The Marathon Method by Tom Holland

The Marathon Method by Tom Holland is a 247 page soft cover book that promises to prepare the reader for a Marathon or Half-Marathon in 16 weeks.  This book was given to me by a friend who not only has completed multiple marathons (sub-3 hour), but has since gone on to complete a full Ironman.  Although the book is divided into 9 chapters, the book really is divided into 4 main sections.  They are: 1)Thoughts and philosophy about running and training, 2)The mechanics of training and racing, 3)The marathon itself, and 4) The training plans.

Part I - Thoughts and Philosophy - I suppose that every runner who is serious enough to write a book about running, training, and their passion for the sport ought to be allowed a few pages to blather about their philosophy and reasons for running. Hell, that’s what 50% of my site is.  That being said, I enjoyed reading about how Tom got started in marathons.  I won’t give anything anyway, but after you read about his shorts and how he finished his first Boston Marathon you’ll take the following rule to heart - “Never try anything on race day that you haven’t already tried in training.”

Part II - Mechanics of Running and Racing - This section could be called, pay attention to me and learn from my mistakes.  This is a no nonsense compilation of pitfalls to avoid, gear to buy, gear to skip, and how to stay motivated through the 16 weeks that you’ll be in training.  He covers the basics of running gear, hydration, and nutrition.  He also goes into some training schemes including heart rate zones, strength training, carb loading, tapering, and different types of runs to complete.  There is disagreement about many of the ideas that Tom holds (i.e., carb loading versus not carb loading) and to his credit he acknowledges that not everyone in the running community agrees with his training philosophy, but he also offers convincing arguments as to why he thinks he is right.  His final answer for any arguement is that his method is designed to help you succeed WITHOUT injury.

Part III - The Marathon Itself - This section includes everything from pre-race preparations to PMS (Post Marathon Syndrome).  Tom talks about the night before the race, the morning of the race, the ice bath after the race, and the emotional crash after having completed the race.  He specifically mentions his participation in the Las Vegas Marathon and discusses the Galloway method of run/walking.

Part IV - The Training Plans - Although I lumped the parts that make up this section into one overall header, there really are two parts.  In Appendix A, Tom outlines the sixteen weeks in a grid delineating everything from distances and rest days to running drills and time requirements.  He offers a beginner, intermediate, and advanced training plan for both the half and full marathon.  For me the best part of the book was the 100 pages tucked right in the middle that discusses running drills, strength, and core training.  There are many illustrations in this part of the book and they are helpful in figuring out the difference between a plank and a seal.

My overall impression of this book?  I liked it.  I’m glad that I read it prior to completing my first marathon and I liked the focus it placed on training to be injury-free.  The book portends to be for both the beginner and the experienced marathoner, but I found this argument to be hollow and unconvincing.  The advanced training plans seemed like an afterthought and cannot really justify the claim that this book is for advanced marathoners.  I doubt there is anything in these pages that an advanced marathoner does not already know.  Much of the book is filled with things that every new runner should know, and he does tend to restate many of the same things from chapter to chapter.  That being said, the illustrated chapter on strength training and core exercises alone is reason enough to read this book.  

I give this book 4 out 5 stars ****