Stories come from elites, asthmatics and self-proclaimed couch potatoes. They are realistic; not all are dramatic or even upbeat.

"Masters Running and Racing" by Bill Rodgers and Priscilla Welch.

The authors' different backgrounds help them appeal to novice and veteran runners. Rodgers has run since high school, often ranking with the world's best. Welch took her first running steps after her 30th birthday, following a life of smoking, drinking, etc. Much of the book is still about running fast, but with emphasis on resting the "older" body.

"Boston Marathon" by Tom Derderian.

Traces the evolution of this granddaddy of all marathons with a terrific year-by-year history. Derderian deftly mixes stories of the old days with more-recent controversies, including Boston's struggles with allowing women participants, sponsorship and prize money. Again, if you've ever run Boston or desire to, read this book.

General
"The Complete Book of Running" by James Fixx.

The author, a former smoker who weighed more than 220 pounds, turned to running with a zeal that still comes through clearly, 26 years after publication. Fixx stressed running's physiological and psychological benefits in a way that rang true for millions, helping launch the running boom of the '70s. An intriguing timepiece that still resonates today.

"Lore of Running" by Tim Noakes.

Don't let its encyclopaedic appearance intimidate you. This effort "to discover the science and spirit of running" is readable and valuable. Noakes, a top-flight researcher, combines physiology (some pretty-technical stuff), training (theory and practice) and, well, you name it. His introduction, "Some Reasons to Run," is superb running writing. After reading "Lore" cover to cover, keep it around for reference.

"The Quotable Runner" edited by Mark Will-Weber.

Offers learned and not-so-learned words about "Hills," "The Mile," "Coaches" and practically every running situation. Quotes are drawn from fiction, classics and otherwise, from elite runners, spectators and anonymous athletes. Entries range from profound to my personal favorites, such as (after a race) "I felt great and didn't barf or anything," and (describing Boston) "It must be spring; the saps are running."

"The Runner's Literary Companion" edited by Garth Battista.

Includes a couple dozen pieces of fiction and another 24 poems, all with the goal "to provide runners with a source of aesthetic pleasure, seeing themselves reflected in these characters and seeing the ephemeral truths and beauties of running distill to lasting purity." Well, OK. Some selections are of dubious quality, but most are good choices. Favorites come from the likes of Joyce Carol Oates and Rudyard Kipling.

"Running with the Buffaloes" by Chris Lear.

A fascinating case study of the 1998 University of Colorado cross country team's quest for a national championship. Individual personalities, teamwork, training, recruiting and tragedy color the drama. Highlights include Adam Goucher's concurrent attempt to win the individual championship and coach Mark Wetmore's training/philosophy and leadership.

Philosophy
"Going the Distance" by George Sheehan. Written in his last weeks of fighting cancer, Sheehan chronicles "one man's journey to the end of his life." Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he attacked the disease as he did his training; for instance, answering the sympathetic question, "How are you doing?" with, "The best I can." To the end, he was determined "to become the person I was meant to be on the day I was born." If you've never read Sheehan, start here and then read the other six books he wrote.

"Did I Win?" by Joe Henderson. Henderson's tribute to his Sheehan focuses on the last eight years of his fellow writer's life, when Sheehan, diagnosed with cancer, set about to take care of the things he had been deferring. Includes the thoughts and words of both writers, plus those of family, friends and more. A fine companion to "Going the Distance."

Regional Interest
"The Hero Within Us" by Keith McClellan.

An authoritative look at the history of elite track and field in Michigan, with interesting anecdotes, photographs, background stories and lists. McClellan deals with the sport's inclusion of blacks, Jews and women when there were few other venues open to them in athletics. It's fun to read names and places that are familiar.

"I Run, Therefore I Am - Nuts" by Bob Schwartz.

The author, a Michigan Runner columnist, shows how self-deprecating humor is a necessity among runners perceived by the general public to be, well, "nuts." He addresses nutrition, training, marathons, even injuries in a way that makes us laugh at ourselves, slipping in wisdom along the way. What's best is how easy it is to identify with these stories.

Ron Marinucci can be reached at RMarin6424. MR