«Too much fluff»
The portion of this book that deals with technique is very good. I have been using this for three months and it has helped a great deal. However, this is only about 20 pages of info. If you have other training books that deal with periodization and/or training philosophies, most of this book is the same old-same old. I recommend it, but don't think you will have a lot of new information.
[Monday, January 26, 2009]
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«The first good advice I've ever received about running»
I have always struggled with running - I'm slow, it hurts and I never seemed to improve. In 34 years of life, no one has ever explained to me the principles so clearly laid out in the beginning of this book - not my gym teacher, soccer coach, personal trainers, or even the running coaches in the marathon training program I participated in for 6 months. As a former science teacher, I "get" the physics of running and so Mierke's ideas made complete sense to me. I implemented the recommendations for running technique right away and took minutes off my normal run loop, felt less fatigue and soreness in my muscles and felt like a stronger, faster runner overall. It just makes good sense and you can feel right away the shift in propulsion forces from a few small changes. Recommended for the longtime frustrated slowpokes like me!
[Tuesday, January 13, 2009]
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«Hands on Instructions for Efficient Running»
Sometimes you're glad when you're asked by Amazon to review a book - in some cases due to the fact that they stink, in others because you've purchased something that you really feel that you can recommend to others. This book belongs in the second category.
The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training is simply the most comprehensive and well structured, easy-to-read, hands-on book about running that I've ever seen (and believe me, as a triathlete I've gone through everything from Posetech to ChiRunning in my quest for reduced run times).
The book will take you through Technique (the actual physics of running, i.e., where does all that energy go that you spend on the track?, how to reduce energy waste and maximize forward propulsion, etc.), Training (planning, bricks, etc.), Preparations, and finally, Racing. The way it's done makes you understand just how good Mierke must be as a coach: everything is short, crisp and to the point.
If you're training by yourself, there are plenty of drills in the book that will take you a long way towards better running efficiency. If you're a coach, there's a lot of stuff from basic to advanced that you can use in your coaching. If you're training with a coach, give him the book and ask him to use it when coaching you - I did and the result has been remarkable: not only do I run faster, I run almost effortlessly after hard biking, and - moreover - I enjoy my running even during races. The only thing that has made that much of a difference for my racing is Total Immersion Swimming (which, by the way, also focuses on efficiency rather than raw power).
In short: highly recommendable book for anyone who's interested in running faster and more efficient (is there anyone who doesn't?). Extra plus for the integration of running into biking specifically and triathlon in general.
[Tuesday, September 04, 2007]
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