Advanced Marathoning

by Pete Pfitzinger, Scott Douglas

Want to run a faster marathon? Commitment and hard work are essential but you also need to train smarter to run faster. Advanced Marathoning contains all the information you'll need to run faster, peak for multiple marathons without injury, and meet your marathon goal--whether it's running a personal best, qualifying for the Boston Marathon or winning your age division.

Extensive, day-to-day training schedules are targeted to your weekly mileage and length of training program (12, 18, or 24 weeks). These training schedules will have you racing at peak speed, whether you're targeting one race or several during the season.

The more you know about why and how the plan works, the more motivated you'll be to stick with the workouts. You'll also be better able to assess your progress as you get closer to the big race. You'll learn the scientific principles behind what makes you a faster marathoner and which workouts you need to improve.

Many factors can affect your marathon success. Advanced Marathoning gives you information on everything critical to your success, including
- which types of training are most important for success and which are a waste of time,
- eating and drinking for top performance in training and racing,
- which types of nonrunning training have the biggest impact on your marathon times,
- finding the time and energy to fit training into real life,
- tracking your progress, and
- planning and implementing your race-day strategy.

Author Pete Pfitzinger was the top American finisher in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Marathons. He won the 1984 Olympic Trials by outkicking former world record holder Alberto Salazar. Pfitzinger, now an exercise physiologist, won the San Francisco Marathon twice and finished third in the 1987 New York City Marathon. Co-author Scott Douglas is a well-known writer on running, a former editor of Running Times, and a competitive runner. The duo, co-authors of Road Racing for Serious Runners (Human Kinetics, 1999), have experience, credibility, and an ability to present scientific information in a readable manner.

Successful marathon running requires thorough, intelligent preparation. Advanced Marathoning is the only book you'll need to move beyond the basics and meet your goals--training smarter to run faster.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Fitness, Health, Science, Ebooks, Reference

248 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2001

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great marathon training book, and I know several runners who have used the Pfitzinger plans to run their best marathons. I like his focus on pacing variations - lactate threshold, VO2 Max runs, general aerobic. Anyone who is serious about training needs to understand the physiological aspects of running, and Pfitzinger introduces those concepts very clearly.

As for me and my marathon training, I get bored with just running, so I'm picking and choosing some of the specific ideas from this book and mixing it into my own hybrid plan. I'm primarily basing my plan on the FIRST method (3 runs / 3 cross training days) and incorporating Pfitz's pacing strategies. Finger crossed.

[Stephanie Kuehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, love the methodology...especially the emphasis on the midweek semi-long run and the practical approach to speedwork for distance runners. It's accessible enough for first time marathoners (with a solid base) and challenging enough for the high mileage front-of-the-pack runners. I recommend this book for any runner who is looking to do more than "finish" a marathon...if you want to race one, this is a great book and the training plans are excellent. Happy running!

[Raro de Concurso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro básico que todo aquel que quiera preparar un maratón y le guste entender lo que pasa por su cuerpo antes, durante y después de la prueba, debería leer. Está centrado en el maratón, pero los capítulos que no corresponden a planes de entrenamiento, sirven igualmente para corredores de fondo.

Está planteado de una forma muy muy práctica. Explicaciones fisiológicas, formas óptimas de entrenamiento, consejos para el día "D", problemas que pueden surgir, etc. Todo ello intercalado de casos de grandes maratonianos que cuentan someramente como planifican sus entrenamientos y lo compaginan con su vida diaria.

La 2ª parte está centrada en proporcionar planes de entrenamiento para todos los gustos: de 12 a 24 semanas y de 55 millas semanales o menos a más de 75. Con planes de recuperación post-maraton. O planes para el que vaya a hacer varios seguidos. Todos estos planes se basan en los de Jack Daniels, que son algo más radicales, suavizándolos en parte.

Y como bien apunta el libro y lo que dice Kavafis a continuación, la verdadera experiencia es el viaje. El resultado final, que en muchos casos puede ser frustrante, queda relegado a un segundo plano. Suerte a todos los que emprendan el camino.
Cuando emprendas tu viaje hacia Ítaca

debes rogar que el viaje sea largo,

lleno de peripecias, lleno de experiencias.

No has de temer ni a los lestrigones ni a los cíclopes,

ni la cólera del airado Posidón.

