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

Tom Holland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Get Ready to Run!

A complete guide to training for a half or full marathon in sixteen weeks, this book follows the format of Tom's previous book The 12-Week Triathlete with simply the best advice on how to run your fastest race while staying injury-free. Whether you are a first-time marathoner, trying to set a new "PR" or looking to qualify for Boston, this book is for you.

"TRAIN LESS AND RUN YOUR BEST"

Some worry that running a marathon will involve hours upon hours of training each week. Others fear that they will become injured. Some veteran marathoners have followed other training plans and experienced both, but Tom's approach is much different. His philosophy of "train less, run your best" will amaze you whether you are running your first marathon or fiftieth. Exercise physiologist and sports performance coach Tom Holland -- an elite endurance athlete himself and sub-3 hour marathoner who has run in more than fifty marathons, three ultramarathons, and a dozen Ironman triathlons around the world will teach you how to properly gear up and train in the sixteen weeks prior to your half or full marathon. So when that starting gun sounds, you'll be equipped with invaluable tips and techniques that will put you in position to run the best race of your life.

The Marathon Method provides you with everything you need to know including:

• Easy-to-understand advice on nutrition, hydration, and gear
• Customized training plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners
• Advice on the mental side of running and how to make your mind go that extra mile
• Strategies to avoid hitting the infamous 'wall'
• Tips on pacing, injury prevention, strength training, flexibility, and much more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Exercise Physiologist Tom Holland holds a Master's Degree in Exercise Science and has been certified by such organizations as the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is a sub-3 hour marathoner and Boston Marathon qualifier and has coached hundreds of people to run marathons from absolute beginners to elite athletes. Tom's athletic resume includes the 36-mile "Run to the Sun" ultramarathon from sea level to the 10,000 foot summit of Haleakala on Maui, the JFK 50-miler and 19 Ironman triathlons with races in Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and South Korea. He is a member of PowerBar's Team Elite and stars in several exercise videos including Supreme 90 Day and the best selling "Abs Diet" workout. He is the author of the Beat the Gym, The Marathon Method and 12-Week Triathlete and has written for numerous magazines including Running Times and Inside Triathlon. He has appeared as a fitness expert on Good Morning America and CNN Headline News and is a frequent contributor to the fitness magazines SELF, Women's Health, Fitness and Men's Health. Tom lives in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fair Winds Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592332595
• ISBN-13: 978-1592332595
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Track & Field

More About the Author

Tom Holland is an exercise physiologist committed to helping people better their lives through fitness and through his message of "Believe in Yourself." Tom has encouraged and coached thousands of people to reach their fitness goals; from losing weight to climbing mountains, running marathons and completing Ironman triathlons. He received his BA in Communications from Boston College and his Master's Degree in Exercise Science and Sports Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University.

Tom is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association [NSCA-CSCS] and has also been certified by the American College of Sports Medicine [ACSM], the American Council on Exercise [ACE], the National Academy of Sports Medicine [NASM] and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America [AFAA]. He began as a personal trainer and fitness instructor in New York City, working at such facilities as the Reebok Sports Club, Equinox, Crunch, The New York Sports Clubs and the Cardio Fitness Center. He then struck out on his own, founding TeamHolland LLC and expanding into new areas of the fitness industry.

A competitive athlete himself, Tom has run over 50 marathons and ultra marathons and recently won the 2007 Dutchess County Classic marathon. Some notable races include the "Run to the Sun" ultra marathon, a 36-mile run from sea level to the 10,023 foot summit of Haleakala on the island of Maui, the JFK 50-mile ultra marathon and the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. He is a 18-time Ironman triathlete, having competed in Ironman China, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Florida, Arizona, Lake Placid and California. He has been a member of PowerBar's Team Elite since 2003 and is the marathon coach for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

For two years Tom hosted "Real Fitness with Tom Holland," an hour-long live national weekly radio show broadcast on the Lifestyle Talk Radio and the Business Talk Radio Networks. Guests included Jack La Lanne, Lance Armstrong's coach Chris Carmichael, numerous Olympic athletes and many more.

Tom designed and stars in the fitness videos Tom Holland's Total Body Workout, Tom Holland's Total Body Workout II & Tom Holland's Total Ab Workouts. He is the host of the new 11-DVD fitness program Supreme 90 Day as well and the Abs Diet Workout, a home workout based on the best-selling book by Men's Health Editor David Zinczenko. He is the author of The 12-Week Triathlete and the The Marathon Method, both published by Fair Winds Press. Tom writes for various media and has been published in such magazines as Self, Fit, The Journal of the American Athletic Association, Inside Triathlon, Running Times and IDEA Personal Trainer. Tom has appeared as a fitness expert on NBC, CNN Headline News and ABC's Good Morning America. He is a highly sought-after presenter, lecturing on various fitness topics for such organizations as the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, The American Medical Athletic Association and More Magazine. Tom is on the advisory board of Oxygen magazine and is a frequent contributor to magazines including Self, Fitness, Hers, More, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Bride's, Men's Health, Newsweek, Men's Fitness, Muscle Media, Oxygen, Organic Style and Cooking Light.

Tom's fourth book, Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag, was published by Harper Collins in 2011.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 74 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Review from someone who actually ran a marathon using this method! October 24, 2008

By KEM44

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars First timer October 19, 2007

By J. Wheeler

Format:Paperback

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.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Does running 4 days a week work? December 12, 2008

By Justin Manganaro

Format:Paperback

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.