Customer Reviews
Trust this book and complete your first marathon - By: E. J. Lizier, 15 Nov 2008 
I had never run a marathon before buying this book, I'd never even run a 10km race before and, perhaps more importantly, I hadn't done any serious running (as opposed to a jog oncein a while) for 20 years.
I followed the training programin this book to the letter as the things I was reading chapter by chapter, which corresponds to the week-by-week training programin the book, seemed to make perfect sense & I felt myself growingin confidence & ability as I went through the 16-week program. I had achievable goals to complete each week, as well as dietary & recovery advice. The book was also full of little tips that really helped me along the way, things one might never have considered on one's own & it was also full of tales of the experiences of others who had completed the training. I took great comfortin knowing that the things I was experiencing were commonplace & I didn't feel so alone.
On race day, I felt amazingly calm & relaxed, absolutely tranquilin the knowledge that I was ready to run the marathon & that I would, indeed, complete it & so I did. I ran & completed the 2008 Venice Marathon on a beautiful, sunny October day that I will never, ever forget.
I won't even tell you my time, although I never would have believed that I could complete itin the time I did, specifically because perhaps the most valuable tip that gets drummed into you throughout this book is not to think about a time objective for completing the marathon but to simply aim to complete it. Think complete, not compete! It takes so much pressure off you and, thus, the possible performance anxiety that a time objective may cause are no longer an issue. Do that & you've already shattered the first obstacle to your successfully completing your first marathon.
If I can do it, you can too. Trust this book.
Focussed and inspiring for a beginner - By: B. Woollam, 08 Nov 2008 I have just completed the NY Marathon after using this training guide. I originally bought it to aid my mental training but soon became sold to the whole package & followed it fairly carefully. I was a bit sceptical about the potential 'american' stance it might have but must say that I very rarely felt this whilst using the book & only winced once!! You move through it week by week with new objectives & tips. What I really like about it was its accessibilty to a non-runner, it explained all the sciencein lay-mans terms & allowed me to begin to understand & appreciate the mental & physical impact marathon training would have on my body. The training plan was totally manageable for a working person, & I enjoyed every step. Fully recommended, inspiring & ....it works!!!
does exactly what it says on the tin! - By: Dr. Susan Steele, 31 Oct 2008 Ran a marathon - the whole thing! Didn't hit the wall, am planning another one & only used this book. It delivers exactly what it says. Found the diary bits great to fillin training & found that it really prepares you for the marathon. Higly reccomended.
Got 16 Weeks? - By: Phyllis, 26 Sep 2008 Originally publishedin 1998, this book has been around awhile & stood the test of time. Who's it for? NORMAL people who have the desire to run & complete a marathon BUT also have other commitments that take up their time such as a family, job, etc. Don't have tons of time to train? This is your book. Need to get together a plan of attack? Keep reading.
The promise of the book is to that you'll be able to run 26.2 miles training just 4 days a week with no runs over 18 miles. It is based on a marathon class offered over the years at the University of Northern Iowa that touts a high success rate for 1st time marathoners. The book accomplishes this goalin sixteen chapters, one for every week of training.
Each chapter is cleanly divided up into 3 parts. Part one deals with the mental aspects of marathon training (whichin my opinion is just as important as physical preparation when it comes to marathons), part two lays out the actual training program for the week, & the third part of each chapter contains advice & suggestions from people who have done the course & the program.
The book has a final 17th chapter which gives advice such as what to do after the marathon to make sure you recover well. Finally, the book ends with three appendices- one is a list of marathons to help you pick from, another on research that has been done on the program, & the last one a list of references & resources (always good to have those at hand).
All-in-all its a very COMPLETE book covering everything you can imagine about training for a marathon such as stretches, weight training exercises, nutritional advice, how to dress, & what shoes to wear.
Some practical bits: the 16 week training program does start you out running three miles, soin reality, you can tack on about another month or so of training to the 16 weeksin order to build up to the 3-mile starting point of the program. Along the same lines, pick a marathon that will be held no less than five months from the time you expect to start getting ready. And finally, runners suffering from plantar fasciitis might also want to check out The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution. Good luck :)
You can run that marathon. - By: Silver runner, 15 Sep 2008 I bought this book to help me train for my first London Marathon at the age of 51. I was a regular but minor runner puttingin only 5 to 6 miles per week with my longest run at 3 miles. Overall I was fairly fit, but overweight.
The book is well laid out & easy to follow including a detailed training programme with explanations of exactly what to do & why. It adopts an overall approach to marathon training, explaining how & why you must think as a marathon runner.
I followed the programme religiously, lost significant weight & completed the 26.2 miles at first attempt. No course record, but still a personal best! This book does exactly what the authors claim.
