5.0 out of 5 stars It works!

C.P. · 12 April 2019

The SMT system is simple in the sense that it is simple to follow but by no means is easy training. If you are not serious about your marathon training then look elsewhere. The main difference of this system with others I followed in the past, is that it combines strength and mobility training with the running workouts in a complete and simple to follow 20-week schedule. I followed the 20-week schedule to the last detail for 2 consecutive cycles and managed to PR in both marathons by almost 6 minutes. But most important for me, I ran 2 consecutive marathons without any injuries; something I never managed before.If you are suffering from injuries and are confused as to how to combine strength training with your running, then this book is a must read.I also enjoyed the geek-out sections which provide additional scientific information for anyone who is interested, but if you are not, you don't have to read them to use the book.All in all a great read, full of useful information even if you are not planning to run a marathon any time soon.

5.0 out of 5 stars really practical guide to run training in the real world

A.C. · 8 June 2019

This is a really good practical guide to marathon training, but the concepts and training plans are still useful for other distances too.The training plans / structures make a lot of sense if you work and have other commitments

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for normal people

A. · 17 September 2019

The books talks a lot about warmup and strengthening exercises, and states that the description of these exercises is on the website simplemarathontraining.comThe domain no longer exists so no exercises!This book's training structure is also very inflexible, over-prescriptive, and actually overly complicated. There are no rest days.

Your personal trainer for the marathon - in book form.

D.S.S. · 22 January 2017

This book is such a good read for anyone who's interested in either running their first marathon or improving on their marathon times. Don't be fooled by the title, though. A marathon isn't simple and neither is training for one. As the book states throughout: "Simple ain't easy." Understand 'simple' as simplified, well-explained, no-fuss method to training.I have read a lot of other marathon training books with various methods for how to get ready for the 26.2 miles, but this is the first book where I really felt like there was a coach talking to me directly. Jay does an excellent job of explaining, day by day, what is needed to be done, and, more importantly, the hows and the whys of each session. Where other books provide you with definitions of the different types of runs (tempo, long run, interval, etc) and then plot them into a plan without further explanation, the Simple Marathon Training carefully goes through the execution of almost every single day's training session (obviously, some easy days or cross training days are similar and are explained only briefly after the initial description not to be too repetitive).Apart from the long runs prescribed in miles, the rest of the sessions are prescribed in minutes and often with a certain margin. The main reason is that if a 7-minute per mile pace runner and a 10-minute per mile pace runner had to do 10 miles, the former would get a workout of 1h10m while the latter would need 1h40m. The program would then provide an either too short or too long stimuli for one of them. Furthermore, in some sessions Jay encourages the runner to take inventory of the session and decide to either cut a little short or extend it depending on how he or she feels. The idea is that not all days are the same. Some times you're more tired and others you're full of energy. The only downside about running by time rather than distance is that perhaps you need to calculate how far a 60 minute session will take you in order to plan a route.For the same reason that you have days feeling great and days not so much, the book insist on running by feel. If you are a runner who's constantly got one eye on the road and the other on your watch to check your pace/heart rate/etc, this might be a bit of a challenge at first. But again, Jay carefully guides you through the process of learning to listen to and trusting your body rather than depend on some external data to confirm how the run is going. In fact, the first 4 weeks are dedicated to this change. Personally, this was new for me, but I was surprised how quickly you can learn to hit the right paces once you start noticing how they feel. I still carry my watch but have it set for useless info like total calories and altitude. Only when I get home can I see how accurate the paces were. I recently did a session of 8x800 meters and hit each run with only 1 or 2 seconds difference.The method is built around two important runs: A harder session on Tuesdays and the long run on Saturdays. The rest of the days are easy runs, cross training and a long, brisk walk on Sundays. As the long runs get increasingly demanding, the book puts a lot of emphasis on the often overlooked strength training necessary to prevent injuries. Every run starts with a great 5-minute warm up routine and end with strength and mobility exercises (no gym nor props needed) to both make you stronger and cool you down. It's an integrated and essential part of the method and not something that is just mentioned hastily in a footnote.Throughout the book you'll find some fantastic inspirational quotes and mantras that are sure to stick with you as a runner. There's a chapter with one of the best race day strategies I've ever come across. It has an extensive Q&A where Jay solves most of the doubts that might come up, such as how to adjust the plan to your personal schedule and abilities. Should you have further doubts he also offer semi-personal coaching based on the book. And finally, there's, what he's named, the Geek Out section. This is a collection of essays written by different collaborators such as professional runners, PHDs, and health professionals on subjects such as Fueling, Sports Psychology, Stretching, Recovery, among other subjects. If you are not planning to run a marathon, you could easily get the book for these essays alone.The only minor criticism of the book is that it might not fit the anarchist runner. If you are someone who thinks you've got it all figured out and would read it for cherry-picking certain workouts, this book won't work for you. Jay makes a point of not jumping in to week 4 of the plan if you only have 16 weeks to your marathon. You need to do it from the beginning to learn how to run by feel. Likewise, you can't skip the strength or cross training and later wonder why this method didn't work or why you got injured. He's quite adamant about either following the plan or not. However, there are still many things that you can take away and start incorporating into your training even if you aren't doing a marathon, like fartleks and the strength and mobility exercises.Full disclosure, I haven't followed the plan yet. I fall in the group of runners with less than 20 weeks to my next marathon. But I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and have learnt so much. I'm doing his warm-up routine and strength exercises daily and can definitely feel it's making me stronger. For my following marathon, I can't wait to give this Simple Marathon Training a try.

