Run less Run faster

study less become more educated

ameica's way:

make less spend more

I've run 15 and have never heard or FIRST.

What is that, some new thing that leads people to believe they can do little work and "finish" a marathon?

I've run 15 and have never heard or FIRST.

What is that, some new thing that leads people to believe they can do little work and "finish" a marathon?

After 12 years of running starting at age 36, I can state without hesitation that people who run more (obviously to a point) run faster, especially at the marathon.

You have to do three things:

1) Avoid injury while you make your 50 year old body do more than it has in years, perhaps ever.

2) Build endurance so you can run more than three hours or perhaps more than four hours. If it looks like it will take you longer than that, postpone the marathon till next fall and take a full year to get ready for it. There's more dignity in being better trained than there is in slogging along like you didn't get the message that you should have trained more, until the day of the marathon.

3) Run shorter races: 5K, 10K, half marathon, along the way, so you learn how to pace yourself and have intermediate goals that help you assess your progress.

Good luck!

1/10

Today I would say that I can run 15 km 4 days a week and a long run of 20 km on Sunday. I'd also say that I think that I'm better at endurance (my heart rate does not move much on a long run) than speed.

The reason I was interested by the first program is that I like biking, swimming, rowing.

Tullio wrote:

Today I would say that I can run 15 km 4 days a week and a long run of 20 km on Sunday. I'd also say that I think that I'm better at endurance (my heart rate does not move much on a long run) than speed.

The reason I was interested by the first program is that I like biking, swimming, rowing.

That's a good start. Consider having a weekly long run where your effort is intense enough to elevate your heart rate more noticeably. It's an important part of the training effect of stimulus and response.

Cross training helps with developing aerobic function in the untrained individual, but it doesn't help as much with running improvement in the training runner as running does. If you are running 80 km per week, roughly 50 miles, plus doing other sports, that should be enough running to have your legs acclimated, except for one thing. I would gradually increase the long run from 20 km to 30 km. 42.195 km is a muscular challenge for relatively untrained legs. You'll get good training for leg endurance going gradually from 20 to 30 Km on your Sunday run.

Also, if you've got a 50 year old's fat roll, as many of us do, running a marathon without ten extra pounds of fat is much easier. It also helps lessen the pounding on the legs.

Good luck.

I do not have the old's fat roll.

What is your goal?

M'y goal was 3:30 but I start to realize that it may not be realistic.

Taking the easy way out is the American way- look where it got us.

Try reindeer milk.

I did it about 5 or six years ago. I got injured, still ran the marathon and crashed hard at 16. I finished, but it sucked. I'm not doing that again.

Can you redirect me on a serious critic review of this book?

No, the message isn't "Run less, run faster". The message should be "run as much as you can without getting injured", and if that isn't very much, for example, because you're just starting, do some swimming and cycling as well in order to improve your cardiovascular fitness. In your situation, that might make sense.

I used the program a few years ago when I was in my mid 40's. It will get you through the marathon if you are able to follow it. It seemed to me as though it "selects" for runners who are already nearly fit enough to run at goal marathon pace. I don't have the book in front of me but you'll notice that each training plan presumes that the trainee already is in pretty decent shape, as demonstrated by recent 10K or half marathon time.

I'm now training for my 10th marathon and I've abandoned it for a more traditional program.

Tullio wrote:

What do you think of the FIRST training program?

At 50 with my first marathon in 6 months it seems a nice way to start ?

It's been my experience that running more definitely improves times. Of course (not including injury) there's a point at which you run into the Law of Diminishing Returns, but assuming you stay healthy, running more is better, ESPECIALLY for the marathon.

Now, if you want to train just enough so that you can comfortably finish your first marathon, then go ahead and do that; for your next one though, run more and go for a faster time.

There is something to be said for consistency and remaining uninjured.

About two years ago I had a full year of health and good training. I was running about 55 mpw in the fall and 50 mpw over the winter and spring (I'm a 800/1500 guy). By the time late spring rolled around I got some great results after this period of consistent training and had major pr's at all distances. Then I decided I was just on the cusp of being "good" so I should jump up my mileage in order to make the next leap. That was a terrible plan and I've been injured on and off for two years trying vainly to reach 70-75 mpw.

Had I just kept plugging away at the same volume, or tried for a more modest increase, maybe I would now be looking at 3 years of uninterrupted training. I had such good improvements with 1 year of health, I can't imagine what would happen with 3!

I'm now back down at the mileage I was at 2 years ago, just trying to remain healthy and get back to the running level I was at. I do not plan to increase anything any time soon.

I my case (1) I was stupid, (2) sometimes less can be more.