If you had told Helen two years ago that she would be getting up at six a.m. on Sundays to swim in a freezing reservoir and spending her Saturday nights unshowered and covered in mud in a pub, she would have spat out her champagne. But when everyone around you starts settling down, what else is a glamorous party girl to do but to launch herself into the world of endurance sport?

Rachel Ann Cullen’s first book, Running for My Life, described her own marathon journey through depression, bipolar disorder and body dysmorphia, and her revelatory discovery that running could transform her physical and mental well-being. Since hearing from people who had read about her experiences, Rachel wanted to tell some stories of other runners from all around the world—ordinary people living with mental health struggles, dealing with grief, cancer, and other unavoidable life events who have relied on running to get them through their worst days and to keep going.

Lisa Jackson is a surprising cheerleader for the joys of running. Formerly a committed fitness-phobe, she became a marathon runner at 31 and ran her first 56-mile ultramarathon at the age of 41. Unlike many runners, Lisa's not afraid to finish last. In fact, she's now done so in 25 of the 100-plus marathons she's completed so far.

I Can Run is not a running book for 'runners' - it's the must-have running book for every woman who has ever experienced a moment of defeatism and had the little voice in their head make the excuse 'I can't run'. In 12 chapters, you will discover that you can. You will dig deep to find your inner athlete. You'll learn how to train smart, recover well, sync your runs to your menstrual cycle and fuel right.

Alexandra had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run. Her first attempt did not end well. Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents. But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs.

Bryony Gordon was not a runner. A loafer, a dawdler, a drinker, a smoker, yes. A runner, no. Yet somehow, as she began to recover from the emotional roller coaster of laying her life bare in her mental health memoir Mad Girl, she started to realise that getting outside, moving her body and talking to others for whom life was also an occasional challenge might actually help her.

Funny, inspiring, honest - the perfect listen for anyone with well-worn trainers by the door (or who's thinking of buying a pair...). Vassos Alexander shares the highs and lows of falling in love with running, from his first paltry efforts to reach the end of his street to completing ultra-marathons and triathlons in the same weekend. This is a celebration of running - and what lots of us think about when we run. Part escape, part self-discovery, part therapy, part weight loss.

The hilarious trials and tribulations of stand-up comedian Paul Tonkinson as he attempts to beat the much lauded three-hour mark at the London Marathon. With a supporting cast of fellow comedians, this is a warmly written and wonderfully honest adventure-through-sport that will both entertain and inspire. Along the way, we are introduced to the characters helping Paul with his quest. Celebrity names such as Bryony Gordon, Russell Howard, Roisin Conaty and Vassos Alexander pop up with wit and wisdom....

From a short jog that lifts your mood to the closing stages of a marathon when you feel physically exhausted but emotionally invincible all at once, running delivers every time. Running: Cheaper Than Therapy is a celebration of the pastime that always makes you feel better. Covering every aspect of running life, from jogging etiquette and the things we both love/hate about it through to the weirdest and wonderful marathons around the world.

With little over 12 weeks until race day, three women are trying their hardest to focus on their ultimate goal - to run 26.2 miles. For Hannah, it seems near impossible, her first attempt leaving her pained, sweaty and full of regret. But intent on winning back her husband, Hannah is determined to at least try. Malika signed up to the race after finding a running medal of her friend Abbie's, who died only a few weeks before. She once promised Abbie she would run a race with her and she plans to keep that promise.

A journey into Japan's fabled running culture from the award-winning author of Running with the Kenyans. Welcome to Japan, the most running-obsessed nation on earth, a place where a 135-mile relay race is the country's biggest annual sporting event. Thousands of professional runners compete for corporate teams in some of the most competitive races in the world. Marathon monks run a thousand marathons in a thousand days to reach spiritual enlightenment.

The amazing story of TV presenter Louise Minchin's journey from the BBC Breakfast sofa to representing Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championships. This is a warmly written and wonderfully honest adventure through sport that will both entertain and inspire. It started out as a fun BBC Breakfast cycling stunt in 2012 and culminated in Louise Minchin wearing the colours of Team GB at the World Triathlon Championship in 2015.

Is there a large arse-shaped dent in your sofa? Unwatched workout DVDs gathering dust on your shelves? An eye-wateringly expensive (and rarely used) gym membership burning a hole in your bank account? Does the sight of your wobbly thighs leave you cowering under the duvet? Then it's time you faced the truth: the only option is to lace up and hit the ground running. Straight-talking, funny, and brutally honest, Run Fat Bitch Run will give you - yes, you - the push you need to get out of the door, pounding the pavements and shedding pounds.

It may have been because she could run. It may have been because she wanted to swim, or perhaps because she only ever did 10 minutes of breaststroke at a time. But, as she learned one day while flailing around in the sea, she really couldn't. Believing that a life lived fully isn't one with the most money earned, the most stuff bought or the most races won but one with the most experiences experienced the most fully, she decided to conquer her fear of the water.

The benefits of mindfulness for general well-being have been discussed extensively, but little has been written about how mindfulness can be applied to running. In this book, leading health and fitness journalist Mackenzie L. Havey explores how combining mindfulness with running can not only improve sporting performance but can also enhance overall health.