Author Julian Goater is a British runner and coach best known for his exploits on the track and in cross country during the 1970s and early 80s. In The Art of Running Faster he provides good general advice and insights on how to improve. The target audience is new-ish runners; experienced runners might not find much new here. The book is a semi-memoir and Goater recounts the lessons learned throughout his career. As expected, the book has a British bent. The many references to British runners other than Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett won’t mean much to American readers, and make sure you know what RAF stands for or you may be confused at times.

Goater is honest and reflective about his career and what he’d do differently if he had the chance. In particular he laments some of his high-mileage training and ponders whether speed work would have improved his kick, which he characterizes as wanting. He is a big proponent of proper running mechanics and his chapter does a good job of presenting his view on what good running looks and feels like. His emphasis on high cadence is well-placed. There are descriptions of workout types and their purpose, but the book doesn’t feature detailed training plans. This isn’t a fault, just a caution to those potential readers who go looking for books to provide such plans.

Buy it, borrow it, skip it?

Borrow it. It’s worth a skim and you can read just the chapters that interest you without missing anything important.