Four Months to a Four-hour Marathon [Paperback]

Dave Kuehls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

The marathon is the crown jewel of distance running. Entering is one thing. Finishing is something else. And finishing with a respectable time...? For competitive veterans or recreational beginners, 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon tells exactly what to eat, what to wear, what to expect, and how to train. When race day arrives, author Dave Kuehls, senior writer at Runner's World and a marathoner himself, will have any competitor in the best shape physically and mentally. 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon includes: * Day-by-day training schedule for 4-5 hour marathon * Detailed diet plans * The marathoner's mind-set * Right and wrong things to wear * How to pick the right shoes * Pain vs. performance--how far to go * Common pitfalls to avoid--in training and during the race

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A solid training program for beginners in a breezy, reader-friendly format. His [the author's] philosophy: If talk show queen Oprah Winfrey can run a marathon, anybody can." -- Cincinnati Inquirer

"Makes running a marathon sound like a wonderful idea." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

New York Newsday: "Bright and witty, it's based on a solid, sensible program, and chock-full of interesting tidbits -- including details on how to prepare for (and survive) your long runs, a dress code based on temperature and humidity, plus a list of the 36 fastest marathon courses in North America." -- New York Newsday

About the Author

Dave Kuehls is a contributing editor for Runner’s World, the world’s largest running magazine. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, GQ, and ESPN magazine. His fastest marathon is 2:57.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st edition (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399524150
• ISBN-13: 978-0399524158
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Marathons

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

210 of 215 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lace up those shoes!, February 21, 2004

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Months to a Four-hour Marathon (Paperback)

I've run many sub-four hour marathons and only discovered this book after the fact. I wish I'd had it while training for all those races, it might have helped. There's nothing fancy in here, and nothing you wouldn't find in various back issues of Runners World magazine. The standard, unvarying formular for running a marathon in under four hours is simple: run 20 miles a week for several months, then gradually increase your mileage to 40-50 miles a week. Start throwing in longer and longer runs one day of the week until you can run 20 miles at a stretch. Do this for 1 month, then taper off and run your marathon. I'm a firm believer in running 20 miles at least 3 times before marathon day.

I know... many have done marathons on less training, but I've run enough of them to know that many people suffer (and I mean *really suffer.*) The whole point of running a marathon is not to just survive it, but to hae fun doing it and finish tired, but not completely done in. If you train adequately, you can, and will, finish a marathon and it probably won't be your last. Few things in life offer such satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

One final word: the chapter on treadmill running was inadequate. Don't be put off by treadmill running, it replicates road running well enough if you put the treadmill at an incline of 3-4 percent. Good luck and happy running!

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Can Work for Anyone, January 17, 2000

By 

Richard J. Willard (Broomfield, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Months to a Four-hour Marathon (Paperback)

I used this book as my "how to guide" for achieving my goal of a reasonable 4-hour marathon the first time out. It worked. I had no idea how to train for a marathon until I read through this simple book. I ran San Diego/Carlsbad 2000 in 3:54. By the way, it also includes training schedules for goal times of 4:15, 4:30, and 4:45, so even slightly slower goal times can be trained for accordingly. This book was a key reason that the whole experience was such a success. I'd recommend it to anyone.

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Just Short of 4 Hours, October 18, 2003

By 

M. Hopkins (Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four Months to a Four-hour Marathon (Paperback)

After running three marathons all in the 4:18-4:32 hour range, I wanted to try a marathon program that would get me to my 4 hour marathon goal. In the last three marathons, I followed Hal Higdon's 18 week Novice Marathon training program. This time I wanted to try a different program that included speed training.

4 months to a 4 hour marathon includes some speed training during the week, and longer weekend runs than the typical novice marathon training program. These long runs start out at 7 miles and gradually work there way to 23 miles within a 17 week training period. So, its very important for the runner to have a starting running base of about 16-20 miles a week with the ability of doing a 7 mile long run the first week of training.

This program recommends that you run faster during your shorter week day runs, and slow down on the weekend long runs to about 90 seconds slower than what your marathon pace will be. So, if your marathon pace will be just over 9 minutes per mile, your training long runs will be about 10 1/2 minutes per mile. You ask the question I asked. How am I going to run just over 9 minute miles in the marathon when I am training at 10 1/2 minute miles in my training long runs? In theory, the author believes that the week day speed runs, your adrenaline on marathon day, and the fact that your legs and body should be strong and injury free will allow you to run just over 9 minute miles thus achieving your 4 hour marathon goal. Sounds good on paper, but I did not acheive this goal. I ran a personal record of 4:11, but there was no way I was going to run a 4 hour marathon with this program. Granted, I felt healthy and strong, but my legs just did not have it in them to do anywhere near 9 minute miles for 26.2 miles. I believed that I needed to put in more miles during the week to achieve this goal.

So, if you are looking for a marathon training program that will help you to break 4:15, this is a pretty good program to follow. Anyone looking to run a 4 hour marathon or better, try Galloway's of Higdon's intermediate marathon training programs instead. Happy Running!