training

This is the first review I've ever written on Amazon. This book made such a difference in my life, I had to comment on it. Six months ago I decided I needed to do something to get in better shape. I was in decent shape, I played raquet ball a few times a week, but I couldn't run more than a mile and really didn't have any interest in doing so. I came across the book title on Amazon and decided to check it out. I read the book while on vacation and decided I was going to run a marathon. I did the pre-training for a week and then began the program. Then the most important part, I started telling friends and family I was going to run a marathon.

I finished my first marathon yesterday( 10/28/01) in Mystic, Connecticut, in four hours and 51 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I learned that the marathon was the reward and the training was the goal. During my training I read a number of marathon books, they all had helpful advice, but none were as important as this book. It was a guide, a reference and logbook. Its no longer just a book, its a memoir of the journey to my first marathon!

As a runner in high school, I suffered a knee injury, and as a result I always believed that I would never achieve my dream of completing a marathon. In August of 2000 I decided that a marathon was a must for my personal fulfillment. I ran across Whitsett and Dolgener's book, purchased it, and immediately grew excited as I read through its first pages. I began my training and followed the book's every instruction during those crucial early weeks.

The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer not only prepared me for my first marathon, but changed my entire lifestyle. I ate healthier meals and snacks during my training, utilized my sleep time in such a way that I felt refreshed when I woke up in the mornings, and slimmed down without even meaning to better my appearance! I especially appreciated the advice not to wear a watch while running...this made running less stressful. Plus, I had very little free time, but this training program only requires four workouts each week, and gives helpful pointers on how to arrange these runs around busy schedules.

I finished the Kiawah Island Marathon in December 2000 in a decent amount of time, and the following week sent the authors a letter of positive feedback, thanking them for writing this book.

If you are not a routine runner but hope to finish a marathon, this book is an excellent source! I highly recommend it.

Yesterday 10/15/00, I ran and finished my first marathon! I purchased this book back in May/June, read through it that month, chose my marathon, and started the program. I did exactly what the authors said and as an extra helper--I even signed up for a marathon class (but I did not use the class' 6-day weekly training schedule). It turned out, I really didn't need the marathon class, the book alone was enough! I used the 4-day weekly schedule and the mental imagery exercises and it worked! I even missed a few days of training, which I thought might have hindered my efforts during the marathon but my longest run was 18 miles and as they write in the book, "if you can run 18 miles, you can run 26!" Being a first-timer, I set no time goals, my only goal was to finish--(one tip I did take from the class was to do the marathon 5 miles at a time), and I finished my marathon in 5:18. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE! I recommend this book to anyone who has an inkling of a thought that they might want to run a marathon--get this book and get started! YOU CAN DO IT! "LESS THAN 1% OF THE POPULATION EVER ATTEMPTS A MARATHON." JOIN OUR 1% MARATHON FAMILY!