Text size, line spacing and words per line can be adjusted by clicking on the “Aa”. You can also adjust the look and feel of the book preview by switching between white, sepia or black color modes.

The “full screen” option is also useful as it will break the preview out of my narrow blog post, and display the content the full width of the browser.

And, for anyone interested in purchasing the book, just click on “Get Kindle Edition” to go straight to the book’s Amazon page. Current price is $9.66 [correct 3/17/11 but subject to change.]

More information on Kindle for the Web can be found on the Amazon.com web site.

Amazon.com Product Description:

In 1975, Steve Prefontaine held the American record for every distance over a mile. In May of that same year, the 24 year-old prodigy died in a car accident. More than thirty years later, Pre’s gusty racing style and unbelievable talent remains an inspiration to millions of runners around the world.

StevePre: The Unfinished Story of Running Icon Steve Prefontaine is a unique and creative account of Steve Prefontaine’s life told through the viewpoint of his former coach, Bill Bowerman. Edgy, emotional writing combined with a layout influenced by experimental 1970s graphic design creates a beautiful and moving experience for runners of all ages.

Highlights (courtesy StevePre.com):

• Fast-paced chapters are a hallmark of the book. Racing passages, like this spread begins, are personal and intense.
• Treated like a collectible, rather than a book to be read and tossed, every spread is designed to be fitting with the content and amazing to view.
• Chapter opener for passage from Bill Bowerman about making first Nike shoes.
• Font used is reference to that used by early Nike running ads when Prefontaine was a part of the company.
• A timeline runs through the entirety of the book, so that the reader can easily follow along.
• Text is factual, but quick to read and emotionally engaging.
• The name “Steve Prefontaine” isn’t even used in the text. Instead, you, the reader, are Steve Prefontaine. The change in perspective puts a new, engaging twist on a legendary story.

Looks to be a classic, so I think I’ll head over to Amazon.com to order my copy…..

Update: Just noticed Barnes & Noble are selling StevePre for $23.60 ($21.24 if you are a B&N Member) — a $5.90 saving off the list price.

(prices correct 1/11/10 and subject to change)

Struggling for that last minute Holiday gift for the fitness junkie in your life? No problem — it’s not too late to order the “7 Weeks To 100 Push-Ups” book from Amazon.com. Amazon still have it priced competitively at $10.17 (correct as of 12/16 and subject to change), and if you spend more than $25.00 you’ll qualify for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

Here’s what fitness coach and Ironman triathlete Brett Stewart thinks about the book:

I recommend this book to ANYONE who wants to get in the best shape of their lives. The book is so fundamentally sound that it puts any other bodyweight workout book to shame. The plan is brilliant: Take a “test” to see how many pushups you can do with proper form and then use that number to find the PERFECT workout to get you to 100! The workouts are very well balanced and don’t feel like a chore to do.

I read the book and took the challenge seriously and was able to crank out 100 consecutive pushups just when the book said I should! On my 48th day of the program I was able to do 101 pushups and was so pleased to nail my goal.

I still follow the program even AFTER completing the “magic number” because pushups are such a great exercise for your core, arms & chest! There are so many variations that you can learn to keep your workouts interesting & fun.

Challenge yourself & get this book!

Happy Holidays!

Just a quick reminder that September is Book and DVD month at both the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Running Etc. stores, which means you only have 8 days left to take advantage of their 20% off all running, triathlon and injury prevention books and DVD’s special offer.

By the way, if you’re taking part, or planning to take part, in the Neptune Festival 8K (or new-for-2009 5K), packet-pickup and late registration will be Friday, September 25th from 3pm to 7pm at Running Etc. at the Regency Hilltop shopping center in Virginia Beach. What a great opportunity to pick up a bargain book or DVD!

Feel free to mention my blog if you take a trip to Running Etc. before the end of the month. I’m sure the owner, Mike Robinson, would love to know where you heard about the special offer…..

See you Saturday at the Neptune 8K!

