Faster Road Racing 2nd Edition

Get distance-specific training plans and strategies for the most popular race distances.

Faster Road Racing: 5K to Half Marathon is back and better than ever in the second edition. Now with a full-color interior, the latest training science, and updated training plans, you can get the latest insights on racing the 5K, 8K, 10K, 15K, 10-mile race, and half marathon. Experienced coaches and running authorities Pete Pfitzinger and Philip Latter offer best practices based on the latest sport science to give you an edge in your next race.

If you are looking for expert advice on balancing training and recovery, cross-training, nutrition, tapering, and training over age 40—look no further than Faster Road Racing. From revised training schedules to comprehensive sidebars on hot topics in running, serious runners can use this all-inclusive resource to run their best race yet.

The second edition offers these features:

• Core training, flexibility, and strength training exercises to prevent injuries and build resilience
• Running technique drills that should be incorporated in every runner’s training
• Substantial revisions to topics such as lactate threshold (LT) training, recovery guidance, and caffeine’s impact on running performance
• Revised training plans with more flexibility to allow for life outside of running
• Sidebars covering passive heat acclimation, mental skills training, relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), low-carb/high-fat diets, mastering the treadmill, and much more

Race preparation is not one-size-fits-all; each distance requires its own unique approach. With a wealth of information from qualified authors and scientific references to back them up, this book is invaluable for committed runners looking to make the most of their training for these distances. Plus, 10 new runner profiles of top runners—including Jacob Kiplimo, Conner Mantz, and Keira D’Amato—illustrate how concepts in this book helped to improve their performance.

Faster Road Racing is the ultimate guide to training that will shave time off the most popular race distances. Ensure that your training is as efficient and effective as possible with advice from some of the most qualified authorities in running.

Audience

Serious runners who want to run faster. Coaches who train serious runners.

Foreword by Jessica McClain
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part I. Training Components
Chapter 1. Elements of Training
Chapter 2. Balancing Training and Recovery
Chapter 3. Supplementary Training
Chapter 4. Fueling for Performance
Chapter 5. Considerations for Masters Runners
Chapter 6. Tapering for Peak Performance

Part II. Training for Peak Performance
Chapter 7. Following the Schedules
Chapter 8. Base Training
Chapter 9. Training for 5K Races
Chapter 10. Training for 8K and 10K Races
Chapter 11. Training for 15K and 10-Mile Races
Chapter 12. Training for the Half Marathon
Chapter 13. Training for Multiple Race Distances

Appendix A: Pace Chart
Appendix B: Equivalent Race Performances and Workout Paces (Miles-Based)
Appendix C: Equivalent Race Performances and Workout Paces (Kilometers-Based)
Glossary
References and Recommended Reading
 

Pete Pfitzinger was the top American finisher in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic marathons. He won the 1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a personal best of 2:11:43. Pfitzinger is a two-time winner of the San Francisco Marathon and placed third in the 1987 New York City Marathon. He was ranked the top American marathoner in 1984 by Track & Field News and is a member of the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame. He was a senior writer for Running Times, in which his popular column, “The Pfitzinger Lab Report,” appeared. Pfitzinger has over 30 years of experience in coaching marathon runners to achieve their goals. He is also the coauthor of Advanced Marathoning. He and his wife, Christine, a 1988 Olympian, live in Auckland, New Zealand.

Philip Latter is a licensed clinical social worker and coauthor of two books, including Running Flow. He is a former senior writer for Running Times and contributor to Runner’s World. Latter set four school records at the University of North Carolina at Asheville before transitioning to coaching. During his 15-year career at the high school and college levels, his teams won multiple state titles and placed at Nike Cross Nationals. He now works as a school-based therapist in Brevard, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.