Running to the Top

by Arthur Lydiard

Book Overview

This title presnets dedicated mailing and e-mail campaign to targeted running interest media and organisations.In "Running to the Top", Arthur Lydiard - one of the most successful trainers of middle -... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3891244401
• ISBN13: 9783891244401
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A great book from the best coach

To those who say his theories are outdated, show me the results where Americans pounding the intervals or following a Daniels type plan are beating those like the Kenyans and the Japanese marathoners and Paula Radcliffe who train much more like Lydiard suggests. It's not a coincidence that Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi became the first two Americans to win Olympic marathon medals in 20 years. They are also two of the few Americans who follow a Lydiard-based training philosophy. The Kenyans do not train at LT pace all the time. Anyone who knows how they train knows that they train much like Lydiard suggests. Yes, his writings are hard to read. He has a great mind when it comes to running technique but not quite so great when it comes to writing style. However, the wealth of wisdom in his writings is worth working yourself through the less than spectacular writing style if you are interested in racing performance.

best distance coach ever

He's trained 18 olympians, has taken years of physiology, and has been perfecting his programs since the 60's. This is definitely the book to get. I was one of the people who didn't know what the training did, so I got fired up and hammered it every day. Thankfully, I was able to learn about Lydiard and find a real way to train. He explains all of the physiology behind running so you have a revamped knowledge and know what to do instead of training blindly. Definitely a must have.

Try actually reading it

Criticism of Lydiard based on the idea that he recommended "long slow running" indicates that the reviewer didn't actually try paying attention to what Lydiard wrote. If a three-hour marathoner running his Monday ten-miler at 6:30 pace and his Friday 10-miler at 6:15 pace - not even in base phase, this is in conditioning BEFORE you get to base phase - it that is your idea of "slow" distance, then your idea varies greatly from mine. Go back and read what he says comprises "half-effort" - for a 5:00 miler, Lydiard's version of half-effort is 5:16. If you're going to criticize an author, please read the source document.

I laughed when I heard them criticize Lydiard...

Arthur Lydiard's ideas are "outdated"???? Hardly. Lydiard was responsible for the training that led to world domination by successive waves of New Zealanders, Finns, and Africans. Ingrid Kristiansen's Lydiard-like training enabled her to set a marathon record that stood for 15 years. Peter Snell's 4:54 mile time, 30 years ago, would still place him high in many international competitions. As for runners who criticize Lydiard--to quote Peter Snell, "Where are the results?" The basics of ALL distance training is endurance and aerobic development. Lydiard's advice in this regard remains unexcelled. Let the Africans train at threshold pace. They also weigh less than 118 lbs on average, compared to Americans' 130+. Let's see what a 115-lb US runner can do against them on Lydiard's training regime. Then we'll talk about "outdated." This is a great book.

A great book to use as a guideline for running and racing

Arthur Lydiard, the legendary coach of the New Zealand track teams, knows running. Want proof? He has coached many Olympic Gold medal winners and many coaches today base their training philosophies on Lydiard. This book is easy to understand and provides clear, realistic work-outs for all levels. Whether you are training for a marathon, 10K, 5K or 800m, this book will get you started. Many of his training ideas from 40 years ago are still used today. This amazing book put his brain on paper. Get this book if you are serious about running or coaching.