The workout consists of 4 x 5 minutes of running on grass with a 2 minute recovery between each hard effort. During the winter and spring, Jones rarely set foot on a track. Instead, he chose to perform his quality workouts on grass which kept his legs fresher for the summer season of track races:

For many years little of my work was done on the track, even though I was racing on the track and did some workouts on the track. It was just much more beneficial for me not to have the stress of trying to run 60-second quarters, or 2:08s or 2:06s (for 800m), even though I was probably running that pace in this workout. It wasn’t a measured distance; what was measured was the time. I was squeezing 60 seconds into a minute.

I love the last sentence of Jones’ quote – I was squeezing 60 seconds into a minute. – just typical Jones.

Anyway, back to the challenging workouts I was searching for. It turns out the “Royal Air Force Repeats” are featured in the great book Running Tough by Michael Sandrock, first published in 2001. Running Tough features 75 challenging training runs/workouts by running experts Steve Jones, Bill Rodgers, Libbie Hickman, Frank Shorter, Arthur Lydiard, Ron Clarke, Emil Zatopek, Roger Bannister and many more.

You’ll love the names of the workouts too: Agony Hill by Kip Keino, Culpepper’s Ladder by Shayne Culpepper, Wetmore’s Secret Intervals by Adam Goucher, Montana Cone to Cone by Shannon Butler just to name a few.

I ordered the book on the weekend and the good old UPS man delivered it this afternoon. Should make for some interesting bedtime reading and many hours of summer fun….

From Publishers Weekly: The three rivals span the globe: England’s Roger Bannister, who combines the rigors of athletic training with the “grueling life of a medical student”; Australia’s John Landy, “driven by a demand to push himself to the limit”; and Wes Santee from the U.S., a brilliant strategic runner who became the “victim” of the “hypocrisy and unchecked power” of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Although Bannister broke the record before Landy, Landy soon broke Bannister’s record, and the climax of the book is a long and superb account of the race between the two men at the Empire Games in Vancouver on August 7, 1954. Here’s footage of the “Mile of the Century” I found earlier today on YouTube:

I’ve got a couple of other books lined up now The Perfect Mile is over: C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America and My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon.

Lady Bulldog was kind enough to stop at the library on the way home from work this evening to pick up the Bart Yasso book, so it makes sense to start reading this one tonight. I’m sure the Amazing Foot Race can wait another week or two….

To make things fair, I used a Random Name Picker utility to pick the winners and recorded the drawing using free streaming video software called CamStudio.

Without further ado, here are the five lucky winners. Drum roll please….

• RoadBunner
• Bill Budge
• Andrew Is Getting Fit
• Mark
• Dpeach

Many congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who entered the contest, took time to leave a comment and subscribed to the Run Bulldog Run blog.

Winners, look out for an email from me soon. I’ll need some information so I can arrange to have the books sent out to you all.

Of course, if you weren’t one of the lucky winners, you can always purchase Dean’s inspirational book at Amazon.com where they currently have it on sale for $16.49 (a saving of $8.50 off the list price – price correct 8/18/08 and subject to change).

Last time I checked there more than five of you reading this blog (must have been a good traffic day!), so the best thing for me to do is hold a competition to determine the five lucky winners. Don’t worry, the rules are simple and everyone will stand a good chance.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Subscribe to my RSS Feed (see the RSS link over in the top right corner?) You can either subscribe to my posts via one of the web-based readers, or if you’re more of an email person have my updates sent directly to your inbox. The choice is yours! Just leave a comment below to let me know which option you plumped for.
• Head over to my Motivational Quotes page, find one of the quotes by Welsh runner Steve Jones and send it to me via email (steve dot speirs at gmail dot com)
• If you author a blog or web site, please post about the competition and help spread the word. If you don’t have a blog or web site, just tell as many of your friends in any way you like. Feel free to let me know about your promotion techniques, but don’t feel obligated – this step is optional.

That’s it! The rules are fairly basic too.

• The competition ends at midnight EST on August 17th.
• Unfortunately the publisher can only mail the books to an address within the US or Canada. Apologies to everyone else! I’ll collect addresses from the winners once the competition has closed.
• If there are more than five entries, the winners will be selected randomly and announced on this web site.

Let me know if you have any questions and good luck with the competition! By the way, the book is fantastic – a great read. Watch out for a Run Bulldog Run review some time soon….

