80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower

I’ve been running for a year now. At first I was getting my knowledge from random sources. Later I read Daniels’ Running formula and Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger. Though these books seem to have a lot of insights (even for beginners), they are definitely not the best way to start. My training was based on speed (3-4 times a week), and additionally I kept doing HIIT on other days. After 9 months of training I run my first marathon, also based on speed. It was awful, I hit the wall after 30K and finished well after 4h. This was the final call to change something. Actually, there were many calls before, like getting sick more and more often or feeling tired all the time, but my stubbornness kept me going. Anyway, it became obvious that something is wrong, so I decided to do some tests. Turned out that having lactate test results and some conversation with the lab guy was enough. I understood based on numbers that I was repeatedly overtraining. I finally started reading 80/20 which fully explained me my errors and showed me the right way. Now I’ve been following 80/20 rule for about 2 months and feel very confident and definitely much stronger then previously, even numbers show that. So I believe this should be your first running book. By the way, I replaced HIIT with BJJ, which is also not the best cross training for running, but it is definitely less stressful.

I like the fact that it shows several studies about the topic. However, I expected a bit more details about the training plans.

IMHO, this is THE book you need if you want to make huge jumps in your running performance.A little background: I just started running three years ago, at age 50. Until I got this book about six months ago, I just went out and ran with no plan. My runs were pretty much the same effort (heart rate zone), equating to what most folks would call tempo runs or a little bit faster. I did vary the mileage quite a bit, however. And sure, that method gradually got me a little faster over the years (more so at first) sometimes cutting off a few seconds from one 5K race to the next, though not always. I was kind of plateaued.I decided in May (2015) that I needed a REAL plan to prepare for my first marathon, later in the year (October). So, I started following the Marathon Level 1 plan in this book. Really, my goal for the training was to merely finish the marathon, with little expectation that it would allow me to perform better at an upcoming 5K (August) and a half marathon (Oct 10th). But, during the training I noticed I was running faster and faster at the same heart rate.So let's cut to the chase: following this marathon raining plan, I PR'd in the August 5K race by 35 seconds, finishing in 22:21. Then, two months later I shaved 10 MINUTES off the half marathon, finishing an extremely hilly course (Freedom's Run in the rolling hills of West Virginia) in 1:46:56 (compared to same race in 2014). There is NO WAY I could have run an 8:09 pace for the half - for almost two straight hours of running - without the unbelievable aerobic improvements this book has allowed me to attain. Further proof: my Strava suffer score for the 2014 Half was 333 ("epic suffer" rating) compared to a 243 for the same Half this past weekend. I ran about 50 seconds PER MILE faster BUT at a LOWER heart rate! That, to me, is unbelievable.So yeah, buy this book. It's concise, packed with scientific proof, and has training plans for 5K, 10K, Half's, and full Marathons. Even if you don't race, following his 80/20 rule will make your runs MUCH more enjoyable and productive, insofar as improving your aerobic fitness level.One more note: while I usually buy Kindle versions of books, I bought the paperback edition and was glad I did. I wound up going back and forth repeatedly between sections, particularly the tables with the myriad different runs (long, tempo, intervals, fast finish, etc.) and the tables with the prescribed runs for a particular training day. I even affixed colored tabs to make it easier.

I've been running off and on for most of my life. Mostly because I had to be in shape for my occupation. I mostly trained for runs of 3 miles or less and my training was running a few miles a week as fast as I could. "No pain, no gain" was the only way I knew. I retired and no longer had any external motivation to continue running. It was such a drag that I didn't miss it at all. Then I got soft and flabby and started running again. I did it the same way I always have, short and fast. I made some progress and won my age group in a couple of 5k races. I tried to train for 10k and I couldn't. My legs were always wore out and joints were constantly sore. I started researching different training methods and came across Maffetone, polarized, and 80/20. All of them emphasizing mostly low intensity training. I'm currently a month into Maffetone training and just finished this book. I'm getting much more mileage without wearing myself out and my pace is slowly coming down while my heart rate stays the same. It is also rather enjoyable and almost relaxing to run without panting and having my heart pounding. I believe the method works. It's a slow process and it will require patience and discipline to keep plugging along at a very low intensity and slow pace. This book has some great information that I will incorporate for my next phase of training. I think any runner could benefit from this training concept but it would be especially beneficial to aging recreational runners who want to train in a way that is sustainable and less prone to cause injury.

I’m onboard with the idea, I just hate I wasted so much time reading nonsense and more opinion than science in some cases. I’m sure to get published he had to write xx pages, but I’m the one left feeling dumb after I paid for this experience. Anyway, go out and run, that’s what the book says.