Road Racing for Serious Runners: Multispeed Training- 5K to Marathon
by Peter Pfitzinger, Scott Douglas
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.83 You Save: $12.12 (61%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.79 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Road Racing for Serious Runners: Multispeed Training- 5K to Marathon
Book Review: Solid and Concise Focused on Racing 5K-Marathon
Summary: 4 Stars
It is well-named, addressing the needs of the runner desiring to racing faster -the runner who will commit to the proper training and preparation. It gives training plans and points for all distance levels, including cross-country, which is not seen in most other books.
Pfitzinger helps separate the various speeds. He understands that there are several levels of runners, even as all are serious about going faster. Occasionally delving into more science than many readers will be able to consume, he does try to break it down into layman terms. More than the guy who outkicked Alberto Salazar in the 1984 Olympic Trials for the marathon, but trained exercise physiologist and distance coach.
I did not feel, however, that I learned much new information. Glover's book handle similar material, and I gave it five stars. To the credit of "Road Racing" is that you do not need to hunt for what you want to know, and you know you can count on these authors' authority. Not only have they excelled as athletes, but they are respected by their peers and the various running periodicals.
This book is well written and well organized, succinctly getting its points across. Its strongest aspect is that it explains in readable language what needs to be done in a limited number of pages (189 pp).
Now go run.
Anthony Trendl
http://runnersdilemma.blogspot.com
Book Review: The best of its type
Summary: 5 Stars
There are several good books available now that explain "state of the art" training for distance runners. Most of those books deal with concepts like VO2 max and lactate threshold and show the reader how to make use of those concepts in his or her training. This is the best book I've seen of that type. The concepts are explained clearly, and the author shows how to train effectively and efficiently using these and other key concepts. I felt like I understood a lot more about training when I finished the book, and rereading some sections has deepened my understanding. I especially like the fact that training schedules are easy to understand, reasonably flexible, and that schedules are provided for runners at different levels and for different distances, e.g. runners who do around 20 miles a week and want to train for a 5K. I remember watching the author win the 1984 Olympic marathon trials against many runners who arguably had more talent, and that credibility should give the reader confidence that good results will come if the schedules and principless are applied.Book Review: Disappointing - more like shallow magazine columns than a training guide
Summary: 2 Stars
I'd previously enjoyed and referred a lot to Bob Glover's book Competitive Runner's Handbook, and I was expecting something similar when I bought this. I was sorely disappointed. The book contains very little of substance and a lot of padding/cursory descriptions.
Some of this book's key flaws in my opinion are:
An embarrassingly excessive amount of space devoted to photos of people running or profiles of runners - maybe ok for a magazine, but not for a training guide.
Descriptions of training principles are too brief, with too few details or detailed suggestions for workouts, etc based on those principles.
Too much eclectic content thrown together and covered too briefly - a page of yoga, a page of massage, unnecessary tables to give numerical examples of simple concepts that don't really need such examples, etc.
I don't know who the intended audience for this book is - maybe people who do not run much but would like to feel they have a "serious" running book? (hence the book's title?)
Book Review: Superb running/training reference
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is an excellent training manual. It focuses on specific training for specific events (from 5 Km to the marathon) and gives you remarkably predicatable results regardless of your level. I tried a couple of the programs because I was skeptical. The results that they promised were too good to be true given the little amount of training needed. I succeeded every time. I am amazed at how little is required to achieve a goal if you focus on the correct principles at the correct times. The book also gives a detailed background on the training methods and scientific principles involved so you are not just following a training 'recipe' without understanding it. I have been running for many years and didn't think I could run faster. This book has shown me how to do it and also, how to do it with far less effort! This is by far the best running/training manual that I have read.Book Review: The Efficient Reader's Running Training and Racing Guide
Summary: 5 Stars
What I like most about Pfitzinger's and Scott's book is that it is a very friendly efficient book that gets right into the subject matter and it breaks down what others describe in more complex fashion, like VO2 Max, into much simplier terms making the comprehension easy and in far fewer pages. Although written in the very late 90s, this book is still an excellent guide for HS and runners virtually up to local elite status. "Daniels Running Formula" is probably mote satisfying, and more detailed for top guns but Pfitziner and Scott give you a lot of the same information with a variety of workouts based on goal times at various distances. The authors even quote Daniel's research and others so it still is in the game. If you want a quick grasp training book that is top knotch, pleasant to read with examples and pictures, then this is your book.