By Ed Ayres, 207 PAGES, The Experiment Publishing

Ed Ayres is either a runner by inclination and philosopher by nature, or a runner by nature and philosopher by inclination.

By John Hanc, 141 pages, skyhorse publishing

For thousands of runners, earning an entry to the Boston Marathon is their quest for a holy grail. If you want to begin to understand why, consider that this oldest of North American marathons has a storied history that dates back to 1887.

How to get lean for peak performance

By MAtt fitzgerald, 277 pages, velopress

Matt Fitzgerald lays out his systematic approach to performance enhancement through weight management in Racing Weight. I opened this book with apprehension, wary of weight management tactics, but this book ran over all worries.

The Risks and Rewards

By William J. Broad 298 PAGES, Simon & Schuster

William J. Broad has practiced yoga since 1970. With The Science of Yoga, Broad proves his mettle as an award-winning New York Times science writer, investigating and dissecting yoga methods, techniques and practices from around the world to write a book that is a must-read for every yoga teacher and practitioner.

Martin Parnell

By Martin Parnell, 208 pages, Rocky Mountain Books

You might think that after running 250 marathons in a year, a man would want to put his feet up and rest. Not Martin Parnell.

The true story of Usain Bolt

By By Usain Bolt with Shaun Custis, 270 pages, Skyhorse Publishing

Six-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt’s contribution to the world of literature is an enjoyable, if slightly superficial, scrapbook chronicling the Jamaican sprinter’s rise to the summit of track’s crown jewel.