Nunca tales monstruos hallarás en tu ruta

si tu pensamiento es elevado, si una exquisita

emoción penetra en tu alma y en tu cuerpo.

Los lestrigones y los cíclopes

y el feroz Posidón no podrán encontrarte

si tú no los llevas ya dentro, en tu alma,

si tu alma no los conjura ante ti.

Debes rogar que el viaje sea largo,

que sean muchos los días de verano;

que te vean arribar con gozo, alegremente,

a puertos que tú antes ignorabas.

Que puedas detenerte en los mercados de Fenicia,

y comprar unas bellas mercancías:

madreperlas, coral, ébano, y ámbar,

y perfumes placenteros de mil clases.

Acude a muchas ciudades del Egipto

para aprender, y aprender de quienes saben.

Conserva siempre en tu alma la idea de Ítaca:

llegar allí, he aquí tu destino.

Mas no hagas con prisas tu camino;

mejor será que dure muchos años,

y que llegues, ya viejo, a la pequeña isla,

rico de cuanto habrás ganado en el camino.

No has de esperar que Ítaca te enriquezca:

Ítaca te ha concedido ya un hermoso viaje.

Sin ellas, jamás habrías partido;

mas no tiene otra cosa que ofrecerte.

Y si la encuentras pobre, Ítaca no te ha engañado.

Y siendo ya tan viejo, con tanta experiencia,

sin duda sabrás ya qué significan las Ítacas.

[Malin Friess · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like learning about mesocycles, improving lactate threshold, VO2 max, improving glycogen storage, fast twitch muscle fibers, and better fat utilization you will enjoy this read. Probably no better book for figuring out the nuts and bolts of putting forth a good marathon.

In October of 2018 I missed out on going sub 3 hours at the super fast Chicago Marathon by just over a minute (a few seconds per mile). It was a hot day and I didn't sleep well in the Hostel the night before. I stayed with my pacing group until mile 22...but just couldn't hold onto that train the last 4 miles.

Douglas advocates for more weekly mileage (55-85 miles per week) with frequent recovery runs and general aerobic runs. He does not encourage hills or track circuit repeats.

Time to stop reading about running, and get out the door and start running.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for transitioning from moderate to heavy marathon training. Good discussions of what matters for marathon success, why it matters using physiological explanations, and how to approach the appropriate workouts to achieve better results. My only regret is starting this book 15 weeks into my training for Boston -- duh.

[Lurel White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved having all of the background and science behind why they were suggesting things. I used this training plan to run my first marathon and felt that it had adequately prepared me. I did, however, find the organization of the content a little chaotic. Overall, great content, but could be organized better.

[Pete Danko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pfitz earns your respect by backing up his recommendations with solid science and experience. I'd never recommend blindly following any program, but Pfitzinger is a must read if you wish to get serious about running the marathon.

[Col · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book for a marathoner looking to run between 3hrs and 2:30.
Got some useful strategies in it.

[Matt Rigsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a heavy heart, I admit that I am back on my bullshi

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for marathon prep and inflating my book count numbers

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, comprehensive overview of proper running training. Not only marathon. IMO all advice applies to shorter distances too. Maybe not training plans, but an explanation of why you do different types of training (long run, recovery run, VO2 max, etc.), nutrition, etc. is very useful for any distance runner.

I strongly recommend reading this book if you run!

Notes/highlights:

Chapter 1 - Elements of Training:
- The proportion of slow-twitch fibers in your muscles is determined genetically. Can be measured with biopsy.
- Successful marathoners have high VO2 max values
- Simply getting fitter has been shown to improve mental toughness
- Recovery runs and easy- to moderate-intensity cross-training improve blood flow through the muscles; this process improves the repair of damaged muscle cells, removes waste products, and brings nutrients to your muscles. These benefits are lost, however, if you do recovery runs so fast that you tire yourself out for your subsequent hard training sessions.
- The most effective way to improve LT is to run at your current LT pace or a few seconds per mile faster, either as one continuous run (tempo run) or as a long interval session at your LT pace (cruise intervals or LT intervals).
- LT training should be run at close to the pace that you can currently race for 1 hour.
- A typical training session to improve LT consists of a 15- to 20-minute warm-up followed by a 20- to 40-minute tempo run and a 15-minute cool-down.
- Another way to estimate LT pace for experienced runners is about 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 10K race pace. Successful marathoners generally race the marathon 2 to 3 percent slower than LT pace.
- Experience suggests that steadily building your long runs to 21 or 22 miles (34 or 35 km) will maximize your chances of reaching the marathon in top shape while remaining healthy. Experienced marathoners who are not highly injury prone should include one run of 24 miles (39 km) in their preparation.
- The most beneficial intensity range for most of your long runs is 10 to 20 percent slower than your goal marathon race pace.
- If you use a heart monitor, your long-run pace should be in the range of 75 to 84 percent of maximal heart rate or 66 to 78 percent of your heart rate reserve.
- The first few miles of your long runs can be done slowly, but by 5 miles (8 km) into your long run, your pace should be no more than 20 percent slower than marathon race pace. Gradually increase your pace until you’re running approximately 10 percent slower than marathon race pace during the last 5 miles (8 km) of your long runs.
- During an LT session or long run, your heart rate will tend to increase several beats per minute even if you hold an even pace.
- For marathoners, probably the four most worthwhile ways to try to improve running economy are remaining uninjured and accumulating mileage over time, resistance training, hill training, and running short repetitions (80-120 m) at a fast but relaxed pace.
- short hill reps of 10-12 seconds led to best improvement in running economy
- A typical session of strides is 10 repetitions of 100 meters in which you accelerate up to full speed over the first 70 meters and then float for the last 30 meters. It’s critical to remain relaxed during these accelerations. Avoid clenching your fists, lifting your shoulders, tightening your neck muscles, and so on. Concentrate on running with good form, and focus on one aspect of good form, such as relaxed arms or complete hip extension, during each acceleration.
- A commonly used but unevaluated rule of thumb is to increase mileage by a maximum of 10 percent per week. Jack Daniels (2014) recommends increasing mileage by no more than 1 mile (1.6 km) for each training session that you run per week. For example, if you run six times per week, you would increase your mileage by up to 6 miles (10 km) per week.
- The most effective running intensity to improve O2max is 95 to 100 percent of current O2max
- Ninety-five to 100 percent of O2max coincides with current 3,000-meter to 5,000-meter race pace.
- recovery between intervals: allow your heart rate to decrease to 70 percent of your maximal heart rate or 60 percent of your heart rate reserve. A lower-tech approach is to allow 50 to 90 percent of the length of time it takes to do the interval for your recovery. For example, if you’re running 1,000-meter repeats in 3:20, you would run slowly for 1:40 to 3 minutes between intervals.

Chapter 2 - Nutrition and Hydration:
- Sodium in your food and drinks provides the benefit of enabling your body to retain more of the fluid you take in
- Sports drinks should also contain at least 110 mg of sodium per 8 fluid ounces to enhance glucose and water absorption and improve fluid retention
- Alcohol (ethyl alcohol) primarily affects your brain
- After training or racing, wait until you’re reasonably well rehydrated to enjoy a postrun potable. Imbibing while you’re still dehydrated from running will slow your recovery.
- When you run, your body burns a mixture of carbohydrate and fat. The harder you run, the higher the proportion of carbohydrate you use; the slower you run, the higher the proportion of fat you use. During walking, more than half of the calories you burn are provided by the breakdown of fat. As your pace increases, you use proportionately less fat and more carbohydrate.
- When your glycogen stores become critically low, you experience “hitting the wall” or “bonking.” A problem with glycogen depletion is that there aren’t warning signs that it’s going to occur until it’s too late. When you need to slow suddenly in a marathon, the culprit is probably glycogen depletion, not dehydration, which tends to affect you more gradually.
- For some of your long runs, however, it may be beneficial to allow your glycogen tank to run low to stimulate increased glycogen storage. The most convenient way to train low is to do a long training run in the morning before breakfast (or after a very small breakfast) or at least 6 hours after a meal.
- How Much Carbohydrate Do You Need in Your Daily Training Diet? If you’re averaging an hour to an hour and a half of training per day, you need approximately 2.3 to 3.2 grams of carbohydrate per pound (5-7 g/kg) of your body weight per day. If you’re training for an hour and a half to two hours per day, you need approximately 3.2 to 3.9 grams of carbohydrate per pound (7-8.5 g/kg) of body weight per day. Training for 2 hours or more per day requires at least 3.6 grams of carbohydrate per pound (8 g/kg) of body weight per day.
- To date (2019?), the majority of evidence supports the view discussed in this chapter that carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for marathon training and racing.
- Strategies to increase your rate of glycogen replenishment: Don’t wait. Your body stores glycogen at a faster rate during the first two hours after exercise and at the fastest rate during the first 30 minutes after exercise, so have a carbohydrate drink with you when you finish your long runs or other glycogen-depleting workouts. Bring along some easy-to-digest carbohydrate foods as well. To speed glycogen resynthesis, take in a little under half a gram per pound of body weight (1 g/kg) in the first 30 minutes after the workout and another gram per pound of body weight during the following 2 hours, and have a meal within 3 hours of finishing training. Increase your intake of carbohydrate. After a glycogen-depleting workout, increase your carbohydrate intake to at least 3.6 grams per pound of body weight (8 g/kg) during the next 24 hours. During the first few hours after a workout, your glycogen stores will be replenished more quickly if you consume moderate– or high–glycemic index foods, such as sports drinks, recovery bars, fruit bars, potatoes, rice cakes, bread, bagels, raisins, and crackers. Consume some protein with your carbohydrates. A small amount of protein (e.g., 15-20 g) consumed with carbohydrates has been found to increase glycogen storage and also stimulates protein synthesis for muscle repair.
- Over the past several years, however, studies have clearly shown that endurance athletes have elevated protein needs.
- If you eat too much protein, you may not be consuming enough carbohydrate, so such a diet would reduce your energy levels.
- Daily Protein Requirements for Marathoners: 55-75 g/day per 100 lbs weight (110-150 for 200 lbs)
- Iron is vital to running performance. Low iron intake can be a problem for vegetarians and runners who eat red meat less often than once a week.
- How Do You Know if You Have Low Iron? If you have low iron, first, you’ll be dragging. Your heart rate may be elevated, and your enthusiasm for running will have sunk. You may also feel cold much of the time and have generalized fatigue throughout the day. These symptoms tend to come on gradually, however, so you may not suspect that you have low iron levels until they’ve had a large impact on your training. You can confirm your suspicions only with a blood test. You should find out your hemoglobin level (the iron in your red blood cells) and your serum ferritin level (your body’s iron stores).
- Good food sources of iron include liver, lean red meat, poultry dark meat, fish, oysters, egg yolk, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, dried fruit, lentils, and whole-grain or enriched cereals and bread.
- Don’t drink coffee or tea with meals because they reduce iron absorption. For example, you’ll absorb three times as much iron from your cereal and toast if you switch from coffee to orange juice with breakfast.
- Most runners don’t need to take protein supplements to meet their needs.
- You should follow most gels with a couple of sips of fluid to wash them down, and you should take in approximately 4 to 6 ounces (118-177 mL) of water afterward to help absorb the gel. Some gels, however, are isotonic (check the label), so you do not need to take in fluid to help with absorption. The best time to take an energy gel that is not isotonic is shortly before an aid station.
- The simple way to avoid hyponatremia during a hot-weather marathon is to consume fluids containing at least 250 milligrams of sodium per liter and to not drink more than you have lost as sweat.

Chapter 3 - Balancing Training and Recovery:
- There are different types of workouts because each type of workout uses different combinations of energy systems, so complete recovery from one type of workout isn’t necessary before you do another type of workout
- Minimum Time Between Hard Workouts and Tune-Up Races Type of workout: Tempo run (e.g., 4 miles at 15K to half marathon race pace) - 4 days, Long run 17-20 miles (4 days), VO2 max intervals (e.g., 6 × 1,000 m at 5K race pace) - 5 days.
- After high-intensity and prolonged exercise, however, the immune system is temporarily suppressed, creating an open window during which you’re at increased risk of infection.
- Runners with diets that do not provide enough protein, iron, zinc, or vitamins A, B6, B12, and E, however, may have weakened immune systems. The best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Hard days on Saturday and Sunday followed by recovery days on Monday and Tuesday provide a strong training stimulus and 2 full days to recover before the next hard effort on Wednesday.
- The cat-cow yoga pose will help loosen your pelvic region, which tends to feel locked up when you drive soon after running.
- Runner fallacy: Rather than letting their body dictate the pace on their recovery days, they check their GPS watch throughout and make sure they’re running faster than their self-prescribed too-slow pace. Worrying about how your run will look on Strava, Instagram, or elsewhere online compounds the problem.
- Some runners can handle 2 hard days of training in succession, whereas others need 3 easy days after each hard workout. Your individual training threshold also changes with time.
- Overreaching occurs when you string together too many days of hard training. Your muscle fatigue is most likely primarily from glycogen depletion, and you may simply need time for metabolic recovery. A few days of moderate training combined with a high-carbohydrate diet should quickly remedy the situation.
- Traditional aids to recovery from marathon training include cooling down after hard workouts, cold water immersion, and massage therapy; compression apparel may also be helpful.
- Your cool-down should start with easy running for 10 to 15 minutes.
- MONITORING YOUR “RECOVER-ABILITY”: weight, heart rate, environmental conditions, hours of sleep, quality of sleep, diet quality, hydration level, muscle soreness, energy level, HR at a standard pace (If your heart rate at a set pace is more than about 7 beats per minute higher than usual, you may not be recovered from your previous training sessions.)
- Foam rolling can be a good form of self-massage.
- The benefits of sleep include increased secretion of human growth hormone and improved brain function and memory, immune function, reaction time, and mental health.
- Do compression tights speed recovery? Probably. Compression tights and compression socks are widely available to wear during training and recovery. Research on compression clothing is evolving rapidly, but recent evidence suggests that compression tights and knee-high socks are useful for runners in reducing DOMS and perceived fatigue during recovery.

Chapter 4 - Supplementary Training:
- Tight muscles provide resistance that limits your ability to stride out.
- Dynamic stretching is a good way to stretch muscle groups before the muscles are warmed up, such as before a normal training run.
- Static stretching is best performed after running or as part of a supplementary training session.
- Prerun dynamic flexibility routine on page 81
- If you stretch aggressively, your muscles will tighten in a protective reflex to prevent straining or tearing of muscle fibers. You need to stretch gently and consistently to obtain improved length in the muscle and surrounding connective tissue.
- For static stretching, the traditional recommendation is to hold a stretch for at least 30 seconds and to do each stretch once or twice.
- 24-Minute Static Stretching Flexibility Program on page 86
- For marathoners with busy nonrunning lives, aim to do core stability training three times per week.
- Basic Core Strength Session on page 94
- Advanced Core Strength Session on page 98
- Resistance training generally should be included in your training program two times a week.
- Core stability training can be done as a warm-up before your strength training session.
- Strength Training Session on page 104
- Do drills when you are warmed up but still fresh
- A good way to incorporate drills easily into your routine is to do them before a session of strides and before harder workouts such as tempo runs and O2max sessions.
- Perform the drills as a circuit; that is, do one repetition of each, and then repeat the sequence. Do one repetition of each drill for 15 to 20 meters, and rest before the next one by walking back to the starting point.
- drills on pages 110-111
- Cross-training activities that work the large muscle groups of the legs (e.g., cycling, elliptical training, deep-water running, and cross-country skiing) are most similar to running and should lead to the greatest improvements in performance.
- An advantage of cycling is that it works the cardiovascular system while eliminating the impact forces that cause most running injuries.
- Meb Keflezighi in his mid-30 stretched before and after every run. He did some form of core stability or other strengthening work most days. He retooled his diet to focus on high-quality protein with every meal and reduce empty calories, and he became fastidious about having a recovery drink immediately after finishing his main run of the day. He replaced some of his shorter recovery runs with ElliptiGO rides so that he was fresher and less sore for his key workouts. He did postrun form drills every day except after long runs to maintain range of motion and neuromuscular fitness.

Chapter 5 - The Older (and wiser) marathoner:
- There are two types of running training that improve ankle power. The first type is running short hill reps (as discussed in chapters 1 and 4 and included in the training schedules), in which you use your calf muscles to sprint up a moderate hill. The second is running strides (as discussed in chapter 1 and included in the training schedules), in which you accelerate powerfully on the flat.
- Older runners can’t get away with dietary mistakes as they could when younger. Key aspects of diet for older runners to focus on include refueling after workouts, eating enough protein, rehydrating after running, and avoiding excess alcohol.
- Alcohol isn’t a friend for older runners because it leads to dehydration, interferes with sleep, and provides empty calories. It also slows recovery due to its effect on the liver. The serious older marathoner should keep alcohol intake to a minimum.
- In your 20s you could probably run through sudden small aches and pains. Now it’s more likely that the same approach will lead to the issue being noticeable before, during, and after running, and you realizing your training has been compromised for the last few weeks.

Chapter 6 - tapering:
- tapering leads to improvements in running economy (how much oxygen you need to run at a given pace) and muscle strength and power.
- optimal length of a taper is from 7 days to 3 weeks. For the marathon, the general consensus is to taper for a minimum of 2 weeks, with 3 weeks being optimal. Too short a taper will leave you tired on marathon day, whereas tapering for too long will lead to a loss of fitness.
- KEY PRINCIPLES FOR MARATHON TAPERING: Begin tapering 3 weeks before your marathon. Maintain training intensity. Reduce mileage. Make recovery days easy, or take days off. Optimize recovery strategies with proper diet and hydration. Eliminate muscle tightness with stretching, physical therapy (if required), massage, and rest.
- We also recommend a tune-up race 2 weeks before the marathon as a key session for putting the final polish on your racing fitness
- It’s almost always best to do a light jog the day before the marathon—you’ll feel better on race day, you’ll have a chance to get a last check on any tight muscles, and perhaps most important, you’ll do something other than stare at the walls all day fretting about your race.
- avoid before race: deadlines, driving, sightseeing; wash hands, skip expo, meditate visualizing race

Chapter 7 - race-day strategy:
- If your main goal is to finish, no warm-up is necessary.
- drink at all aid stations
- do body scans

[Jakob]

Easy to follow training plans, in the sense that everything is spelled out for you, which makes them a popular choice among more serious amateur runners.

For shorter distances, I never felt like Pfitzinger’s emphasis on progression runs with moderate intensity (at the expense of more specific work) really worked that well, but for the marathon it gets the job done. The periodization of the training blocks is pretty old school, with V02max workouts done quite close to the goal race rather than moving towards specificity. Still, the 12/70 plan had me run a 2:50 for my first (and possibly last) ’thon, so I can’t really complain. Thanks Pfitz.

[Nick Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

once again have been informed that i do my long runs (and maintenance runs) too fast.. but they’re just so much more fun that way

[Olivia Law]

A good book!

[Benjamin Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am considering several training plans to tackle the mythical sub 3 marathon in Berlin this year, and I have heard a lot of good things about this book and the training plans in it.
My current PB is 3:03 and I followed the Hanson's method for it. which was tough to follow some weeks, but with a 23 minute PB, I think it was a success.
I very easily could do another 'hanson training cycle' this year, but I am curious to see if P&D method gets me better results, and having read the book I am hopeful it will, because although the long runs and medium long runs sound scary, I think they will boost my confidence and endurance.
This book explains everything you need to know about why the plan is what it is, and I liked a lot the chapters specific to masters and how to tackle multiple marathons in short time, which I will do with Berlin and London back to back.

[Peter Bergmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book on marathon training for runners who want to truly race the marathon and try and get a PR. It draws frequently on Daniels' Running Formula but addresses a lot of frequently unanswered questions in a clear and well-explained way. I think the actual workouts in the plans are too hard but the rationale and explanations behind all the workouts and his philosophy is sound. Combine this with Daniels' Running Formula and you've got yourself a good starter pack.

[Ondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting a little ahead of myself with this one.

[elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love and appreciate the level of science-y details in this book. Made me want to give his plan a go even though I'll probably die

[Julia H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nuanced exploration into training specifically for the marathon. I loved it. I was familiar with many of the concepts but didn’t know the “why” behind many of them and this book provided a lot of reasoning behind it all.

Some pieces I appreciated:

- The ability to store glycogen and use fat for fuel increases with certain types of training, specifically runs that are 90 min or longer and total weekly volume. Successful marathoners have a well-developed ability to use fat for fuel, as this trait spares their glycogen stores and helps ensure that they are able to finish without depleting glycogen stores.
- Many recommend the majority of long runs should be slow (slow, of course, is relative to each runner)... but generally, long runs shouldn’t be slow jogs, as long runs that are too slow reinforce poor running economy
- Dehydration (in training runs) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When you become dehydrated from running, you give your body a stimulus to adapt to similar conditions in the future by conserving more of what you drink after. The resulting expansion of blood volume is a beneficial adaptation.
- Caffeine (and ingestion of it during training or races) results an increase in the release of calcium in muscle fibers, an increased ability to spare glycogen, and stimulation of the central nervous system (stimulating CNS can also reduce perceived effort by increasing alertness but also reducing how hard you feel like you’re working)
- Running on soft surfaces for recovery days decreases the impact on your legs and back

Some of it is a little outdated, such as the section on shoe technology. He elaborates on why elite marathoners always race in flats, and of course now there is no elite runner running without supershoes, which weren’t even released until 2016. For this reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

I hope to incorporate more of the recommendations for different types of training (i.e. vo2 max workouts, lactate threshold workouts, etc.) in preparation for future marathons. I think most of the information is still accurate and relevant and would highly recommend!

[Luis Ferrao · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 estrelas. Este é (foi) o segundo livro escrito por treinadores e conhecedores a fundo de tudo o que tenha a ver com o mundo do running que li num curto espaço de tempo.

O primeiro, e imediatamente antes deste, foi escrito pelo guru Jack Daniels que salvoerro até treinou o autor deste livro - Pete Pfitzinger.

São duas leituras imprescindíveis para quem queira perceber melhor como a corrida muda o nosso corpo e as dinâmicas de treino e adaptação do mesmo de modo a melhorar treinos e resultados minimizando lesões.

Gostei muito de ambos os livros sendo que a escrita de Pfitzinger é mais fluida e menos maçuda sem isso significar perda de rigor técnico.

Composto por duas partes e 13 capítulos (a 3a edição) a estrutura do livro está muito bem conseguida.

Começa por focar as várias componentes do treino (nutrição, recuperação, hidratação, preparação de provas e exercícios complementares) passando para o desenho e apresentação de planos de treino feitos à medida de várias ambições, disponibilidades e níveis. Existem planos desde 90km por semana a mais de 150km.

Como se constata não é um livro para iniciantes e principiantes dado o volume considerável até do treino mais leve.

Ainda assim um livro must have em qualquer biblioteca de quem encare a participação em maratonas de uma forma séria sem que tenha que para isso ser um atleta profissional

[Nicholas Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on marathon training (even though I do not plan to enter a cycle) with good background to justify the structure. Some interesting things I thought about the recommended training:
- Back to back hard runs of different types (threshhold/VO2/Long)
- Highly minimized sprinting
- One of few books that does good detailing of supplemental exercises and why they are necessary.
- Macrocycles/mesocycles/microcycles

Would give one more star if the training basis was broadly applied to other distances, but I guess Pfitz has a book for that too.

[Adam Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will raise it a star if I meet my marathon goal 🤣

[Josh Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been thinking a lot about how I can keep pushing my marathon time down and this book seems to be the way to do so. Couldn’t read too much about running online without seeing it mentioned.

It’s almost worth it for the training plans alone, but the focus on so many other things — diet, stretching, strength training, etc. — has me confident my best running days are absolutely in front of me. Pumped to put this to use in the coming months ahead of Chicago. 8.5/10

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable listen during my runs and chores. good stuff !

[Allie Leveille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super informational and the training tips and plans are amazing

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good training book that keeps things simple and explains the foundation and rationale for prescriptions which makes it easy to follow and keep with the plans.

[Yaroslav Gorbushko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Наиболее фундаментальная, и толковая книга о марафонском, да и вообще - шоссейном, беге из всех, которые я читал на эту тематику (больше десятка книг).
Очень хорошо описываются все системы организма, задействованные в процессе бега, ограничивающие факторы. Понятно и доходчиво рассказывается о том, как необходимо тренироваться и зачем нужна каждая из тренировок.

Бонусом идут три плана подготовки к марафону, рассчитанные на разный уровень подготовки.

Читал версию на английском. 2 издание.

[Parker Sievert · Rating 4 out of 5]

looking back on it now, it might have been more appropriate to purchase “beginners jogging”

[Callum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be so fast now