Which training book should I buy?

I was never a really good runner: 36:25 10K, 1:19:50 half marathon, 4:51 mile.

But I trained hard, and I think I got the most out of my limited ability.

The book I discovered later was "The Competitive Runner's Handbook" by Bob Glover and Shell-lynn Florence Glover. They cover 5K to the marathon.

You think? Then read this little anecdote: One of my coached runners in Kenya

was asked by his running mates: " We have seen that you have developed dramatically in training. Who is the person that gives you training program? " He answered them : " It`s a magic wizard! But I don`t know where he comes from.... " :)

COACH J.S

Incontrovertible evidence of your genius!!!!!

old guy 71 wrote:

I was never a really good runner: 36:25 10K, 1:19:50 half marathon, 4:51 mile.

But I trained hard, and I think I got the most out of my limited ability.

The book I discovered later was "The Competitive Runner's Handbook" by Bob Glover and Shell-lynn Florence Glover. They cover 5K to the marathon.

Wow, we have almost the exact PRs. I remember that book and took classes with Glover in the early 1980s.

I liked Benson and Ray'sRay' s book, I thought it was less dogmatic than some others and more thought provoking.

If I should say just one book to read, and then mostly for understanding the importance of EXACT individual paces, it must be one of Daniel`s books. :)

Smoove wrote:

Of the worst sort.

+1

COACH J.S å ä ö wrote:

If I should say just one book to read, and then mostly for understanding the importance of EXACT individual paces, it must be one of Daniel`s books. :)

But which one?? He's written so many different books! Please help, Gandalf.

David S. Pumpkins wrote:

COACH J.S å ä ö wrote:

If I should say just one book to read, and then mostly for understanding the importance of EXACT individual paces, it must be one of Daniel`s books. :)

But which one?? He's written so many different books! Please help, Gandalf.

Hehe! Just to put in a little metaforce.....The first time is the best. So I pick the first.

Gandalf :)

Interesting! Why do you need 9-days weeks to include VO2max and LT workouts? I only need a normal 7 day week for that purpose ( 6 days in fact without the recovery day) ?

COACH J.S

jewbacca wrote:

There isn't one book that will cover that range. But for 5k-half:

Daniels' Training Formula v2

For the marathon you can't miss with Advanced Marathoning.

I've read just about every book mentioned thus far, but as far as 5k-marathon and just general philosophy, my personal favorite is probably:

"Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon: How to be Your Own Best Coach" by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald

Instead of saying "do this for 18 weeks and run the time you want" this provides the runner with a valuable toolkit for tailoring their own training to their needs.

Instead of saying "do this for 18 weeks and run the time you want" this provides the runner with a valuable toolkit for tailoring their own training to their needs.[/quote]

But then you point at the main problem: Do they know what they need?

COACH J.S å ä ö wrote:

Why do you need 9-days weeks to include VO2max and LT workouts? I only need a normal 7 day week for that purpose ?

Because I am 58 years old and as weak as a kitten. And also, I was including two hard-effort long runs of 14 to 20 miles in my 9-day "weeks."

I am happy for you, in your ability to recover more quickly from your workouts -- or do you refer to your athletes and/or training plans requiring only 6 days to include both vO2max and LT specific workouts?

Lenny Leonard wrote:

Instead of saying "do this for 18 weeks and run the time you want" this provides the runner with a valuable toolkit for tailoring their own training to their needs.

I haven't read that one, but this is exactly how I'd describe Daniels. I don't bother with his proposed schedules -- the info as presented in the book is plenty for me to create my own.

I am with Jewbacca on this. The plans at the end of Daniels' book are useful as a road map or to give workout ideas, but if you read the text of his book, you should finish the book and be able to draft your own training plan from scratch pretty effectively.

And while I finally agree Jan Stennson on something - that Daniels helps you understand the pace you should run - I think his characterization might be misinterpreted by some to mean that you should run at exactly the pace suggested by your vdot score for every interval session. Daniels wants your effort to be the same every session, but recognizes that paces may vary as a result of weather, fatigue, illness, etc.

jewbacca wrote:

Lenny Leonard wrote:

Instead of saying "do this for 18 weeks and run the time you want" this provides the runner with a valuable toolkit for tailoring their own training to their needs.

I haven't read that one, but this is exactly how I'd describe Daniels. I don't bother with his proposed schedules -- the info as presented in the book is plenty for me to create my own.

With all do respect, I disagree with your interpretation of Daniels. I find his block periods too dogmatic. His paces might be great to follow but the idea that you need to work on one particular area is paramount in his "scientific" method of training. I always felt that with Daniels there is less room for tinkering and differentiation. To me not all kids with similar times have the same needs but Daniels would have the train the same. Glad to read that your experience has been better.

Allen1959 wrote:

COACH J.S å ä ö wrote:

Why do you need 9-days weeks to include VO2max and LT workouts? I only need a normal 7 day week for that purpose ?

Because I am 58 years old and as weak as a kitten. And also, I was including two hard-effort long runs of 14 to 20 miles in my 9-day "weeks."

I am happy for you, in your ability to recover more quickly from your workouts -- or do you refer to your athletes and/or training plans requiring only 6 days to include both vO2max and LT specific workouts?

Yes....actually refer to my training system. Now I understand you.....Im the same age and I know what you mean.....we don`t recover as fast as the "youngsters ". Cheers! :)

And while I finally agree Jan Stennson on something - that Daniels helps you understand the pace you should run - I think his characterization might be misinterpreted by some to mean that you should run at exactly the pace suggested by your vdot score for every interval session. Daniels wants your effort to be the same every session, but recognizes that paces may vary as a result of weather, fatigue, illness, etc.[/quote

You are right there that one have to vary the pace one or a couple of seconds/ 400m when the weather is bad, or as in Kenya the roads or the cinder track is muddy. But there is a little specialty in my system that automatic take care of fatigue,illness etc a given day....and that is the individual recovery down to 120 bpm when running intervals. Even if the runner don`t have a perfect day the recovery takes care of that. By the way.....my real surname is Stensson. :)

COACH J.S

Coach wrote:

jewbacca wrote:

I haven't read that one, but this is exactly how I'd describe Daniels. I don't bother with his proposed schedules -- the info as presented in the book is plenty for me to create my own.

With all do respect, I disagree with your interpretation of Daniels. I find his block periods too dogmatic. His paces might be great to follow but the idea that you need to work on one particular area is paramount in his "scientific" method of training. I always felt that with Daniels there is less room for tinkering and differentiation. To me not all kids with similar times have the same needs but Daniels would have the train the same. Glad to read that your experience has been better.

Yes, our interpretations of Daniels might be very different. In a single block period, you do work on all of the systems. There may be a heavier emphasis on one or two types of work, but if you aren't including a good amount of T and R work during your VO2max period, you aren't doing Daniels correctly.

The one and only Lydiard 1978.