The Competitive Runner's Handbook: The Bestselling Guide to Running 5Ks through Marathons (Paperback)

by Bob Glover (Author), Shelly-Lynn Florence Glover (Author) "In this book, runners are divided into categories by their race times..." (more)
Key Phrases: modified fartlek, marathon countdown, race goal pace, New York City Marathon, Basic Competitors, Boston Marathon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"Competitive running gives your running life a focus. Competition measures progress. You set a goal and accomplish it." Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover, authors of The Competitive Runner's Handbook, know what they're talking about. Bob has run competitively for nearly 40 years, coached for 30 years, and completed more than 30 marathons, while Shelly-lynn has raced for more than 20 years and is an exercise physiologist with a master's degree from Columbia University. They've coauthored several books on running. Clocking in at over 600 pages, The Handbook covers basic training techniques, gives tips on speed training, and outlines regimens for specific races: short, 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. There are also sections on motivation and the mental aspects of competitive running, proper running form, nutrition, dealing with illness and injury, and more. In addition, the book includes many helpful charts. Straightforward and authoritative, this is a comprehensive reference guide that's suited to runners of all levels. --Andy Boynton

From Library Journal
As anyone who has ever run competitively knows, there's more to it than putting one foot in front of the other as fast as possible. The Glovers here provide a full range of advice and instruction on all aspects of running, including diet, exercise, training, strategy, and footwear.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Rev Sub edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140469907
• ISBN-13: 978-0140469905
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #40 in	Books > Sports > Other Team Sports > Track & Field
  #44 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Running & Jogging
  #66 in	Books > Sports > Individual Sports > Running & Jogging

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource - don't confuse it though, August 21, 2005

By	Pistol Pete "Pete" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a great resource for all aspiring competitive runners. However, don't confuse this book with Glover's other book - which is more for beginning and non-competitive runners. There is a lot of overlap between the two books, so there is not much point in buying both. However, I can see a beginner outgrowing the beginner book and wanting the extra info that the "Competitive" handbook can provide. Both are great.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book filled with lots of helpful tips!, May 30, 2004

By	"lsp1va" - See all my reviews

This book starts off by breaking runners into categories from Novice to Elite. There are 7 categories (further broken down by age groups and gender), and any recent race time (from 5k all the way to marathon) can be used to help you find out where you fit. Glover explains the different training concepts to help you improve your times. He goes into a lot of detail about all of the important topics. He gives weekly mileage guidelines, talks about maintaining a running base (what % of your weekly mileage should be used as a base), and what paces you should be training at based on your desired race time. Although his advice is specific (and supported with examples of studies that have been done to prove how certain concepts work), all of his advice can be adjusted to fit the individual reader's level and goals. He gives examples of training schedules for the 5k up to the marathon for each category of runner, and tells you how to write your own schedule. He gives many examples of different types of speedwork, hill training, and tempo training so runners can add variety to their own schedules. He says how often each workout should be done on a weekly basis, and at what point they should be done in the training cycle. This is a great book, easy to read, and full of tips that can help you improve your time at any distance.
I used to do my daily runs at the same pace, and train without a plan. Last year I started training using the concepts explained in this book (speedwork, hills, long run distances), and I have been able to cut 13 minutes off of my half marathon time in less than 8 months. These training concepts are well known, but Glover customizes them to the reader's level, gives many different examples of each type of workout, and expains which workouts are best for the distance you are training for (For example, he says 1 mile intervals are better when training for the 10k up to the marathon, while power intervals and repeats will be more helpful when training for a 5k or shorter distance). This is a great book, and I wish I had read it sooner.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Returning to Racing?, May 5, 2000

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "RIP MJ" (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Let's forget that this book is a huge bestseller in the running market. Lots of running books are more hype than content, or only regurgatate what last month's "Runner's World" has said, and sell just as well. However, "The Competitive Runner's Handbook" is informative, thorough and engaging.

Returning to racing after some fifteen years of basic jogging, I needed a book that took my knowledge seriously. Glover and camp give hard-core, nuts and bolts info. They've provided for the various levels of fitness. I'm not going to run my high schools times first time out, but what happens when I get my speed down? It is in here. Solid how-to, without the fluff of running psychobabble.

Run a 10K? Wanna know how byou might do in a 20K? In a half-marathon? Charts galore. How 'bout intervals and tempo workouts. Marathon training tips? 5K tips? Got 'em!

The beauty of this book.. and the fundmental reason I recommend it, is because the base of info and guidance here is fantastic.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com