This book provides you with an astounding piece of knowledge, a tool, and the personal experience of an extraordinary ultra-distance runner and sport psychologist. With this book, Michele Ufer has added another milestone to the existing literature on running.
What makes this book so exceptional? On the one hand, it is the rock-solid technical foundation presented in language even the psychological layperson is able to understand, and on the other hand, it is the extremely candid treatment of sport psychology techniques, which he not only describes, but also presents via actual exercises in this book. And he did not leave out an opportunity for self-diagnosis.
A book like this can only be successful if the author can bring quite a bit of personal experience in distance running to the table. This, along with his own sport psychology training and his ability to build a network during his time as an active athlete, can validate his personal experience or allow him to process it with a book like this. In addition to world-class ultra-runners like Florian Reus, we also hear from scientists who do cutting-edge research (e.g., exercise addiction).
I do not know of any previous sport psychology book about running that bundled not only the author’s experience, but also that of his colleagues—or rather other runners—and made it available to the public in this way.
This book is also not a purely celebratory book, stating that mental training is the only and exclusive key to success; Michele Ufer also impressively points out the limits of mental training and addresses the so-called dark side of running. Michele thus demonstrates his ability to have a more differentiated view of his passion. In addition to his role as a runner, Michele Ufer is clearly also a practical sport psychologist and scientist.
Although I am an experienced sport psychologist and runner myself, I was able to personally benefit from the content of this book. I can only imagine how much more beginning runners and athletes who are less knowledgeable about sport psychology can learn from this publication. I wish all of you many hours of productive reading and lots of fun trying out the techniques, and most of all continued joy in running and achieving your personal goals.
Dr. Oliver Stoll
Leipzig, Germany
August 8, 2016