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135 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Recommeded Reading for Serious Marathoners, January 27, 2002
Advanced Marathoning (AM) by Olympian Pete Pfitzinger and former Running Times editor Scott Douglas is packed with high-value training advice that should benefit every serious runner. AM is not without its problems, but none are serious enough to detract from a work that is well written and philosophically sound.
From the beginning Pfitzinger and Douglas make clear the basis of their views: "Advanced marathoning has to be based on more than common sense and running folklore. Advanced Marathoning, therefore, is based on exercise science." This declaration puts Pfitzinger and Douglas in the camp of exercise physiology, and, quite obviously, separates them from mainstream running authors. It's also a mild reproof of the mainstream and their penchant for ignoring the rapidly expanding world of exercise science.
Squarely on the side of science, AM begins by listing lactate threshold (LT), maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), running economy, glycogen storage, recovery time, and muscle fiber composition as the key physiological variables that govern performance. The authors' claim, quite correctly, that "lactate threshold (LT) is the most important physiological variable for endurance athletes." They go on to say that "Contrary to many runner' beliefs, high levels of lactate (lactic acid) in your muscles aren't what make you sore for several days after a hard effort." Indeed, lactate, once considered metabolic waste, is "...produced by your muscles and is used by your muscles, heart, liver, and kidneys." Since the marathon is run at a speed slightly below LT, marathoners have a vested interest in raising LT. AM tells us how: "The most effective way to improve lactate threshold is to run at your current lactate threshold pace or a few seconds per mile faster, either as one continuous run (tempo run) or as a long interval session at your lactate threshold pace...." It's here that I have to quibble. Tempo runs are good LT workouts, however, recent research (Rusko, Billat, Anderson, and others) indicates that intervals at 3-K to 10-K speed with fairly long recoveries are better. Tempo runs definitely have their place, but not to the exclusion of faster LT sessions.
As for the other key variables, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), not as important as LT and only a rough predictor of performance, is also worth some attention. Pfitzinger and Douglas are right on the money again when they report "The most effective running intensity to improve VO2max is 95% to 100% of VO2max." This speed is normally close to 5-K pace. They wisely recommend work intervals of two to six minutes with rest intervals of equal length or slightly less. This is the standard, scientifically sound VO2max workout. However, it's interesting that velocity at VO2max (vVO2max) is not mentioned as another critical training intensity. Daniels, widely quoted in AM, has much to say about vVO2max, yet AM is silent on the subject. If recent work by Billat is correct, vVO2max could be a training intensity equal in importance to LT. This omission could be due to the long lead-time (sometimes 18 months) in getting a book published. AM may have gone to press before Billat's research was available.
In addition to physiological variables, Pfitzinger and Douglas have plenty to say about shoes, tapering, fluid replacement, nutrition, pre-race activities, post-race recovery, heart rate, periodization and a bevy other topics. They also present three very reasonable training schedules based on low, medium, and high mileage. Their only serious error regards altitude training. AM tells us that "Other than by training at altitude...the hemoglobin concentration of your blood won't increase with training." It should be well understood by now that living at altitude, not training at altitude, confers the benefit--hence the live high/train low protocol. Scores of endurance athletes are training at or near sea level by day and sleeping in hypoxic tents at night. Rusko (1998) has even constructed an altitude house. (See Gamow, Snell, Stine, Poronnet, Rusko, and Levine.)
All things considered, AM is well written, fairly well researched, and aside from an obvious typo in the first sentence of the third paragraph on page 18, also well edited. AM's puny bibliography was slightly disappointing. One would expect several pages of references in a work of this size. Nevertheless, AM is a worthy treatise, unfettered by the "folklore" so popular with the commercial running establishment. I give it a solid four stars and recommend it to every serious marathoner.
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56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Advanced Marathoning is a winner, April 24, 2001
The dynamic duo of Pete Pfitzinger, renowned exercise physiologist and two- time Olympian, and Scott Douglas, former editor of the Running Times, have teamed up to write the latest and greatest text about marathoning. Quite simply, this book is a must read; the authors have produced a theoretically sound, easy-to-read, and entertaining manual for anyone seeking to run (i.e. as opposed to "finish" or "run-walk") a sub-four hour marathon. Advanced Marathoning has a number of outstanding features: Numerous easy-to-read, day-by-day, training plans. From peak mileage at 55 miles per week over 12 weeks to 93 miles per week over 24 weeks, nine different marathon schedules are laid out and explained with daily detail. A Multiple Marathons training plan. For runners who wish to tackle more than the standard yearly spring and fall marathon plan, the book details methods for racing marathons as close as four weeks apart. A sidebar in each chapter which profiles a world class marathoner. These tales from the trenches illustrate how some of the principles of marathon training are applied in real life. Practical advice about how to balance high commitment marathon training with the rest of a "normal" life. Since not all of us can make a living winning prize money in road races, the authors present practical tips for incorporating high mileage training into the rest of your busy life. An entertaining writing style. The best line of the book comes on page 205 where the authors warn about trying to run back-to-back marathons in less than 4 weeks: Your main concern should be about recovery, recovery, and more recovery not only from your first marathon but also from the lobotomy that led you to come up with this plan. Despite its many strengths, the book has two minor drawbacks: Hill training is glossed over. Hills are an essential part of almost any marathon training program. The authors acknowledge this, but they aren't specific about where, when, and how hills can be incorporated into a training plan. The core strength training and flexibility training sections are brief. Specific diagrams illustrating some of the exercises written about would have been very helpful. These drawbacks, however, pale in comparison to all of the "good stuff." To repeat, this book is a must read.
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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceeded My Expectations In Every Way, January 1, 2003
I have done three marathons over the last 15 years. I'm not what I would call a "marathoner", but I've always enjoyed the challenge and reward of the distance. Unfortunately, I've never enjoyed much success at the distance. I've never felt like I was properly prepared and my marathons showed it. My finishes have always been weak and my times, in the 3:40 to 4:10 range, have been disappointing. With a 4th attempt at a marathon coming up this June, I purchased this book in the hopes that I could finally turn in a good marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon. This book has exceeded my expectations in every way. Every chapter is full of information and examples of things I've either failed to do in the past, done that I shouldn't have, or done at the wrong level of intensity. Exercise physiology, rather than running lore or other worthless information, packs each chapter. The authors do a wonderful job of explaining what happens to your body when you do things right and when you do things wrong. You come away not only understanding what you should do, but why you should do it. You learn why various types of running help and why those same types can take away from your goals if done improperly or at the wrong time/level. You also get an entire book that focuses on running 26.2 miles, meaning that you don't have to skim through chapters on the 5K, 10K, or other distances to pick out the information that is meaningful to you. Along these same lines, the authors talk about why certain types of training that are very useful for runners in other distances really shouldn't be a focus in your marathon preparation (and, of course, why they shouldn't). The book covers various types of running workouts, nutrition, hydration, recovery, race tactics, running economy, and training schedules. For the various workouts, it does a wonderful job of explaining each type of workout, what it does to aid you in achieving your goal marathon, and why. I actually considered waiting until after my marathon in June, just so I could expound the virtues of this book with concrete evidence that what it has to say works, but I just couldn't wait. If you're at all interested in going from an average marathoner to an advanced marathoner, this is the book you need. I've read the entire thing in about a week (which is saying something for me) and plan to begin reading it again today, just to make myself a "cheat sheet" this time of the many things in the book that loudly spoke to me. Of the 5 books I've owned on preparing for the marathon, this is the best one by far!
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