In an effort to become a bit smarter about marathon training and the physiology of running in general, I spent most of the time I was confined to the elliptical while on vacation in Marco Island reading and studying Pete Pfitzinger’s and Scott Douglas’s Advanced Marathoning.  Having previously read and reviewed Daniels’ Running Formula, this review will compare and contrast the two from a marathon runner’s perspective.  While both books are worth reading and having in your collection for reference, Advanced Marathoning definitely provides a more balanced and specific focus for marathoners that should serve you better as a core program from which to build your training approaches.

Like Daniels, Pfitzinger spends the beginning chapter focusing on the physiology of running, though he does so in a bit of a less technical and thorough manner.  While generally consistent with Daniels’ statements and claims, as one would hope, there are some subtle differences that may be driven more by Pfitzinger’s focus on marathon training compared with Daniels’ efforts to cover the full array of race distances.  Specifically, Pfitzinger tends to downplay the importance of V-dot-O2max (or maximal oxygen uptake) improvement for marathon runners, instead focusing specifically on aerobic capacity, lactate threshold, performing under glycogen depletion, and running economy as more important factors.  This is reflected in his training plans where interval training targeting V-dot-O2max gains play a much smaller role than it does for programs developed by the likes of Hal Higdon.  Note that Mark Coleman (FoCoRunner) has an interesting post on his blog about the long-term benefits of improving your V-dot-O2max performance, and given that Mark is following the Pfitzinger program, this provides a nice balance to the views espoused in this book.   All in all, this is a useful section, and one that Pfitzinger refers back to as he discusses, in the next few sections, the various workouts to target improvements in each.

Pfitzinger’s portfolio of training runs basically consists of seven types.  As with most programs, understanding the paces or, if you follow the approach, heart rate zones for each type of run is important, and the recommendations in this book are generally similar, with a few small exceptions, to those other coaches such as Daniels and Higdon recommend.  Most slow runs (long / medium-long runs, general aerobic runs, and recovery runs) are to be performed 10 to 20 percent slower than goal marathon pace, though the “general aerobic” runs are permitted to go a bit faster. For a marathon pace of 6:50, for example, such runs would be paced at 7:30 to 8:12 per mile.

Marathon pace runs are, well, self-explanatory – as opposed to Higdon who sets specific medium-length runs at marathon pace, Pfitzinger tends to blend them in as long (10 miles or more, at times) segments of long runs. Pfitzinger states that he has become a bigger believer in the value of such runs and has incorporated more of them in this latest edition of his plans. I tend to agree with this approach and believe that marathon pace miles provide a valuable combination of high intensity and rapid recovery and am thrilled to see them become a larger portion of the training portfolio.

As far as the speed work runs are concerned, lactate threshold runs (also known as tempo runs) are to be performed at 15K (for slower runners) to half-marathon pace – this also differs from Higdon who advocates working your way to a 10K pace through the run, though on average the steady Pfitzinger approach and progressive Higdon approach probably produce the same average pace.  Interval runs, which are generally specified at distances of 600m to 1600m, are set at 5K pace, and speed training (strides) are comfortable sprints, typically tacked on to the end of general aerobic runs.  Pfitzinger doesn’t go into a lot of detail on finding your correct pace, but there are plenty of calculators from McMillan or the Daniels’ VDOT approach to help you do this.

Another area where Pfitzinger really distinguishes his work from Daniels’ (as well as the online training approaches from Higdon or Runner’s World) is the significant section of the book devoted to such supplemental, yet important, areas as nutrition, strength training, and flexibility.  The book goes so far as to recommend basic workout routines which, in the absence of any knowledge you may have of the shortcomings you hope to address through such training (or the absence of any such shortcomings themselves), makes for an excellent starting point.  The strength training routines in particular are valuable as they do not require much in the way of equipment other than a Swiss ball and some dumbbells.  He also recommends some drills to help with your running form and economy, and delves into the benefits and shortcomings of various cross-training alternatives.

The marathon training plans offered at the end of this book are not for novices – thus the title.  Pfitzinger employs the concept of “Periodization” to his plans, whereby the first several weeks are devoted to aerobic capacity / endurance, then the second “mesocycle” focuses on endurance and lactate threshold gains, and the third on race-specific preparation, before you enter the taper and, after the marathon, recovery modes. The plans ramp up in mileage much more quickly than most plans do, specifically the heavily used Higdon plans.  The “less than 55 mile/week” plan is achievable for many runners however, as it calls for a base level of around 25-30 miles per week, so long as your long runs have been close to 12 miles.  After 6 weeks, you are already at 50 miles per week.  More advanced programs specifically call for some two-a-days, specifically when more recovery miles are needed, so it’s not just the physical but the time intensity of these programs that you must consider.

I, for one, look forward to taking on the 55-70 mile plan later this summer (God willing), and am enjoying watching FoCo Runner in his own pursuit of this training plan in preparation for the Colorado Marathon in May.  It will be a refreshing change from the Higdon advanced training plans I had followed previously, though the mid-week runs in particular will be challenging to fit in at any reasonable predawn hour.  Training mostly in the summer, with less time constraints in the morning, should help make this possible.

If there is a criticism of this book, it is that the training plan sections get a bit repetitive.  This is true not just across plans (which is to be expected, as each plan should technically stand on its own, not counting on the reader to have reviewed all of them), but within the plans – there are times that information is repeated unnecessarily.  This is a minor technical matter however and, if I were to recommend one book for someone looking to improve their marathon performance (even if they have not yet run a marathon), it would be Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning.

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You may also find these interesting:

• Ancillary Work for Runners – A Little Bit is Better than Nothing
• Seven Ways to Tap Your Inner Lydiard
• The Predawn Runner Book – Running Ahead of the Sun
• Marathon Training Plan Throwdown – Higdon versus Pfitzinger

Tags: books, marathon, Training

Posted in Books
11 Comments Posted by Greg