Numerous easy-to-read, day-by-day, training plans. From peak mileage at 55 miles per week over 12 weeks to 93 miles per week over 24 weeks, nine different marathon schedules are laid out and explained with daily detail.

A Multiple Marathons training plan. For runners who wish to tackle more than the standard yearly spring and fall marathon plan, the book details methods for racing marathons as close as four weeks apart.

A sidebar in each chapter which profiles a world class marathoner. These tales from the trenches illustrate how some of the principles of marathon training are applied in real life.

Practical advice about how to balance high commitment marathon training with the rest of a "normal" life. Since not all of us can make a living winning prize money in road races, the authors present practical tips for incorporating high mileage training into the rest of your busy life.

An entertaining writing style. The best line of the book comes on page 205 where the authors warn about trying to run back-to-back marathons in less than 4 weeks:

Your main concern should be about recovery, recovery, and more recovery not only from your first marathon but also from the lobotomy that led you to come up with this plan. Despite its many strengths, the book has two minor drawbacks: Hill training is glossed over. Hills are an essential part of almost any marathon training program. The authors acknowledge this, but they aren't specific about where, when, and how hills can be incorporated into a training plan.

The core strength training and flexibility training sections are brief. Specific diagrams illustrating some of the exercises written about would have been very helpful. These drawbacks, however, pale in comparison to all of the "good stuff." To repeat, this book is a must read.

38 of 40 found the following review helpful:


Exceeded My Expectations In Every Way  Jan 01, 2003 By Earl W. Damron "Earl D"
I have done three marathons over the last 15 years. I'm not what I would call a "marathoner", but I've always enjoyed the challenge and reward of the distance. Unfortunately, I've never enjoyed much success at the distance. I've never felt like I was properly prepared and my marathons showed it. My finishes have always been weak and my times, in the 3:40 to 4:10 range, have been disappointing.

With a 4th attempt at a marathon coming up this June, I purchased this book in the hopes that I could finally turn in a good marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

This book has exceeded my expectations in every way. Every chapter is full of information and examples of things I've either failed to do in the past, done that I shouldn't have, or done at the wrong level of intensity. Exercise physiology, rather than running lore or other worthless information, packs each chapter. The authors do a wonderful job of explaining what happens to your body when you do things right and when you do things wrong. You come away not only understanding what you should do, but why you should do it. You learn why various types of running help and why those same types can take away from your goals if done improperly or at the wrong time/level. You also get an entire book that focuses on running 26.2 miles, meaning that you don't have to skim through chapters on the 5K, 10K, or other distances to pick out the information that is meaningful to you. Along these same lines, the authors talk about why certain types of training that are very useful for runners in other distances really shouldn't be a focus in your marathon preparation (and, of course, why they shouldn't). The book covers various types of running workouts, nutrition, hydration, recovery, race tactics, running economy, and training schedules. For the various workouts, it does a wonderful job of explaining each type of workout, what it does to aid you in achieving your goal marathon, and why.

I actually considered waiting until after my marathon in June, just so I could expound the virtues of this book with concrete evidence that what it has to say works, but I just couldn't wait. If you're at all interested in going from an average marathoner to an advanced marathoner, this is the book you need. I've read the entire thing in about a week (which is saying something for me) and plan to begin reading it again today, just to make myself a "cheat sheet" this time of the many things in the book that loudly spoke to me. Of the 5 books I've owned on preparing for the marathon, this is the best one by far!

20 of 22 found the following review helpful:


On my way to Boston  Dec 18, 2003
I had one goal when I purchased this book...to qualify for the Boston marathon. Before purchasing this book I had no running schedule, no plan, and no benchmarks to measure my progress. I relied mostly on input from well-meaning fellow runners. Every training run felt like a race and I always felt tired and without confidence. Subsequently my first two marathons were both failures.

I bought this book in September of 2003 with the plan of running Dallas White Rock in December for another attempt to qualify. I can not compare the book to others since it is my only book, but I thought it was a well organized, informative and even motivating. I read it from cover to cover and then referred back frequently during my training. I did not follow the included running schedules to a tee, but instead used them as a basis and followed the spirit of them. For the first time I actually had confidence in my training and felt like I was making progress. The most important thing I learned was the importance of the long SLOW run. This concept as well as the importance of recovery were critical to the success of my training.

I just finished running White Rock and I am extremely happy to say that I qualified for Boston. It wasn't easy, but without the balanced training I learned from this book it would never have happened.

21 of 24 found the following review helpful:


From 3:14 to 2:54, now looking for sub 2:50  Oct 01, 2002
From an "off the couch" 3:14 in 2000 to a dnf in 2001 that marked both my inexperience and my enthusiasm (heat exhaustion in mi. 26) to a 2:54 this year, this book has made the difference.

I bought it after the dnf and decided to train not only diligently, but also intelligently. Following the schedules will nearly allow you to predict your time or, better said, to set realistic goals. What makes them easier to follow is the fact that they give you the logic behind the logging of these many, many miles of training.

This book is not magic. No book should claim that. There is no secret beyond consistent, hard work. But, gee whiz, it's good to have the help of these guys who has done so much homework for you.

Can't say enough. So, I'll stop.

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