By the way, thanks to the Hachette Book Group USA for providing the prizes!

The soon-to-be-released book not only recounts the ultimate running challenge, but is littered with useful training tips and words of wisdom straight from the horses mouth.

By the way, watch this space for a more detailed book review and unique opportunity to win one of five hardcover editions of 50/50 that I’ve managed to secure from the publisher!

50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days, is one of those hard-to-put-down books and therefore won’t take me too long to finish. With this in mind I definitely need another fascinating book waiting in the wings, and luckily I think I’ve found it:

Conquering the Game of Life is a self help book recently released by a local orthopedic hand surgeon, who shares his health experiences and personal journey to help the reader capture and play the game of life they desire.

Dr. C. K. Hersh was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Two years after his cancer treatment his unique insights were further accelerated by the loss of his father. Sadly C.K.’s mother died two years later. With many significant life changes in a very short period of time C. K. set out on a journey of self-discovery that he shares with the reader.

The unique book will entertain the reader and pose questions which will enable the reader to capture the game of life they desire. In addition, the included workbook can be utilized to help the reader structure and ultimately conquer their own game of life.

Dr. C. K. Hersh lives in an historic neighborhood in Portsmouth, Virginia with his wife and two children. On a personal level I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and supporting C. K. Hersh at several local running and multi-sport events, and can honestly say you couldn’t wish to meet a more genuine person.

Conquering the Game of Life is a journey of self-discovery and growth, generously sprinkled with sports analogies that help others learn to play the game of life they desire. I’m sure athletes and non-athletes alike will relate to the series of entertaining stories, exercises, and questions that empower the reader to find his or her game.

I have to say I’ll be sad when Dean’s 50/50 marathon adventure comes to a glorious end, but I’m really looking forward to delve into the 176 pages of self-discovery and personal growth. Who knows, maybe I can improve my own Game of Life?

The road to a healthier lifestyle is mapped out for you in the following chapters, along with some closing thoughts and a Healthy Living Cheat Sheet and Tracking Sheet:

• Healthy Eating
• Healthy Exercise
• Stress Reduction, De-Stressing, Managing Stress & a Tranquil Life
• Support Systems
• Meaningful Life

The Healthy Eating chapter clearly defines what you should and should not be eating based on sound principles found in “The China Study”. Benefits to healthier eating are numerous and will certainly contribute to an overall higher quality of life. A food table is included which not only highlights the foods you should concentrate on, but the foods you should minimize and possibly avoid too. There’s also plenty of great tips to help you succeed on your new eating regime.

Healthy Exercise is probably the component of the guide I can relate to the best. Chapter 2 does a great job outlining several sound principles including aerobic activity, strength building exercises, stretching, balancing and deep breathing which should be performed on a daily basis for optimum results. Several excellent exercise books are also recommended at the end of the chapter.

Stress has a huge negative impact in our ability to enjoy a Healthy Lifestyle. Chapter 3 explains in simple terms what stress is, how to reduce and manage stress in your day to day life and the sets the foundations for a new tranquil life. To round off the chapter there’s a great list of over 20 fun things to do which will help decrease the amount of stress in your life.

Chapter 4 is all about the challenges of today’s modern lifestyle and how to build and develop a strong support system. A support system is crucial to a Healthy Lifestyle and actually has a very significant affect on your health. Despite being the fourth chapter, this one has a huge impact on the success rate of a new Healthy Lifestyle.

Finally, Chapter 5 describes a Meaningful Life and how to achieve it. It poses questions such as “What would you like to have achieved by the end of your life?”, “What would you like to have created?” Thinking about key aspects of your current lifestyle (values, career, relationships, creative, spiritual etc.) will help you plan to make the most meaningful life imaginable.

The included Cheat Sheet is a useful bullet point type list of key principles to remember as you work towards a healthier lifestyle. There’s also a Tracking Sheet which you can use to record your daily habits such as eating, exercise and the level of stress in your life.

Priced at just $9.00, Secrets to a Healthy Lifestyle is a great little guide, packed full of useful tips and sound advice on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. The Secrets to a Healthy Lifestyle eBook won’t take long to read, but it could change your life forever.

Find out more or download the eBook by clicking on the banner below: