any recommendations? thinking about training for my first (injuries permitting of course).
I happened to just have searched this forum yesterday looking for input on that very topic. I ended up ordering these four books yesterday:
The Triathlete’s Guide to Run Training
Daniel’s Running Formula 2nd
Advanced Marathoning
Explosive Running: Using the Science of Kinsiology to Improve Your Performance
The other book that came recommended was The Lore of Running by Tim Noakes
This article is a must read. http://tinyurl.com/77ras9
The word version is available here: http://www.electricblues.com/Hadd.doc
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What book is good depends on what your goals for the marathon are. If you are running to finish the marathon, there are lots of ‘finish a marathon’ books out there. If you are racing the marathon (and there is a big difference between running and racing a marathon), I would recommend without reservation Advanced Marathoning. Its awesome. It is, like the title says, fairly advanced, so it may not be the best for a first time marathoner.
I guess I fall somewhere in between. It’ll be my first, so just finishing would definitely make me happy. That being said, I’m competitive as all hell, and would love to break 4:00.
I’ve run a 44:xx 10K and a 20:30 5K. I’m by no means fast, but I don’t consider myself terribly slow either. That being said, is under 4 hours a reasonable goal?
I don’t know whether you are 25 or 55, but if you are anywhere in between those ages, then I would think a sub 3:30 is possible as long as you can build up your endurance to handle the distance. Anybody who can run 20 min 5k has the speed down, but not knowing your PRs for 10 miles or half marathon doesn’t really give me any clues as to whether your endurance base will get you to the finish line in steady 8s or 9s.
Get the Advanced Marathoning book by Pfitzinger. Pick out a marathon. Use one of the Pfitz plans. See how you react to the training. If you can do a half marthon four to six weeks before your marathon around 1:50 then you should break 4. If you can do it closer to 1:40, then you should break 3:30. If you get it down to 1:30, then look more to 3:15. But those all assume that you are doing the Pfitz program, staying in the zones he prescribes. Keeping up the distances week after week, building up for a solid 12-18 weeks.
If your only goal is to finish in under 4 hours, then that is a fine goal for your first one. But I have a friend who had times for 5 and 10k like you and he busted out a 3:31 at Chicago a few years back for his first one.
The Run Faster book by Brad Hudson is also excellent. It might be too much for a first timer in that Brad expects you to coach yourself, rather than follow a pre-packaged plan. But the concepts he discusses are great when combined with the Pfitz plans.
Good luck
X100
Pfitz Adavanced Marathoning, even if you dont think yourself as ‘advanced’ that is THE marathon book. And yes with your times if the endurance is there you can do way better than 4 hours.
I’m 26. So perhaps I should be more ambitious.
Agree on the Pfitzinger book. Very well made training programs too.
Daniels is great for the pace vocabulary and reasoning behind it. I definitely think you should get and read his book. But for just marathon-training, go with Pfitzinger first. I know many people who have done very well off his book. He has been there, done that. I like his schedules better too.
I am starting for my first marathon and I picked up some great tips from Jeff Galloway’s Marathoning for mortals and links from runners world magazine. Great plans for different target times, rotating long runs, 3x/week vs 4-5x/week and others. Good Luck, but my best advice has come from those I have talked to with the actual experience in running where I live as far as routes and when to run and incorporate trails, pools etc.
Lots of overlap with another thread, so rather than repeat those points, I’ll point you to it on the off chance you missed it: