Generic guides and plans for a range of race distances have their uses but, as one popular training book is being revised, Leo Spall says none can react to the doubts and detours that affect most running journeys.
"To all runners who are willing to work hard and intelligently” - That’s the dedication at the front of the second edition of Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas, a 2009 book which will be overhauled and republished for the autumn next year.
The distance-running guide is packed with useful information and schedules and has been used and liked by many. However, to use it intelligently, as it suggests, it should be one element of a broader package rather than a training bible.
Books with training plans and marathon-running guidance such as Pfitzinger’s are excellent at providing a structure for less-experienced runners. The pointers they supply on things such as nutrition, race strategy and tapering can be invaluable.
I’ve used Advanced Marathoning and the Hanson’s Marathon Method in the past with some success, and the key to getting the most out of any off-the-shelf plan is to adapt them for the unique runner you are.
Given that Runners’ Mentor is set up to, among other things, offer alternative, bespoke plans and advice on how to adapt generic ones, I would say that, wouldn’t I.
But it is illogical to think there is a one-size-fits-all plan for any distance that will guide you to fulfilling your running potential.
No two runners are exactly the same and we all adapt differently to training stimuli, with recovery time requirements varying and so on. What’s more, these things change over time, too.
Books such as that by former elite runner Pfitzinger and the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project can provide a sensible backbone for a training block, and they are certainly a better bet than something randomly downloaded from the net or out of a magazine.
By their nature, though, generic plans and guidance struggle to tackle all the questions that pop up as you progress on your running journey. They can’t offer personal reassurance or warnings, know your history or provide reactive guidance; we call it a running journey because that’s exactly what it is – doubts and detours are par for the course.
To be fair to Pfitzinger and Douglas, there’s an acceptance of all of this in Advanced Marathoning. “We hope you’ll agree that this second edition … will become one of the most valuable resources in your running library,” the foreword says.
In the new edition, co-author Douglas – an intelligent journalist, long-time runner and author of Running Is My Therapy - told RM there will be a series of updates, including feedback from readers on how they have adapted previous Advanced Marathoning plans to meet their needs.
Douglas said: “There will be some updates on nutrition, some guidance on best use of a lot of the technology that has sprung up in the 10 years since the second edition came out, and there will be some sport psychology updates.
“In terms of the science, probably the biggest changes will be in the nutrition chapter – but you will be fine if you are still using the second edition.”
Douglas admitted that it is hard to follow any off-the-shelf plan to the letter week by week, or day by day. These things are meant to give you a structure and springboard that you adapt to fit.
The danger is that many runners find too much comfort in the structure, or do not have the experience or knowledge to adapt plans appropriately, and they follow every last detail when there are times it would be wiser not to.
Personally, I have found Pfitzinger’s plans quite ambitious in what they require of you, physically and mentally. Others swear by the authors’ methods, though – and I did run my second fastest marathon using Advanced Marathoning as a base.
Whatever your approach to running plans, advice and guidance, trust is vital. Find a source that appears to be a good fit, adopt cautiously and, when you discover something or someone who works for you, make the most of it.
We’d love for that trusted source to be Runners’ Mentor, of course, and if you think we could help, drop us a line or sign up for consultations here.
I have had the second edition for 10 years and I find it very helpful. Anything particular about the third edition, which would make it a compelling upgrade?