The Best Running Book Ever

A.C. · 31 May 2017

Sorry, ich bin Holländer, und dieser Text wird automatisch ins Deutsche übersetzt...Das Buch ‚Simple Marathon Training von Jay Johnson ist das beste Rennen Buch, das ich je gelesen habe. Ein völliger Gewinner!An einer klaren, praktischen Art und Weise erklärt den Autor, was für einen Marathon optimal vorzubereiten benötigt wird. Das Buch ist angenehm geschrieben, mit vieler Erklärung und Hintergrund, ohne wortreich oder zu kompliziert zu sein. Es wurde von einem Trainer geschrieben, eine der Praxis. Wie es sich anfühlt: wie persönlich adressiert und half Ihre Marathonvorbereitung. Der Zeitplan ist ‚einfach‘, aber nicht ‚einfach‘. Es ist einfach, in dem Sinne, dass es sehr klar ist, zwei temperamentTrainingsEinheiten pro Woche und zwei einfache Trainingseinheiten pro Woche und Ausbildung zwischen ihnen (die ich oft von der Art und Weise übersprungen, nur 5 Mal pro Woche manchmal einfach nicht machbar für mich ist). Das Buch ist zu viel Gewicht auf Verletzungen bleiben: Für jeden lecken Sie 5 Minuten hören lange einige Übungen zu tun, um Ihre Muskeln zu stärken, und danach auch 5 bis 10 Minuten. Die Website assoziiert bietet Videos von den entsprechenden Übungen im Buch. Ich folgte den Zeitplan in der Vorbereitung für meinen ersten Marathon. Der Zeitplan dauert 20 Wochen, und ich bin verletzungsfrei und raceday zunehmend das Gefühl auf mich weg. Es ist ein schönes Gefühl, fit und gut vorbereitet den Marathon zu starten. Der Marathon selbst war in Ordnung. Trotz des warmen Wetter, und ich (trotz Warnungen im Buch), um schnell ging, konnte ich unter 4 Stunden (über) beenden, die zuvor war mein Ziel. Und Buch Jay Johnson hat mir gut geholfen. Ich lese Stück wirklich das Buch, es waren die besten 20 Euro ich auf Laufen verbracht habe. Insgesamt sehr zu empfehlen! Auch wenn Sie irgendeine Marathon laufen wollen; die Trainingsprinzipien sind auch nützlich für andere Strecken, wie zum Beispiel ein Halbmarathon oder 15 km. Sie erhalten genügend Informationen, um den Zeitplan sich auf Ihre persönliche Situation und Ziele anzupassen.

Finding This Book Helpful

J.S. · 4 October 2021

This book is a welcome addition to my library of running books

Excellent book for all distance runners.

M.M. · 23 December 2016

Jay Johnson has written an extremely practical book that will be of value to all distance runners (not just those training for a marathon). The book is extremely well structured and here are just a few of the many features I found of great value:* The principles that his training plan is based on - there are "8 ingredients plus 1" including the long run, strength and mobility work (something I added as soon as I read the book), and doing strides during easy workouts* The rhythm of the week and a full 20 week schedule which explains the purpose of each run. Jay lays out the training to a weekly cadence and the 20 week plan for marathon is broken into 4 week cycles. The purpose of each workout and recovery day is discussed which explains the reasoning behind the plan - the explains both the what and the why and is extremely valuable (and provides motivation for each and every workout)* Race Day and Recovery to make sure you nail your goal on race day and then recover properly* A valuable Q&A for what to do when "life happens" and your training is impacted (sickness, you miss a day, work gets crazy, etc - this covers the sub-title of "The right Training for Busy Adults with Hectic Lives"* Geek-out sections at the back of the book that cover the science and psychology in more detail. As a running geek, I really loved this section - especially the pieces "You do Hard Things" by Cindy Kuzma, "The latest Sleep Science" by Carwyn Sharp, "The Growth Mindset" by Travis Macy and "Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training" by Carwyn Sharp).This is a book with great training plans, excellent and practical advice, and an articulation of key principles that I have not seen all packed together in one book. As if that was not enough, the quotes are the start of each chapter are probably worth the price of the book on their own.My Thanks to Jay for putting together such a great book that I know I will use and come back to often! I recommend this book highly for all distance runnersNote: I have not run a marathon and my focus is on the half-marathon for 2017. That said, the principles and overall plan in the book give me the framework to put together what I need for a great running year in 2017.Note 2: Teaser - Jay has a great mantra that you can use in all areas of your life where you want to improve!

Get to the finish line!

P. · 15 November 2019

Great manual for training for 26.2 - easy read with online videos for visual explanation. I'm glad I bought it for training.