Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and Half-Marathon Training: Winning Strategies, Inpiring Stories, and the Ultimate Training Tools from the Experts at Runner's World Challenge [Paperback]

Having run now for over a year I'm starting to train for my first marathon. I've had a Runners World magazine subscription since I started running, and felt that this book would be perfect for helping me focus on training for a marathon. It is called the Big book of marathon and half-marathon training, after all.

But in truth, I found this book to be more about running in general. What I was hoping for were specific training methods, maybe comparisons between them. What worked well, what didn't. Instead it all felt somewhat generalized to me. It's a good book and it explains a lot of running terms. But specific training programs? Appendix D has beginner, intermediate, and expert training plans for the marathon and half marathon. The marathon plans do not include any cross training, which I find odd. The half marathon plans include cross training or running.

There's a lot of personal stories in this book as well, but I don't personally find those to be that useful. For an introduction to running, yes, it can be motivational. But how about telling me what you actually did to train for that marathon, rather than "I worked out in the mornings so that work wouldn't get in the way"?

I'm giving the book three stars. It's a good, thorough book on running, and if it had been labelled as a running handbook I'd give it a higher rating. But I bought this for a specific purpose and I don't feel it focuses enough to warrant a higher rating.

First off, I enjoyed the book. Good solid information about training in general. For example, the book clearly articulated hard/easy principles, defining what type of training may be classified as "hard" (speed, tempo, long run, etc.), vs. easy (easy 6 - 12 mile runs where you can hold a conversation while running). The book also delves into many details regarding shoes, running gear, etc. Intermixed are runner's stories (which are "boxed off" so you can easily skip over them if you wish to "cut through the chase") derived primarily from these author's encounters of runners who have enrolled in the "Runners World Challenge" in prior years. Many of these are inspiring and helpful, even for an advanced runner, insofar that they remind us that everyone who runs is a winner, and that there are other ways of defining success besides scoring a trophy or PR.

With that said, this book will probably disappoint competitive runners looking for advanced plans that strike a balance between the hard-core running literature for elite athletes and literature written for those with primarily recreational pursuits. In other words, it may be a little conservative for those who recognize that they will probably never score a placing trophy in their age category but nonetheless wish to push themselves to limit of their ability to find out just what they are made of. A particular disappointment in this regard were the training plans, which were few (as noted by a prior reviewer), and generally pretty conservative, save the long run mileage.

In the next edition I would like to see more training plans with more specific guidance on hill training, and making use of the treadmill when hills are lacking (an area in the literature that is lacking, incidentally). I would also like to see more examples...twenty something week plans. Eight week plans (there was one designed to perform consecutive races). Plans with more speed, tempo, and hills (with use of several specific versions of each). In other words, one or two additional levels multiplied by one or two additional longer term and shorter term training plans. Also, more structured guidance on custom designing your own plan and integrating strength training. Add these in, you have a great book on marathon training. To put it another way, the Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training needs to be bigger.

The book appears to be the "best of" many articles from the Runners World Magazine put together in book form, but it is a good resource for running, related fitness, injuries, injury prevention, nutrition etc.
Even has some great Training plans, which alone, make the purchase price worth it. Lots of good information in it.