Customer Reviews

Marathon Training For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))

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

 

 

I've run one marathon and am training for my 2nd so I'm not a veteran by any means.

After reading this book I began to wonder if the author had actually run a marathon but couldn't find any references to her completing a marathon. I figured she *must* be a marathoner to write about it even though her credentials listed her as a top road racer which usually means shorter distances. Someone else says she ran a 3:06 time.

My primary concerns with this book:

1. Suggesting that you run 1-3 miles of warmup prior to a marathon, especially a first-timer, is not a good idea. You are going to need those 1-3 miles of leg strength at the end of your first marathon. All the other veteran marathon experts recommend very little if any warmup prior to a first marathon. Use the early miles as the warm up! I guess a few jumping jacks to get the blood flowing is not a bad idea but be careful. Of course, if you're trying to win in your first attempt, sure, you need to be ready to go at the gun but most people reading a "dummies" book aren't in this category.

2. Not eating breakfast for a morning marathon is bad advice. You already have gone 6-12 hours or more from the previous day without food and you're asking your body to go run 26.2 miles with only sports drinks and gels for fuel?? Most first-timers are running 3:00 - 6:00 hour times and this is a long time to be on your feet on an empty fuel tank. The author seems to base her premise on the shorter distance races which don't require as much fuel. I eat a full breakfast (cereal, toast, eggs, yogurt, vegetable juice) prior to all my 15+ mile runs - just avoid the grease and anything that normally causes digestion problems. I generally eat 1-2 hours prior to the long run so, yes, that does mean getting up a little bit early for an 8:00 a.m. marathon start time. You're awake with anxiety anyway, so why not get a little fuel in your body??

3. Not drinking prior to the marathon is even worse advice. The author's concerns about having to go to the bathroom are noted but dehydration is much more serious than a few stops at the porta-johns. Not only should you drink water prior to the marathon but you should drink at least 16-32 ounces. Yes, do give yourself plenty of time to use the facilities but be sure to hydrate!!! Her advice to drink at all the water stops is correct no matter how you feel or the temperature. Your body is going to heat up a lot and if the humidity is over 50%, it will be even more difficult to stay cool.

The author knows alot about running and gives good advice about shoes, clothing, stretching, injuries and general diet. There is an obvious omission of advice of the actual race which leads me to believe the author had not yet completed a marathon. A first-timer will be very nervous about the 26.2 mile distance and needs to be re-assured that if they trained properly (building a base, completing several long runs and tapering), they should be ready to get to the finish line.

Hal Higdon has a terrific web site (halhigdon.com) for all levels of runners.

This is a fun and humorous guide, but only if you are absolutely new to running. If you've been hitting the pavement for more than a few months and are running 20 miles a week or more, this is not the book for you. Everything in here is extremely basic, common sense and would only be instructive to people who have never owned a pair of New Balances. However, if you want to run a marathon and are a world class coach potato, this is your book! It will take you step-by-step through the intricate maze of buying shoes, stretching, when to run, how much and how often to run, how to lose weight and keep it off, and how to get into the type of shape necessary to run 26.2 miles.

I recommend this book for all running newbies who think they have the stuff to run a marathon. Anyone can do it as long as you have prepared properly, have the right mental attitude and really want it. I've run many marathons and even the bad ones become wonderful memories after the fact. So lace up those Nikes and let's go!

Here's what you should know before you even consider buying this book: the author had NEVER RUN A MARATHON before writing the book. Not only is the book full of misinformation, but following some of her advice could lead to injury. If you're looking for a book to help you through that first (or fifth) marathon, consider a book by John Bingham, Jeff Galloway, or Hal Higdon. There are many other excellent marathon guides out there. This one should never have made it past an editor's desk.

This is a really good basic fundamentals book for training to run a marathon. It promises to help you train. I think the section on isolated stretches is worth it alone.

This is not your one stop shop for running advice, but it is a good place to start your training from. As a newbie to running, I thought this was extremely helpful. The book is divided into 5 parts,

I. Getting Started with Your Marathon Training, (risks and rewards of running, choosing your running gear, figuring out where you and when to run, taking your first run, stretching, warming up, and cooling down)

II. Taking Your Running a Stride Farther (developing a mileage base, addig strength and speed, improving your running technique, eating and running)

III. Dealing with Running Injuries (pinpointing the cause of injuries, treating your injuries, cross-training while you're injured)

IV. Planning Racing Strategies (easing into marathon racing, marathon countdown: T minus 24 hours, After Your Marathon is Over, Reducing Your finishing time next time)

V. The Part of Tens (ten ways to keep running fun, ten biggest marathons, best tune-up races in North America)

Primarily I have focused on the earlier chapters. My actual goal is not to run a marathon at this point, I want to increase my endurance, I want to be comfortable as a long distance runner who runs for health. In that respect this book was very helpful for me. Your goals may not be the same as mine. Runners World has a Running Book for Women and I also found that book to be extremely helpful for the specific needs of women to men.

I bought this book as I was looking for some motivation and training tips to run another marathon. Unfortunately, this book has failed in both respects. While some of the tips might be useful for people who have never taken part in any type of physical activity before, I would guess that these people would only benefit from small sections of this book.

The author clearly has a great deal of knowledge and experience, but unfortunately this is not passed onto the reader as effectively as it could have been.

I thought this book covered the basics pretty well. I have never run a marathon before and found the information about shoes, clothes, and diet helpful. The workout portion is more for people trying to improve their marathon running time not really first timers. The workouts are too much for people just starting out. First timers would do better with the "non runners guide to marathon training" for the workout program but I have gotten a lot of useful information out of this one as well. A definate good buy.

I got this book for my boyfriend who is training to run a marathon in several months. He loves it! It has a ton of helpful information on every topic related to marathons that you can imagine, and he shares new things he's learned with me daily. Great book!

I really appreciated this book because it takes you fro beginning to end, from before you ever start running to running a marathon and after. It gives great tips for training and stretching and has some tidbits that are useful for those who run all the time but have never donw a marathon. I really appreciated the tips on race day and what to expect. This is really helpful and I plan to use it for my first 1/2 marathon. Great Book, Easy to read!

Marathon for Dummies is an excellent way to acquire a holistic understanding about what to expect/prepare for when running your first marathon. I highly recommend it for beginner marathoners.

What is Reader from Eastern US talking about? Tere Stouffer Drenth is a 3:06 marathoner, a time she won't brag about but she's a 37-year-old woman, so it puts her in a really elite category. This book has been reviewed by numerous running experts and it does not contain ANY misinformation that could lead to an injury. The fact is Tere did exhaustive research for this book (and tried everything on herself first), so it covers the latest trends in marathon training not outdated information from 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune says this about the book; "As with all the For Dummies books, Marathon Training is easy to use and well-organized, covering the basics for those ready to take the 26.2-mile plunge. Everything from proper eating and drinking to stretching, weight lifting and buying the right shoes is covered, along with how to actually train for one of the toughest athletic challenges there is." Publishers Weekly also did a great review.

Other books (by John Bingham, Jeff Galloway, and Hal Higdon as mentioned by Reader from Eastern US) are good for some people, but those authors sometimes tend to forget what it is like to be new at marathoning. Although Tere has 25 years of running and competing experience at 10K and shorter races, she saved marathoning for the end of her running career, so she can emphathize with her readers about what trying a marathon for the first time is like. She also can make the driest material seem like fun, which makes the book just whiz by. This book is serious about your goals and fun to read at the same time so whether you're new to marathoning or trying to improve on your last marathon time, you'll love it. New marathoners can skip information about interval training and other techniques and experienced readers can skip information about setting up a training plan.