These Reads Invite You to Set New Challenges in 2019
The books featured here challenge you to find and tackle new challenges—a perfect dose of inspiration for the start of a new year.
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It’s worth remembering that setting new challenges is not just about achieving them—it’s also about the journey you take to get there.
80/20 Triathlon
By Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden
Da Capo Press, $18
Read it: For the training advice you need to reach that next level. Written by two experienced endurance coaches, this book recommends an “80/20” approach that targets low-intensity training 80 percent of the time and high-intensity training the other 20, a strategy endorsed by several experts in the field.
Snapshot: “Learning and practicing 80/20 training will transform your triathlon experience, making your workouts more comfortable and enjoyable, enhancing your post-workout recovery, reducing your injury risk, accelerating your fitness development and taking your performance in races to a whole new level.”
The Courage To Go Forward: The Power Of Micro Communities
By David Cordani and Dick Traum
Morgan James Publishing, $30
Read it: For a refreshing spin on how to envision success. Co-written by Achilles International Founder Dick Traum and Cigna CEO David Cordani, this book uses the authors’ firsthand experiences working alongside athletes struggling to overcome a broad array of disabilities as a springboard, highlighting stories that inspire through each individual’s determination to overcome.
Snapshot: “Set a goal to do something extraordinary or help someone set their aspirational goal and imagine achieving it. Then, make the vision an integral part of your life.”
I Can Do Hard Things: How Small Steps Equal Big Impact
By Julie van Amerongen
Post Hill Press, $22
Read it: For some serious motivation to reach new goals. After running every day for a full year, the author kept pushing herself to new challenges, eventually racing an ultramarathon. If you need some extra courage on your own journey, the book’s principle of taking it one step and one decision at a time holds true.
Snapshot: “It is the small steps, made consistently and continually, that equals big impact. Whatever it is, and I mean whatever—it doesn’t have to have anything to do with running at all—try breaking it up into bite-size pieces and sticking with it, and see for yourself what happens.”