Hal Higdon is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. His children's book, The Horse That Played Center Field, was made into an animated feature by ABC-TV. He ran eight times in the Olympic Trials and won four world masters championships. He is a founder of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), serves as a training consultant for many races, and provides interactive training programs and online guidance. He was a finalist in NASA's Journalist-in-Space program to ride the space shuttle and in 2003, he was awarded the Career Achievement Award--the highest honor given to writer members--by the American Society of Journalists and Authors.