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The authors were college psychology professors, and they focus way more on the mental aspect of running long distances than any of the other 'how to run a marathon' books I have seen. I don't think any of these books are mutually exclusive. There are numerous other books that offer such programs, and they can be easily incorporated into the framework of this book. Some highlight health benefits of running, others focus more on improving as a runner, achieving better times, etc. Before entering into the actual marathon plan, the authors request that you be able to jog non-stop for 30 minutes. I would rate that as a strong point.
Such plans are also freely available online. There are multiple books on the market for beginning marathon runners. I suspect many, if not most, people compulsive and movitivated enough to train for a marathon will sample more than one of them. Both Hal Higdon and John 'The Penguin' Bingham present plans for beginners where there is an easy week thrown in every 2 or 3 weeks - their systems work better for me.One aspect of The Non-Runner's Trainer that I really liked was a preliminary training chart for complete non-runners.
I suppose the straight progression of miles must work for most people, but I have personally found, in my 50 year old body, that I really need more time before ratcheting up the mileage. The advantage of such a staggered approach is that it gives the body, and mind, a bit more recovery time. I found this plan to be excellent and I have recommended it to numerous non-exercising friends, even those with no desire to run a marathon. I have recommended this book to numerous friends and, with the exception of my comments above, I recommend it to you.Best wishes to everyone in their marathon quests.
But, at least for me, and perhaps other older runners, choosing a slightly different training plan that occasionally backs off on weekly long run mileage might be a good idea. My only real complaint - and that is perhaps too strong a word - with the book is that it uses a 16 week training plan that is basically a straight progression on weekly long runs, starting with 5 miles and max'ing out at 18 miles at week 13, before the final taper. In summary, I agree with most other reviewers that this is an excellent, very motivational book for beginners wanting to run a marathon. I personally think this is wise, as each one I have read has a bit of a different perspective and different strengths.The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer is very strong on motivation.
Most complete beginners will not be able to do that, so the book presents a preliminary 10 step training program that starts off with a simple walking pace 3 days a week, then very gradually and methodically works up to a 30 minute jog. Most other training plans that I have seen use some sort of variation of a '2 step forward, 1 step backward' approach - in other words, for example, they will progress from 12 to 14 mile long runs, then back down to 8 or 10 miles the following week, before progressing again. The book is also interesting in that it gives in depth quotes from the students who were training - their insights as beginners were very helpful and motivational.Some of the other books available have different strengths. A few weeks repeat the previous week's mileage, but it is basically a straight march upwards.
I'm a big believer in training your mind as you train your body, and that's really the strength of this book. This book was my primary guidance for training and running the LA Marathon, and I had a blast in every phase, even 16-mile training runs, which I did by myself because there aren't many marathoners as slow as me. Highly recommended by the Slow Fat Triathlete. This is absolutely *the* book to use if you are intimidated by the marathon you just signed up for. Using a blend of solid training advice, exercises in the mental and psychological elements of marathon training, and first person stories from the authors' classes, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer coaches you through every step of the way.
I know that this book would have seen me through to completing my first marathon. I love this book. I had a lot of fun training with this program and would recommend it to anyone who would like to run a marathon for the first time. I was amazed at how easy it was to follow the program, even considering my hectic life of two jobs and 4 kids. Had I not gotten injured in week 7 (no fault of the book or its methods. just my own crazy body structure).
It's a bit like listening to a high school gym instructor telling you "well do it my way or you are going to get an injury just you wait" over and over. This guide has great advice and insight into the physical and mental demands of endurance running. I think this book is useful but would be helped by a more flexible point of view. One of the single most important skills in running is being in touch with the specific behavior of your body, and knowing when your legs are telling you that you need to adjust from a standardized training plan. And the authors fully appreciate that there are real mental challenges -- inspiration, pride, and motivation are key elements of whether one can finish this race, rather than just footspeed. Where the book is disappointing is in its dogmatic tone.
I bought this book, started the training and two days ago I finished my first marathon. While I don't think I'll ever run another, I'm so glad and proud to say I have done it once. So I decided I wanted to run a marathon. It was such a great experience. This is really a great book and does produce the results it claims to. Was it really that crazy of an idea. I had not run more than 3 miles since high school - 15 years earlier.
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