Train Smart: Race Fast
Most runners love to race. While very few of us ever expect to win or even place in our age group, we still want to do our best. Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas have collaborated in writing an easy to understand book that is a must read for runners of all abilities who like to race. Road Racing for Serious Runners (published by Human Kinetics) will tell you all you need to know and more to maximize your racing potential. This is a book written for all runners whether you run 20 miles per week runner or 100 miles per week.
The first half of the book covers the physiology of running and covers issues about which many of us know nothing. As a heart monitor advocate, I was interested that Pfitzinger (a 2:11 marathoner and winner of the 1984 Olympic trials) believes that he should have trained with a heart monitor. Upon reflection, a heart monitor worn on his easy days would have allowed his body to recover for the next hard scheduled workout. The message stressed throughout the book is that you need to train smart to reach your racing potential.
The authors describe the various elements of speed work (anaerobic threshold, V02Max, and basic speed) and where they fit into a training plan. They also provide the pace of the workouts and make the very important point that faster is not always better and provide scientific evidence (Pfitzinger is an exercise physiologist) that it can be counterproductive to run certain workouts too fast. The book also covers issues such as tapering, warming-up and pacing for various distances.
The authors have individual chapters devoted to different racing distances (the 5K, 8 to 10K, 15K to the half-marathon, the marathon and cross-country). Each chapter has three model schedules: for the low mileage runner, the mid-mileage runner and, of course, the high-mileage. The types and frequency of workouts vary for each racing distance because of the physiology demands of the race, i.e., VO2Max is the most important element of the 5K whereas anaerobic threshold is much more important in the half-marathon and marathon.
What most impressed me about this book it is application to all levels of runners. The authors have succeeded in writing a book that has as much application for middle-of-the pack runners as it does for elite athletes. I strongly recommend that serious racers of all abilities try the training and racing strategies in this book. The information in this book is the next best thing to having a running coach. Runners may not only be surprised by improvement in their race times but also by how much better they feel during their training.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
