The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer
by David Whitsett, Forrest Dolgener, Tanjala Kole
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Book Reviews of The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer
Book Review: Walt Disney World Marathon, 01/09/2005
Summary: 5 Stars
I NEVER would have picked myself as a marathon runner, but thanks to this book, I AM!!! When I first saw the book in the bookstore, I was intrigued by the title - The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. I thought, "Why would a non-runner want to run a marathon?" I opened it up, and there was the 16-week schedule right in front of me. It seemed too easy to be real, so I put the book down, made my other purchases, and went home. However, I kept thinking back to the premise of the book - that anyone can run a marathon....ANYONE. My curiosity got the best of me, and the next day, there I was in the bookstore reading more. Before this purchase, I had never run more than 1 mile at a time, ever.
Mind you, this is about finishing a marathon, not winning one. Elite athletes take years of hard training to compete at that level, and no book is going to help anyone get there in just a few weeks. However, with slow steady progress and the right mental attitude, you can train your body to keep moving for the amount of time it takes to finish the marathon (for me, it was 4 hours, 46 minutes).
The keys are very simple:
1. Get the right shoes. Lots of running injuries are related to shoes that don't fit the runner (pronating, motion control, etc.). You can't train for a marathon in a pair of Keds.
2. Stretch. Before and after the run, stretch. The book could have put the stretches earlier in the book for those who read as they train; still, almost an entire chapter is related to stretching.
3. Drink. Another major mistake beginning runners (like myself) have is not drinking enough water during and after your training runs. Water is the body's lubricant, without it, things can grind to a halt.
4. Mental Attitude. 26.2 miles is a long way, having a bad attitude makes it even longer. A positive attitude can give you the energy you need to have productive training runs, and a successful marathon.
5. Slow, steady progress. No week's training is more than 10% more than the week before (with the sole exception of week 6). This will allow your body to adjust to the higher mileage with less risk of injury. However, due to the condensed timeframe of the schedule, the generally used two-weeks up, one-week back mileage method isn't used. Whether that helps or hurts is a matter for discussion.
On another note, you really have to want to run a marathon, because despite the simplicity of the training program, you still have to run about 500 miles to complete the marathon training schedule, so don't be fooled by the relative ease of the training schedule.
Overall, if you are a non-runner, or are new to running, and want to run a marathon, this is a great book to have, and a very valuable resource. It worked for me, now I'm a marathoner, and no one can take that away from me!
Book Review: The Magic of this book
Summary: 5 Stars
As a non runner and very limited and inconsistant excerciser, I found this book as I grandiosely thought about running the NYC 99 Marathon. The holistic approach was inspirational beyond belief. The primary theme of the book which was continually addressed in every chapter drove home the fact that "perception can become realty". The main goal was to focus every aspect of your training on your number one goal ie, to finish the marathon. When I mentioned to those who knew me that I was training for the marathon using this book, they really thought I was experiencing delusions of grandeur thinking "right you can read this book and run a marathon in 16 weeks; don't believe everything you read" After following everything in the book with only one slip up when I tried to do too much I was fully ready to run 26.2 miles. After a brief feeling of anxiety while on the bus to Staten Island, once I started running I had no doubt that I could finish. The personal statements from the students in training and the overwhelming statistics of how many of the students or "followers" finished gave the book total validity. If you follow the book in its basic beliefs, you can run and finish a marathon. These include: not over training, not setting unrealistic expectations or other agendas, not listening to others telling you you're a dreamer not a marathoner, not going on any crazy diets, and not thinking negative. Simply doing what the book says is enough. The major issue will be that you must be able and willing to make the commitment and except in extraordinary situations never put other priorities ahead of the training. You must run 4 days a week, take a day off before and after the long run, dring plenty of water, buy the right shoes and clothes, trying eating good foods (I always remembered what I ate after I started my run; fried foods make your run a real drag). THIS BOOK WORKS. When they say believe us that you will finish if you do the training our way they are CORRECT..I finished the NYC 1999 Marathon On Nov 7th (5hr, 23min but whose counting) having gone from taking a month to run 3 miles without stopping 20 weeks earlier. The book is a major self esteem builder. When you realize that less than 1% of the population have finished a marathon and you are one of them you will know the feeling of personal success. NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE AWAY THE FEELING OF FINISHING. WHAT A FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. This book goes beyond running to developing a positive attitude toward life in general. I have given it to several others three of whom are now training for their first marathon. Beware though, positive can be addictive.Book Review: Overweight and out of shape to marathoner in 16 weeks!
Summary: 4 Stars
When I first purchased this book, I was not a runner. I had dabbled in running a year earlier, and had finished two 5K (3.1 mile) races and one 10K race. I let myself quit running regularly because of circumstance, and proceeded to eek out a mile or two every other month or so.I saw this title on Amazon and was intrigued. I wanted to change my lifestyle; to go from an unhealthy, binge-eating, channel-surfing existence to healthy, active, and energetic life. Thanks to this book, I have - and you can, too!
The book is based on the "Marathon 101" class taught at The University of Northern Iowa. It gives accounts of the training and the big day from journals kept by the students, who cover a broad range of age and ability. Feeling that I "shared" the experience of training with these students helped me along considerably. Many of them wrote of the same pitfalls and triumphs I was encountering.
Both mental and physical preparation are stressed in the book, with each chapter broken down in a Mental/Physical/Student Testimonial fashion. I had never considered myself athletic, so I believed the training program would be pretty tough. It's not. Just as they say in the book, if you do everything they tell you to do, you will FINISH!
The day of my marathon, the temperature broke 90 degrees and the air was thick with humidity. Though I struggled with the mental aspect of finishing, I ran across the finish line in 6:31:04 (yes, 6 hours!). I know the only reason I could run and walk for over six hours was because this book provides such wonderful mental preparation. The goal is to finish. Nothing more. Now I am looking forward to reaching my new goal of running another marathon.
Content presentation and editing are the only negatives of this book. I was sometimes frustrated when trying to review information because the physical portions of EVERY chapter are called "Physical Preparation" in the Table of Contents. More descriptive sub-titles would be helpful. Some of the journal entries seemed to be in the wrong chapter as well, since the students would talk about mileage I hadn't run yet, or distances that were not in the program as it is currently presented.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a flicker of a dream to run a marathon. You do not have to be born an athlete in order to achieve athletic success. Experienced runners may or may not want to read the sections on physical preparation, but may enjoy the mental preparation techniques.
Book Review: This book delivered its promise!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a marathoner! I completed the Edmonton Centennial Marathon on August 22. I finished second last and they were already pulling up the barricades when I went through at just over 6 hours, but I crossed the finish line. Just like the authors said I would. Since my goal was to finish, I was not disappointed that I had to walk portions of it. The authors tell you to walk with your head held high, and I did - it helped me to regroup so that I could run the last few miles strongly towards the finish line. The weather was cold and wet, and the wind really knocked me out. But I did it. I started the program outlined with the pre-mileage program - by running five minutes and walking five minutes. Like some other reviewers had said, Four Months to a Four Hour Marathon was out of my grasp. I used to love to run, but hadn't run in years. Anything over five miles seemed impossible. Their program worked.
I felt like I knew some of the people in the book with the profiles. The chapters seemed to hit areas when I needed them. When I had concerns or had problems keeping my motivation going, the book addressed them. The mental exercises really helped - the visualization and concentration became mandatory during some of the long runs and even some of the shorter ones when I would rather have been doing anything else! I replayed good runs in my head when I was staggering along, and it really helped me to finish.
The book has two short runs, one medium run and one long run per week. It is a modest schedule, mileage-wise, compared to a lot of other programs. I felt I could stick with the schedule more easily than most of the other ones. I also liked the fact that they continually remind you that your goal should be to finish, not to worry about time or attach other agendas to the event. Some of the mental exercises seemed kind of silly at first - telling yourself you are a marathoner right from the outset was tough. I felt like anything but! Everything started to fall into place and make sense during the longest runs. I used all of the tools they gave me.
The only criticism I have is that there is no index so stuff was hard to find. The authors also talked about how 16 miles would probably take between 2 and 3 hours, which contradicted their advice not to wear a watch and to concentrate on finishing. It took me more than 3 hours to do that distance.
Thank you Tanjala, David and Forrest! You made the finish line possible!
Book Review: Got 16 Weeks?
Summary: 5 Stars
Originally published in 1998, this book has been around awhile and stood the test of time. Who's it for? NORMAL people who have the desire to run and 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 goal in 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 (which in 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, and the third part of each chapter contains advice and suggestions from people who have done the course and 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, and the last one a list of references and 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, and what shoes to wear.
Some practical bits: the 16 week training program does start you out running three miles, so in reality, you can tack on about another month or so of training to the 16 weeks in 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 :)