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I got this book after reading The Cutting Edge Runner, which is also very informative. I found the core program in this book to be most helpful in terms of improving my running form. I have a lengthy injury history, including an achilles rupture caused by my inability to take care of my body as a younger, foolish runner. I'd been following the programs on the Core Performance site since my last surgery a few years ago, so I have a lot of experience with core training, dynamic drills, and plyometrics. The proprioperceptive cues and overall training plan helped me go from 15 miles a week as a small component of my overall training to 40-60 miles a week without any of nagging overuse injuries caused by an inefficient stride that previously limited my running. Following an abbreviated version of the advanced 5K plan in this book helped me run within 15 seconds of my best college time.
I found these books contained the science, running form, and training plan I needed that made the most sense and seemed to be the most current, effective information available. However, it wasn't until I read Brain Training that I put it all together and now I'm just amazed at the difference it has made in my running. However, I was hooked so I started reading every book I could get my hands on in an effort to run faster, more efficiently, and pain free. Chose to run the San Diego Rock N Roll marathon and got started with 20 week training program.
I now run much faster when doing track intervals and the speed of tempo runs is mind boggling. Difference being that the author is more flexible in his approach whereby he advises you to alter your plan last minute based on how you feel during your workout. Was way out of shape and knew I needed a big goal in order to get my brain to take things seriously. When I received Brain Training for Runners, I was immediately impressed and I'm happy to report that it does an excellent job of summarizing the key points in my three favorites noted above and is now my new favorite. In Brain Training, the author talks about the ballistic style of running that elite runners use and how they are actually floating in the air the majority of the time.
Over a period of 3 weeks, I have seen my target marathon pace drop by a full 30 seconds per mile. Of all the books, I had narrowed my "favorites" down to three = Lore of Running by Timothy Noakes, ChiRunning by Danny Dryer, and Run Less Run Faster by the Runners World and the Furman Institute. If you are ready to take your running to a new level, I strongly recommend you read this book. Something he says you will increase 4 to 6 times over the course of an 18 to 24 month training program.
Let me start by saying that I'm a 42 year old runner who got back into running about a year ago. Practicing his cues helped me evolve my stride to emulate the elite runner form and all I can say is wow. The real world changes for me, based on actions I took after reading Brain Training, are nothing short of amazing. I continually focus on the authors cues and somehow I am now running my long runs considerably faster with a lower average heart rate.Should also point out that the training plans the author suggests are very similar to the Run Less Run Faster plans where focus is on 3 quality key runs per week. He is a believer in the "central governor model" proposed by Timothy Noakes and I think he does a great job explaining how it all works in layman's terms us runners can comprehend.In my opinion, the author also does a great job of explaining stride mechanics and providing some excellent cues for you to focus on while running to improve your stride. The author also includes a lot on stretching, strength exercise, and nutrition that I found helpful. I managed to finish, but made many rookie errors along the way.
In summary, The author really does a great job of covering the full spectrum and putting it all into an easy to follow plan you can customize to your own unique fitness level and self-coach yourself to be a faster runner. The author does a good job of explaining the role our brains play so you can understand what's going on behind the scenes.and train smarter to push through mental barriers that may be holding you back from your true potential. I found ChiRunning to be an excellent book regarding how to use gravity to run more efficiently and reduce injuries. He's all about adaptability and also provides an excellent table you can reference to pick target training speeds based on your current perceived fitness level. I truly believe this is a must read for all runners who are looking to run faster and hit new PR's.
The speed charts are helpful, and not overbearing. I really enjoyed this book. I regularly reread chapters to see how I can improve in certain aspects. It talks about all aspects of running in an intelligent way. This book has a lot of good targeted workouts, great stretches, and a variety of easy to follow training plans. I anticipate I can keep implementing things from this book for years to come. Highly recommended.
If cross training were the answer for major running improvement, everyone in the world would have been cross-training for decades. They run. I think you all know the answer to that is a resounding no. These are the book's strength. Americans and Europeans can't compete in the distance events because they will not train in this manner. There are good sections on racing and how to prepare for competition, whether your goal is first place or a PR.
They have fun. They run in groups that push each other in each run. They live and eat together. They run on dirt all the time and avoid injury. I have one question for Fitzgerald and those who rave about this book and the author's mixture of triathlete training and the proven philosophies of coach Jack Daniels: Do the great African runners (Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco) do a lot of cross training or triathlons. They improve their running by focusing on their running and enjoying the spirit of community competition. It is part of their culture.
Americans run on asphalt, generally avoid mountainous terrain, wear thick clunky shoes advertisers have convinced them are necessary to protect their heels, strike with their heels with each footstrike, and then wonder why they get hurt and aren't as fast as their international competitors.To combine the principles of a great triathlete's training with the running philosophy of Jack Daniels may be "revolutionary" in the sense that no one has put such a combination forward promising improvement for runners, but that may be because it is a combination that overlooks the fact that the worlds best runners don't use any such training ideas. Cross-training may give a brief mental break from the demands of running, but many people run because it is the simplest and least expensive way to exercise: No gym membership needed, no bicycle equipment (big $), no need for a pool or the danger of open water swim areas, you just put on a good pair of shoes and head out the door. They run constantly on hilly or mountainous terrain. They run multiple times daily. However, the world's best runners do very little, if any, cross training.
They wear light minimalistic training shoes that allow the foot to actually move and spread out properly. But they don't cycle, and they don't spend any time in swimming pools or the weight room at Gold's Gym. Days later now, and I will modify this review to say that the sections in this book about the psychology of running and how to train the brain to push through fatigue are well done, and the portions that focus on specific exercises to develop core strength are also quite useful and easily incorporated into even the least experienced runner's training. I stand by my evaluation that cross training is emphasized a bit too heavily in some sections, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water, as they say, and miss the useful parts of the book because of the cross-training "revolutionary" revelations.
I do love this book. I have been running for 20 years & felt somewhat stagnant in my progress to improve & this technique has moved me into a different realm of running. It articulates a lot of advice that I thought about in training with facts to back it up. It makes sense. I feel great & attribute that to training differently by incorporating Matt Fitzgerald's "Brain Training for Runners" into my daily routine. I would definitely recommend this book for all runners from beginners to elites.Reet
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