Authors: Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas
Having spent most of my life as a runner focusing on middle distance running, I used to consider any race beyond 5 km a grim prospect indeed. However as I grew older and it became clear that I had maximized my performances over 800m and 1500m I began to move up in racing distance in search of new PRs. I began running 5km, 10km and even marathons however I continued to do the work-outs of a middle distance runner. When I failed to realize my potential at these longer distances I decided it was time to approach my training more scientifically - anything HAD to be more effective than running 400 m repeats at 1500 m pace while hoping to run a marathon PR.
This was the path that led me to Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas’ Road Racing for Serious Runners. This book is a comprehensive training guide for runners seeking to improve their times over distances from 5 km to the marathon. It is far more than merely a compendium of training schedules and work-outs; this book provides a readable yet detailed account of the physiology behind running and explains how to most effectively train for each of the distance events covered in the book.
Part I of the book discusses four key physiological components of running: speed, VO2 max, lactate threshold and pure endurance. There is a clear yet not overly simplified explanation of the biology underlying these components of running fitness. Particularly interesting to me was the explanation of those what biological characteristics that are genetically hard-coded and therefore cannot be altered through training (for example one’s maximum heart rate, or the ratio of fast to slow twitch muscle) versus those which can be altered through training (for example the stroke volume of each heartbeat, or the size and efficiency of the fast twitch muscle fibers that one has). Part I also explains the relative importance of the four components of fitness for the events covered in the book. For example, in a 5km race VO2 max (a measure of the amount of oxygen that muscles absorb to produce energy) is by far the most important component of fitness whereas in a 10 km race, lactate threshold (the speed at which a person can run without accumulating lactate) is just as important as VO2 max. The second part of this book consists of a series of 5 chapters each of which details training techniques for a specific event group: i) 5 km ii) 8-10km iii) 15km - ˝ marathon iv) marathon and v) cross-country. These chapters build on the fundamental physiological principles that were explained in the first half of the book and provide training schedules for each of the event groups. The schedules are flexible and provide for wide ranges of weekly mileage. The chapter on marathon training, for example, provides schedules for runners who are running less than 40 miles a week as well as for runners who are running in excess of 60 miles a week. These chapters also provide sample work-outs which are geared towards training the components of running fitness most important for the various events as outlines in Part I.
Overall I found this book extremely useful and enjoyable. The section on physiology was detailed enough that I came away with a thorough understanding but not so technical that it was cumbersome to read. The work-outs and training schedules outlined in Part II compliment the information in Part I and serve to further solidify one’s understanding of the fundamentals of training techniques as well as provide hands-on examples of effective work-outs and training schedules. I recommend this book for the self-coached distance runner with little or no background in physiology.
This guest review was posted by Leslie Gold, winner of the women's division of the 2001 Harbourfront Marathon in Toronto and a C.I.A.U. Gold Medallist as part of the McGill University 4 x 800m team.
She currently lives and trains in Boston.