Running: The Lydiard Way

by Arthur Lydiard, Garth Gilmour

Arthur Lydiard, the famed Olympic running coach, pioneered a training system involving a base of long-duration, even-paced running with strong speed. The achievements of New Zealand athletes Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, and Barry Magee at the 1960 Rome Olympics confirmed the success of Lydiard's training program. This, his first book in over 15 years, offers information on exercise physiology, diet, injury prevention and cure, jogging, and extensive training schedules for running events, keyed to men and women in specific age-groups.

Genres: Fitness

241 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1978

Reviews

[Jenny Kirkby · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some interesting information in an industry that keeps changing its ideas on how to be better, faster, fitter. The programs are not practical for the non elite athlete who would probably end up injured trying to work up to the distances or never achieve them. I loved the chapter on women's running as it shows just how far we have come and how much attitudes have changed in a mere 40 odd years!

[Job Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur Lydiard reveals the techniques and principles he discovered and utilized to bring no-name athletes to the world stage in the 1960s Rome Olympics.

His story has just enough science without being incomprehensible, injected with inspiration, common sense, and plain simplicity. Running the Lydiard Way is just about that: running. To improve cardiovascularly you must run, don't over complicate it.

[Josh Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really what I was hoping for but I might have gone in with the wrong expectation. I will say it’s awesome how much has aged well. Some hasn’t, but a lot of the ideas from this book are still ones I use today on the trail. 6.5/10

[James Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guide to middle- and long-distance running by the successful coach. Written in 1978, some of the ideas and evidence are outdated, but it's a useful look at how his system worked.

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe one of the first books I read about running, a bit outdated about some aspects of recent scientific training tactics but when it was written it was ahead of its time. Arthur Lydiard pioneered the way athletes started to train, he revolutionised the way people looked at training.
This book really helped me understand the important of building a solid base as endurance is concerned and also showed me how to achieve that.
I don't use all the things in Lydiard's program but two things that I know work for me and use it all the time is, lots of miles before a race to build my aerobic state and also lots of hill training, these two I got from this book, on the next stage of my training where I need to focus and be more precise and take more detail approach I use other methods.
Excellent book even if it’s a bit outdated, a must have for Running lovers.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired much of my running career and defined who I am as a middle distance runner. This is my cannon for running.