Customer Reviews

The Marathon Method: The 16-Week Training Program that Prepares You to Finish a Full or Half Marathon in Your Best Time

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of the 10 reviews of this book, which readers give an average of 5 stars, I'm noticing that only *two* people have actually used this method to run a marathon! (My review makes three.) It's fine to skim through the book, look at the schedule and think, Wow! That looks do-able! Five stars! But to actually run 26.2 miles using this method? Here are my thoughts:

First, the positive. I did it! I ran my fifth marathon last week using this method, but it was my first in 14 years and my first since kids. There was no way I could do the traditional 6 day a week training, so I was willing to give this a try. I had never done any kind of core or strength training at all, and I'm now completely sold that it is a key piece of marathon training. In the old days my back would often be the sorest part of my body after a long run, but no more, and the arm strength exercises gave me a big boost on hills. Running only 4 days a week also kept running a lot of fun, and I was always excited to get out there and go - definitely not the case when following a 6 day a week schedule.

The negatives of this book: first, the training charts in the back for all but the advanced plan show 1 core weekout a week, on
Friday, but the text description of the training says there are 3 (Tues, Thurs and Fri). I had been following the chart only and didn't notice this until a few weeks before my race, so I probably didn't do enough core exercises, which gave me something to worry about during the taper.

Second, the periodization is very different in a 4 day a week program. Normally you increase the long run milage one week and decrease the next (like 12, 9, 14, 10, 16, 11), so the build up is gradual. In this program, you increase the long run 3-4 weeks in a row (like 12, 16, 18, 20, 10). I found this really tough to do when the milage got longer, and as a result my long runs were often incredibly slow. As was my marathon time. Because the mid week runs were so light (I followed the intermediate plan), and my long runs so slow, I just didn't have the base of running to step up my pace by 1-2 minutes per mile during the race, although this book claims it will happen. More specifically, my long runs were between 9:30 and 10:00 per mile. I ran the marathon with a 3:50 pace group, which is 8:47, and at mile 24 simply fell apart, which I have never done in a marathon before - I've always run negative splits.

On the other hand, I finished in 3:52 (although I don't really consider that an "intermediate" time), and the training schedule never really took over my life as it had in the past. I never felt overtrained, and there were only a few times where the really long Sunday runs cut into my family time.

So, I think if you are very busy and yet want to *finish* a marathon the intermediate schedule is a good program. If you want to run a faster time, I'm not sure it can be done on anything less than the advanced program. Personally I think if you follow the beginning program without making the mid week runs a little faster or challenging, you may finish but I would bet you will have a pretty miserable race.

I wish the author would give more specifics about how the plans connect to various time goals! He says the right plan will "reveal itself" to the reader, but I think that might not happen until after the race!

I'm a 42 year old father of 2. Mid-July I decided to run the Long Beach Marathon with my best friend, who had run 2 marathons previously. It would be my first; I had done a little bit of running, but didn't even own running shoes. I bought Tom Holland's book "The Marathon Method", then I bought shoes.

To make a long story short, using only this book as a training guide, 12 weeks after buying shoes and taking up running, I ran the Long Beach Marathon last Sunday in 3:59:12, beating my friend by 6 minutes. My time would have been even better if I'd not ignored one of Tom's marathon "commandments" about staying hydrated (I didn't like energy drink provided at the race). Bottom line is, Tom Holland's training marathon training methods, in my opinion, have you running just enough miles to properly prepare you for the race while still keeping running pleasurable!! I enjoyed and looked forward to all my training runs and definitely got benefits from the strength training in between runs. Additionally, the other race preparation advice (mental strategies, diet, supplements, equipment, etc.) were extremely helpful. I highly reccomend this book.

I bought this book with HUGE apprehension last year. I had just finished the 111th Boston Marathon in 3:04 and was looking for a new running plan. My previous running plan had me running in 10 day cycles with little to no weight/core training and VERY few off days. I had no problem putting the time in because I believed the more days you spent running the faster you will get. So when I bought this book and saw that I would be only running 4 days week I felt very nervous that I would not better my time. How could running less days make you a faster runner for a marathon? I was going to run another marathon that October (2007). I followed the plan as directed only missing a couple of days. In October 2007 I ran my fastest marathon to date: 2:54. 10 minutes faster than earlier in the year! Since then I have been sold on this plan.

My endurance has been increasing and this fall went looking for another marathon plan in order to break 2:45. I felt like I would need to run around 70-80 miles during my peak in order to reach my goal. After much research I decided to stick with this book adding mileage to the days without increasing the number of days running. I will be sticking to the 4 day running plan with core workouts in between.

I have been doing more research on the 4 day a week running. I noticed that even the running plans on runners world have started to move to running less days during the week. Also, there are many articles coming out on this subject.

About the book itself. I found it to be a good read. He gives advice for the newbie marathon runner and information that the veteran runner could brush up on. He gives three different training plans for the novice, intermediate, and advance runner. Also including the training for a half marathon. He gets very specific on the training days, telling you how long of a rest in between tempo runs, which I enjoy. I enjoy the specificity of the training plans and the information he gives you in the chapter to tweak the plan to your goals.

I consistently refer to this book also have referred this book to friends. This book has worked for me and I will continue to use it during my marathon training. It is great for the newbie and advance runners alike. I challenge advance runners who are running 6-7 days a week to just try this for a 16 week period and see how your next marathon goes.

I recently ran my first marathon, using the Intermediate program from this book and had results that I was really pleased with.

I religiously followed the training program and managed to stay injury and illness-free during my 16 week training period. I never missed a run session, and always ran the prescribed distances. I've got to say, the training leading up to my first marathon was not as gruelling as I expected it to be.

My results (to give you an idea of my abilities in relation to the book review):
I had no 'official' goal time in mind, but thought I'd run around 3:53-4hrs based on my training speeds. I took the first half of the race very conservatively, and (likely as a result), never 'hit the wall'. I performed a negative split, and felt very strong during the last 10km. I finished in 4:05, not quite the time I had hoped, but I finished strong, with a smile on my face and it was a result I am happy with. The experience was great and I am looking forward to smashing that time in my next marathon!

Having The Marathon Method and Tom's training program to work from gave me the confidence on race day that I would be able to achieve my goals. The chapters were easy to read and gave specific product references. I referred back to the book several times after I initially read it.

Another thing that really impressed me was the support Tom gave me when I contacted him through his website. I had a couple of questions regarding which of his programs to use, and he got back to me very promptly with useful answers.

This is a MUST HAVE training book. I am 46 and just ran my first marathon (Dec 09) and qualified for the Boston Marathon!! I purchased the book back in Jan 09 to prepare for my first half marathon in May 09 and ran it in just under two hours. I hadn't been able to run for almost 20 years due to a knee injury. Following this plan and doing the strenth building exercises made all the difference. For me, if I want to run - the muscles that keep my knee tracking well have to be strong.

His stories are great (I loved the Hawaii and Las Vegas experiences!!). This is a complete book with EVERYTHING you need to know on how to run a marathon or half INJURY free. I must have read various parts a hundred times to really drill in the mental techniques and to soak up words of encouragement.

I highly recommend this book!!
Bridgette H.
Auburn, CA

I originally got turned onto Tom Holland at his Nantucket Beach Boot Camp. I really liked his style. During the hour long session he gives great advice in an easy going manner. His workouts are tough, but they are full of variety and full of fun.
I sat down with this book, expecting it to be like a text book- tons of information to be learned and studied. I had my highlighter in hand and paper on the desk to take notes. MARATHON METHOD is so much more than that! Tom shares his knowlege of exercise combined with nutrition in a very clever manner. His expertise of the sport paired with a great sense of humor made this a pleasure to read. I stayed up late to finish it because it was that good!
I have a good base to start training for the Paris Marathon!

I used the advanced marathon training program in this book to cut my marathon time in 4 months from 3:45:17 in Prague to 3:13:55 in Berlin. I ignored his strength/core workout and did the performance training program from [...] instead on strength and core days. This book was excellent for me. The only disappoinment for me was the lack of detailed information on the mysterious taper period before the race day. Two thumbs up though.

I started running consistantly about 1 1/2 yrs ago (37yrs old). I set a goal of running a 15k race which I did in about 1:20. I wanted to improve my time as well as attempt some longer runs so I read a few other books / magazines before buying this one. Most of the others I read seemed to be more geared to the "elite" runners which I am definetly not. I appreciate Tom's knowledge and his ability to help the novice as well as the experienced runner. I also like Tom's approach to overall fitness, recovery and avoiding injuries. I have had the book for a couple of months and I have improved my time slightly but the greatest benefit for me has been helping me run further (I ran my first 14miler averaging 9min miles - which I am happy with) This is a great book for someone wanting to go to the next level.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to train for a half or full marathon in an efficient and achievable manner.

I used this book to train for both a full marathon and half marathon at age 31. Prior to starting the training plan, I preferred weight training and seldom ran more than a mile. I can say with complete confidence that I have no natural talent for running, but I was looking for a challenge and a marathon seemed to be a worthy goal. This book attracted me because it mixed 4 days of running with two or three days of weight or core training. As a very busy father, I could not have found time to run 6 days a week and do any cross training.

The training for both my half and full marathon went very smoothly. The increases in mileage are structured in such a way that they are challenging, but not overwhelming. I won't say that I set any land-speed records, but almost every week I felt great about having run further than I ever did before. I could feel myself gaining strength and confidence. Mr. Holland mixes enough weight training exercises into the program to avoid injury and avoid feeling overtrained. Further, the advice that the book gives with respect to preparing for the races was comprehensive, which reduced my anxiety on race day.

As I said before, my training runs went very smoothly and I arrived at my half marathon ready to go. Unfortunately, my half was run on a day in early summer that was humid and about 15 degrees warmer than most of my training days. While I knew that this would mean a slower time (it's in the book), I didn't know how much slower and I went out too fast, despite warnings in the book not to do so. At mile 6 of the race, I thought about quitting (the race also featured a 10K, so I could have just stopped at the finish line with the 10K runners). At mile 8 of the race, I saw my first of many runners that needed medical attention. At this point, if I hadn't had the confidence from running all of the training runs in the book and following Mr. Holland's fueling and hydration advice, I would have stopped. Although the race was black-flagged due to heat at mile 12, I was still able to finish.

After my half marathon, I emailed Mr. Holland to let him know that even though I was discouraged by my time in the race, I wanted to thank him for giving me the confidence to finish. To my surprise, Mr. Holland promptly responded to my email with words of encouragement and a story about a recent race he had struggled in because of heat. This advice went a long way towards motivating me to complete my training for the full marathon, which I finished 4 months after my half.

Although I don't believe that any book could prepare you for all the highs and lows you experience during a full marathon, this book got me to the starting line mentally and physically prepared to do my best.

At the not so ripe old age of 38, I hadn't run more than 2 miles in over 2 decades. And as a proud parent of two young children, I wanted to find a way to stay healthy and strong in order to enjoy fatherhood and grand-fatherhood for as many years as possible. So, rather than spending $100 each month on a gym membership that would surely lose its luster in short order, I made the one time outlay of $100 on a new pair of running shoes and committed a few hours to reading "The Marathon Method" by Tom Holland.

The approach is amazingly simple and the schedule is foolproof. Tom's number one priority is building you a healthy base without injury so that mileage can be safely added and your overall health can be greatly improved. My first trot around the block was slow an achy, but I followed the book's advice to concentrate on completing the distance and not worrying about speed. In no time at all, my body adjusted and grew stronger where it needed so that my joints didn't ache and I was ready to add more miles each week.

Just weeks later, I was slowly running 10 miles on my Long Slow Days without any struggle. With progress like this, why not try to run the 2010 NYC Marathon? And so I signed up in March for the November race. "The Marathon Method" worked so well that I was quickly progressing to 18 and 20 mile Long Slow Day runs. Once the distance was built in, speed came naturally, and I finished the 2010 NYC Marathon in 3:30:07!

Thanks Tom.