Pete Pfitzinger - Faster Road Racing: 5K to Half Marathon

5K to Half Marathon

Pete Pfitzinger

Philip Latter

Human Kinetics

[Library of Congress Info]

ISBN: 978-1-4504-7045-2 (print)

Copyright 2015 by Pete Pfitzinger and Philip Latter

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At its most basic level, running is a simple sport. Work hard and recover well, and good things will happen. Finding the perfect balance, though, is often trickier than it looks. In our collegiate and professional careers, weve experienced an incredible mix of highs and lows. Weve won NCAA titles, made Olympic teams, and brought home medals at championship events. Weve also trained and raced when we shouldnt have, trying to fulfill contract obligations and others expectations instead of listening to our bodies. Were both very competitive (and, in Adams case, stubborn) people. This has made our greatest strength our greatest weakness as well.

In recent years, weve had ample time to reflect on our careers. Weve both struggled with the effects of injury and aging, written books, and moved our family back to Colorado after nine years in Oregon. If there is one thing weve learned, its that overall preparation and the miles you put in stick with you for a long while. Having success in this sport is a matter of staying healthy and stringing together consistent periods of training.

Thats the approach taken by Pete Pfitzinger and Philip Latter in Faster Road Racing. Their emphasis on a long, patient, strategic buildup, followed by specific periods of targeted training, is a great recipe for success in this sport, whether your goal is to run a fast 5K, 10K, or half marathon. We also like that they spend so much time looking at ways that runners can stay healthy and improve their performance when not running, whether its through cross-training, core work, strength training, better nutrition, or placing more emphasis on recovery.

In the talks we give at running expos and on book tours, we spend a lot of time discussing what makes runners successful: adapting to their training, staying healthy, and persevering over the long haul. Thats it. There are no secrets or shortcuts in distance running, just sound principles. Faster Road Racing builds on those principles and gives anyone who reads it the best chance to do well in this sport that we love.

We wish you all the best in your training and racing.

Kara and Adam Goucher

This book would not have been possible without the contributions of many. Thanks to all the insightful coaches who have shaped our coaching philosophy, including Jack Daniels, the late Arthur Lydiard, Bill Squires, Arch Jelley, Joe Vigil, Renato Canova, Scott Simmons, and Chris Pilone. Philip extends thanks to Dean Duncan, Chris Suppes, and Jim Halford, coaches who opened his eyes to the science and wisdom of great coaching. Pete would like to thank Tom Cole, Jack Warner, and Kevin Ryan, who instilled the belief that the Olympics werent too big a dream.

Thanks to the inspiring athletes who let us share their personal stories with the world. An extra-special thanks to Kara and Adam Goucher for taking the time to write such a thoughtful foreword. We are also indebted to our modelsBrenae Edwards, Jonathan Hernandez, Macy Latter, and Jeremiah Wigginsfor taking the time to clearly demonstrate all the exercises contained in this book.

This labor of love might never have gotten off the ground if Tom Heine at Human Kinetics hadnt suggested it. A special thanks to him and Amy Stahl for seeing the need for a book dedicated to serious road runners and having the faith in us to pull it off. Wed be fools not to mention the ever-helpful Scott Douglas in the same breath. He pulled Pete and Phil together in the beginning, and his constructive criticism and encouragement are felt throughout the book.

No amount of encouragement would have made this book possible without the support of our incredibly understanding wives and children, each of whom witnessed far too many hours of us staring at the computer screen. To Christine, Annika, and Katrina Pfitzinger and to Macy, Aspen, and Willow Latter: Thank you, thank you so much.

We are passionate about helping runners reach their full potential, and we live that passion through our coaching and writing. Thats the simplest explanation for why we chose to write this book. We also realize your training time is valuable and limited. To that end weve worked to combine our decades of coaching experience with the latest scientific evidence into a single resource that will help you get the most out of your training and improve your racing performances.