Run Less, Run Faster book review

I recently read Run Less, Run Faster while travelling and I thought I'd share. It was written by a couple of guys at FIRST - the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Technology.

The guys who wrote the book got the idea when they started training for triathlons and noticed their running times improved even though they were running less. Obviously this sounded like something I'd like to try. The whole idea is 3 days of running and 2-3 days of cross-training. The authors highly recommended biking and swimming (duh) but any cross training could be used. They also talked about nutrition and stretching, basically saying what we all know. At the end they had a Boston-qualifying section.

The main principal behind the run 3 days, cross train 2, is that each workout has a specific purpose. I can't say that I learned anything new: the three runs were speed work, tempo run, and long run. In between is high intensity, low impact cross training to work the cardio system and give the legs a break from impact. But I did like how they laid out all the information.

With my current work schedule and studying, I thought this would be a good mentality for my "non-training." I've only been working out 3-4 days a week, so I need to be more focused and make sure when I do work out, the intensity is high.

The other thing I found interesting was some of the tables in the book. One in particular predicts your marathon time based on your PR in a 5k, 10k, or half marathon. The half is supposed to be the best predictor. Based on my half marathon time of 1:44:28 "predicts" a marathon time of 3:40. 3:40? Really? Not that I put a lot of stock in predicted times, but it was enough to make me think I should try this marathon thing and see what the hype is all about. I'll turn 30 in a little over a year, so I thought a marathon before 30 sounded like a good goal.

I plan on using the Run Less, Run Faster plan for a marathon to be determined this fall. KM and I were talking about it, and the goal for my first one will be to finish. But if that goes well, we may try to qualify for Boston together in a year. Never thought I'd say that...