As best-selling author John Gray pointed out, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. There are obvious differences between women and men in anatomy, physiology, hormones, and metabolism. So why do most running books take a one-size-fits-all approach to training? Finally, here's one that doesn't.

Running for Women provides comprehensive information on training female runners based on their cardiovascular, hormonal, metabolic, muscular, and anatomical characteristics. In this authoritative guide, authors Jason Karp and Carolyn Smith answer the questions and tackle the topics women need to know:

• The impact of the menstrual cycle on hydration, body temperature, metabolism, and muscle function

• The most effective workouts for endurance, speed and strength, lactate threshold, and VO2max

• How and when to train during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause

• Preventing knee injuries, stress fractures, and other common running-related injuries

• Avoiding the risks of the female athlete triad—disordered eating, osteoporosis, and menstrual irregularities

• How to use sex differences to your advantage

Based on the latest research on estrogen, metabolism, and other sex-specific performance factors, Running for Women will change the way you fuel, train, and compete. If you are serious about running, this is one guide you must own.