Road Racing For Serious Runners
By
Woody Green
of
RUNNERS NICHE
Elite marathon runner and exercise physiologist Pete Pfitzinger has
teamed up with former editor-in-chief of Running Times Scott Douglas to
write one of the best training books ever. Don't let the term "serious"
in the title dissuade you from choosing to add this book to your
library. As it says in the forward, this book, "... is for anyone who
cares enough about his or her running to want to learn how to go about
it in the most effective, time-efficient way. We've written this book
so that it will be as useful for a 20-mile-a-week 5K runner as for a
100-mile-a-week marathoner." This means that regardless of your ability
level, the book has been written with you in mind. Unlike many other
books on training, there is no looking down the nose at the common
runner. There is help for anyone who wants to take a scientific
approach to their training and try to be as fast as they can on race
day.
The book is broken into two parts. The first in on the physiology of
running. These five chapters explain the basis for their "multispeed
approach" to training. They explain how to improve VO2 max, speed,
lactate threshold and pure endurance, and how to optimize training and
racing. If the scientific terms presented above make you wary, there is
no need to worry. Pete Pfitzinger's knowledge and Scott Douglas'
writing style make for a perfect team. Everything is explained in plain
English, and with a healthy dose of humor. The book is not only
informative, but also entertaining to read.
The second part of the book provides specific training programs. These
are presented in separate chapters according to the goal race you have
in mind. Each chapter not only lays out a week by week plan, but also a
detailed explanation of the reasoning behind their training schedules.
Easy to read programs are presented for 5 K, 8-10 K, 15K - Half
Marathon, Marathon and cross-country races. Within each chapter,
separate training schedules are given for the weekly mileage you can
handle. For the 5 K, for instance, there is a schedule for runners who
do less than 20 miles per week, 20 - 40 miles per week and more than 40
miles per week. The schedules are designed with flexibility to fit your
particular lifestyle and domestic schedule.
I have always been a fan of Pete's exercise physiology column in
Running Times. The guy does his homework and knows his stuff. If you've
ever read Douglas' contributions to the same magazine, you know he's
not afraid to toss a little humor into any subject. His writing style
has clearly added an easy readability to the book that makes it
accessible and enjoyable to anyone regardless of their background or
ability level. One of my favorite nuggets of wisdom from this book is
advice to runners as they recuperate from a marathon effort. "Eat
kahlua mocha fudge brownie ice cream. Sleep in. Get thrown out of the
local hot tub. In short, give your brain a rest form the discipline of
training."
There are only a few books out there that I consider "gotta' haves" and
this is now one of them. Whether you race recreationally and have only
a little time to give to your running, or you are an elite runner
devoting all your time to the sport, this book is for you!
RUNNER'S NICHE BOOK RATING: 5 out of 5 possible winged feet.
