Audiobooks by Matt Fitzgerald

How to Run the Perfect Race: Better Racing Through Better Pacing

"FULLY UPDATED & REVISED BETTER RACING THROUGH BETTER PACING Pacing can be the difference between a breakthrough workout and a backbreaker, a PR and a DNF. In How to Run the Perfect Race, acclaimed running coach and author Matt Fitzgerald reveals how conventional training and device overdependence will keep you from accessing the full power of pacing. With a mix of fascinating science and compelling stories spanning the sport, Fitzgerald shows that pacing is the art of finding your real limit—running out of gas just as you complete the workout or cross the finish line. This quintessential running skill unlocks hidden potential and unleashes confidence, enabling runners of all experience and ability levels to continue to improve. 16 TRAINING PLANS FOR 5K, 10K, HALF-MARATHON, AND MARATHON EVENTS Hone your pacing through improved body awareness, judgment, and toughness. Choose from four plans for your race distance accommodating runners at all levels, novice to expert. How to Run the Perfect Race equips you mentally and physically with a proven strategy to become a better runner, capable of knowing and executing your best effort on any given day. This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pain & Performance: The Revolutionary New Way to Use Training as Treatment for Pain and Injury

"What if everything you know about pain is wrong? For starters, pain is not synonymous with being “injured.” It’s also not evidence that your biomechanics are “flawed” or your body is “imbalanced.” And most important, pain doesn’t always mean you have to see a doctor. In Pain & Performance, Ryan Whited and Matt Fitzgerald present a radically new way for athletes to understand and manage pain that exposes the shocking lack of evidence for modern medicine’s approach to pain and injury management. Based on many years of research and a greater appreciation of the complexity of pain as a lived experience, Whited’s revolutionary “Training as Treatment” method puts you in control of your pain experience as you build mental and physical resilience. Learning this simple, three-step process will start you on a path to better performance and a more fulfilling athletic journey with less downtime, fewer visits to clinicians, less anxiety about pain and injury, and less time and money wasted on treatments that don’t work. An elite boulderer and son of a chronically injured professional horse jockey, Whited brings a pragmatic approach to a complex process. As a trainer, he has spent decades guiding athletes from breakdowns to breakthroughs at Paragon Athletics, a magnet for pain-affected runners, climbers, and recreational athletes who’ve grown frustrated with the medical system. Pain & Performance makes Whited’s unparalleled knowledge of pain science and physiology available to anyone seeking to stay out of the doctor’s office and on track toward their goals. 'Training as Treatment is a fresh and innovative approach to understanding and working with pain rather than against it. By helping athletes face fear and reframe pain, Ryan Whited facilitates a shift in mindset that fosters a healthy, lifelong relationship to sport and performance.”—Rob Krar, coach and ultrarunning champion This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF with a Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and a link to video demonstrations of exercises to get started on a Training as Treatment plan."

Matt Fitzgerald, Ryan Whited (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to Be Your Own Best Coach

"Learn how to run faster, unlock your potential, and reach peak performance with training advice from a former Olympic trials marathoner and coach to Olympians like Dathan Ritzenhein. Hudson is the most innovative running coach to come along in a generation. Until now, only a handful of elite athletes have been able to benefit from his methods. Now Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon shows all runners how to coach themselves as confidently and effectively as Brad coaches his world-class athletes. Becoming your own best coach is the ticket to running faster at any distance. First you will learn to assess your abilities. Then you’ll learn how to devise a training program specifically geared to you. Filled with easy-to-follow sample training programs for distances ranging from the 5K to the marathon and abilities ranging from novice to advanced, Run Faster is the cutting-edge guide for optimal performance. With Hudson’s guidance, you can train smarter and more effectively—and avoid injury. And you’ll soon be running faster than you ever thought possible! This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF."

Brad Hudson, Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond

"From basic tenets of training to nutrition guidelines, this is the first resource for runners to fully integrate nutrition with training for a complete and systematic pre-race plan. “A must for marathoners”(Library Journal). Every year, roughly 2 million people participate in marathons and half marathons in the United States, and, no matter what level they are, every one of these runners has likely hit “The Wall,” running out of muscle fuel in the final miles and slowing down precipitously. This setback and other common running disappointments are nutritional (or metabolic) in nature. In The New Rules, renowned fitness journalist and training coach Matt Fitzgerald cuts through the myths, distilling the most up-to-date science to help runners overcome the universally experienced nutritional barriers that prevent success in the marathon and half marathon. Fitzgerald’s powerful and easy-to-use tools will enable runners of all levels to attain their ideal racing weight, calculate their precise daily energy needs, and formulate a custom nutrition plan. This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Endurance Diet: Discover the 5 Core Habits of the World’s Greatest Athletes to Look, Feel, and P

"Sports nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald has spent nearly twenty years studying the diets of top professional endurance athletes, who are among the fittest and healthiest people in the world. As a result, he has identified five core habits—most of which are contrary to what popular diets advise—that are essential to maximizing workout benefits. The Endurance Diet shares key strategies for optimal health and performance: eat everything, eat quality, eat carbohydrate, eat enough, and eat individually. Whether you want to lose weight, win a race, or look a little more like an elite athlete, this plan is for you. This audiobook includes a supplemental PDF with recipes and tables."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

On Pace

"Every runner knows pacing is critical. It can be the difference between a PR and a DNF. In On Pace, acclaimed running coach and author Matt Fitzgerald reveals how conventional training and device overdependence keep runners from accessing the full power of pacing. With a mix of fascinating science and compelling stories from every corner of the sport, Fitzgerald shows that pacing is the art of finding your limit—running at a pace to finish the workout or cross the finish line completely out of gas. This quintessential running skill unlocks hidden potential and transforms the sport, enabling runners of all experience and ability levels to 'run free.' Training plans for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon events will hone your pacing skill through improved body awareness, judgment, and toughness. Choose from four plans, novice to expert, for each distance. On Pace equips you mentally and physically to become a better runner, capable of knowing and executing your best effort on any given day. This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF with 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon training plans."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Gregory Abbey (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Comeback Quotient: Mastering Mental Fitness for Sport and Life

"What's the secret of a great comeback? And how do we boost our mental fitness to succeed in sport and life? The Comeback Quotient provides inspiration and practical advice on building mental endurance and physical stamina. When bestselling sportswriter Matt Fitzgerald went through a coronavirus-George Floyd double whammy, he realized that nobody can escape setbacks in life so we all need to be able to pull off a comeback. In training for his first triathlon since 2009 and overcoming chronic injury, Matt Fitzgerald puts his ultrarealist mental fitness training to the test. In The Comeback Quotient, Matt Fitzgerald examines the science and stories behind some of the most astonishing sporting comebacks to uncover a new blueprint to survive and thrive. Why are some athletes able to overcome overwhelming odds and rebound stronger than ever? And can we unlock the secret of their success? Matt Fitzgerald identifies these mega-achievers of astounding athletic comebacks as 'ultrarealists', men and women who succeed where others fail by fully accepting, embracing, and addressing the reality of their situations. From triathletes like Mirinda Carfrae to ultrarunners like Rob Krar to rowers, skiers, cyclists and runners all over the world, Fitzgerald delves into stories that are not just compelling but constructive, laying out the steps anyone can take to bounce back from their own setbacks in sport and in life. In the tradition of his best-selling How Bad Do You Want It?, The Comeback Quotient combines gripping sports stories with cutting-edge science. Fitzgerald's insight will change forever how you perceive the challenges you face, giving you the inspiration and the tools to make the next great comeback you witness your own. "When the worst has happened, the best is next. The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald provides elite-tested mental strategies for loving the comeback more than hating the setback." --Jim Afremow, author of The Champion's Mind "Matt Fitzgerald has a winner in The Comeback Quotient. You will be on the edge of your seat as he tells the inspiring comeback stories from some of the most interesting individuals on the face of the earth, realizing by the end that along the way you have been given a blueprint to orchestrate a few comebacks of your own." --Ben Rosario, Head Coach, HOKA ONE ONE NAZ Elite"

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Stephen R Thorne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Running the Dream: One Summer Living, Training, and Racing with a Team of World-Class Runners Half M

"The bestselling author of 80/20 Running and How Bad Do You Want It? reveals his inspiring and surprising journey to see just how fast he can go. Matt Fitzgerald has been running (and writing about running) for most of his adult life. But, like many passionate amateur runners, he never felt he was quite fulfilling his potential. If he follows the training, nutrition, and lifestyle of an elite runner, just how fast could he go? In his mid-forties, Matt at last has the freedom to do nothing but train, if only for the span of one summer. The time is now. He convinces the coach of Northern Arizona Elite, one of the country’s premier professional running teams, to let him train with a roster of national champions and Olympic hopefuls in the running mecca of Flagstaff, Arizona, leading into the Chicago Marathon. The results will completely redefine Matt’s notion of what is possible, not only for himself but for any runner. Filled with a vibrant cast of characters, rigorous and quad-torching training, and a large dose of self-deprecating humor, Matt’s gripping account of his “fake pro-runner” experience allows us to partake in the dream of having the chance to go all the way. Yet for the gifted young runners Matt trains with, it’s not a dream but concrete reality, and their individual stories enrich this inspiring narrative. Running the Dream pulls us into the rarified world of professional running in a way we can all relate to, regardless of speed, and inspires us to try to achieve our own potential."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Jamie Renell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Life Is a Marathon: A Memoir of Love and Endurance

"An endurance athlete and coach reveals how the marathon transforms the lives of everyone who attempts it--and how it has helped his own family cope with serious adversity Step after step for 26.2 miles, hundreds of thousands of people run marathons. But why--what compels people past pain, lost toenails, 5.30 am start times, The Wall? Sports writer Matt Fitzgerald set out to run eight marathons in eight weeks across the country to answer that question. At each race, he meets an array of runners, from first timers, to dad-daughter teams and spouses, to people who'd been running for decades, and asks them what keeps them running. But there is another deeply personal part to Matt's journey: his own relationship to the sport--and how it helped him overcome his own struggles and cope with his wife Nataki's severe bipolar disorder. A combination of Matt's own How Bad Do You Want It? and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Life Is a Marathon captures the magic of those 26.2 miles. At the end of the day--and at the end of the race--the pursuit of a marathon finish line is not unlike the pursuit of happiness. You will pick up the book for a powerful personal story about what running does for the people for whom it does the most. You will put it down with a greater understanding of what it means to be alive in this world."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Jamie Renell (Narrator)

Audiobook

80/20 Triathlon: Discover the Breakthrough Elite-Training Formula for Ultimate Fitness and Performan

"A breakthrough program for triathletes -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced -- showing how to balance training intensity to maximize performance -- from a fitness expert and elite coach. Cutting-edge research has proven that triathletes and other endurance athletes experience their greatest performance when they do 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the remaining 20 percent at moderate to high intensity. But the vast majority of recreational triathletes are caught in the so-called 'moderate-intensity rut,' spending almost half of their time training too hard--harder than the pros. Training harder isn't smarter; it actually results in low-grade chronic fatigue that prevents recreational athletes from getting the best results. In 80/20 Triathlon, Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden lay out the real-world and scientific evidence, offering concrete tips and strategies, along with complete training plans for every distance--Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman--to help athletes implement the 80/20 rule of intensity balance. Benefits include reduced fatigue and injury risk, improved fitness, increased motivation, and better race results."

David Warden, Matt Fitzgerald (Author), David Warden (Narrator)

Audiobook

How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle

"The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it's true. In his fascinating new book How Bad Do You Want It?, coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness. Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete's transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness. The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald's fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential. How Bad Do You Want It? reveals new psychobiological findings including: Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit. Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more. Champions have learned how to give more of what they have. The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort. Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness. Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports. There's no such thing as going as fast as you canonly going faster than before. The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators. Faith in your training is as important as the training itself."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Matt Fitzgerald (Narrator)

Audiobook

Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for t

"From the national bestselling author of Racing Weight, Matt Fitzgerald exposes the irrationality, half-truths, and downright impossibility of a 'single right way' to eat and reveals how to develop rational, healthy eating habits. From 'the Four-Hour Body' to 'Atkins,' there are diet cults to match seemingly any mood and personality type. Everywhere we turn, someone is preaching the 'one true way' to eat for maximum health. Paleo Diet advocates tell us that all foods less than twelve thousand years old are the enemy. Low-carb gurus demonize carbs, and then there are the low-fat prophets. But they agree on one thing: there is only one true way to eat for maximum health. The first clue that this is a fallacy is the sheer variety of diets advocated. Indeed, while all of these competing views claim to be backed by science, a good look at actual nutritional science suggests it is impossible to identify a single best way to eat. Fitzgerald advocates an agnostic, rational approach to eating habits based on one's own habits, lifestyle, and genetics and body type. Many professional athletes already practice this 'Good Enough' diet, and now we can too—and ditch the brainwashing of these diet cults for good."

Matt Fitzgerald (Author), Stephen R. Thorne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Matt Fitzgerald

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