Runner's World Train Smart, Run Forever: How to Become a Fit and Healthy Lifelong Runner by Following The Innovative 7-Hour Workout Week

by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr

From the experts at the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST), Runner's World Train Smart, Run Forever goes beyond traditional training programs and addresses the issues that prevent runners from reaching their full potential. This book will teach you how to become a fit, fast, and healthy lifelong runner by following the authors’ innovative 7-hour workout week. In this new approach, Bill Pierce and Scott Murr show how overall fitness and total body health are the secret to longevity as a runner.

Runner’s World Train Smart, Run Forever is appropriate for all runners, but is especially helpful if you’re frustrated by injuries or looking to maintain your healthy lifestyle as you age. This book addresses the controversies surrounding the dangers of overtraining and the stress associated with the constant craving for faster race times. Complete with a comprehensive program to enhance overall fitness, improve race times, and support healthy aging, this book will show you how to achieve your fitness goals at any stage.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Fitness, Health

276 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW: Fat shaming. So much fat shaming. I'd give the content four stars, but the fat shaming gets two, so it equals out at three, I guess.

So, first, this book is aimed at runners aged 40 and up, which is not me. But I read it anyway because I was curious about their workout plan. The plan is supposedly designed for people who are "busy," but it actually is kind of a lot for adults with full time jobs and social responsibilities. I'd have trouble fitting all of it into my schedule!

That being said, I love that they include very specific and detailed strength training, stretching, and cross training workouts. They also include step-by-step instructions for each of the strength training and stretching exercises, which is super helpful. Most of them can be done without any special equipment, or at most with an exercise ball, foam roller, or dumbbells.

The one thing I REALLY didn't like about this book was the fat shaming. Holy hell, so much fat shaming. Things like, "You could run faster if you weren't carrying around extra fat!" Over and over throughout the whole book, and even aimed at thin people! I understand that the authors are fitness buffs and exercise scientists who've written a book aimed at helping older runners maximize their performance, but there's no need to get judgmental about people who don't have the "PERFECT" body composition (and, perfect for what? for whom?).

This one is probably not worth it, because I'm sure there are lots of other books that present similar information without making you feel bad about yourself.

[Becky Ginther · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind this book - running in a smart way so you can stay healthy and uninjured, but doesn't take up your entire life. What I didn't realize from the description is that the book is pretty specifically geared towards older people, more like 45+. I'm 32, and while the ideas are still good, it didn't feel like it was really written for me.

It read well and gave me a few good ideas/suggestions on how to improve my running. I liked the detailed training plans and exercises that they provided as well.

It definitely felt like it was written for a more elite runner. There was one comment that kind of implied if it takes you over 4 hours to run a marathon you shouldn't even bother with marathons and should stick to half marathons or less. That one was a bit upsetting. I finished my most recent marathon in 5:29, and I know that's not fast but it still felt like it was worth it.

They also talked a lot about how nutrition was SO important and losing weight will make a huge difference, but really didn't give any examples on what they recommend for nutrition. Even just a few sample menus of what they consider "good running nutrition" would have been nice.

So overall there was some good stuff in the book but I didn't love the tone of it because it made me feel kinda bad reading it. As I mentioned it was targeted towards older people, with things like "If you ran a 20 minute 5k when you were 25 you should expect to run this many minutes when you're 55." Again very focused on extremely fast runners. I'm here happy if I can get below a 30 minute 5k so this book gave me anxiety that maybe my best years have gone by and I'll never be any better than I am now (or was last year when I was at my fastest). Maybe I am just slow.

[Liz Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved their previous book (Run Less, Run Faster) so I was super excited to see that they put out a book about keeping running as you get older. I am not in the target 50+ demographic, but a lot of the advice applied to me as I have gotten out of running shape, gained weight, and struggled with strength and flexibility the past few years. The first 2/3 of the book are the reasoning behind their proposed exercise system and the last 1/3 is the system itself. Lots of good encouraging data about how to continue running for your whole life.

I didn't like the effort-based pace system (Garmin forever! I'm just a data driven running), but I think I can combine the 7 hour exercise week from here with their pacing tables from the previous book. I'm already implementing the recommended stretches and it's helping with my soreness. Excited to put this into practice.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought of you Janeene when i read the quote used in this book from Peanuts, where Charlie Brown asks, "How do we lose when we're so sincere?"!! This book went on to pull in the quote and how runners sincerity could be the cause of injuries because of the unwillingness to stop/slow down routine of training or running (injury is why i picked up the book in the first place).

[Daniel Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book exceeded my expectations. Most of the information I already knew but it was presented in a easy to follow manner. I’m 60 years old and am just getting started with my running. This will give me the strategy needed to make is another 20+ years.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not leave this book thinking there was a great running epiphany here. I have prescribed myself to run 3 days a week, strength train and cross train along with yoga because it makes sense and allows me to run without injury. I don’t think you need a PhD to figure that out if you have been at it long enough.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for what it is, but very much focused on the older runner (say mid-40's plus). As some other reviewers have pointed out it's quite short on detail in terms of things like nutrition, etc. There's the germ of something very good in here, but this doesn't quite get there.

[Two Readers in Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, science-based training advice that is especially applicable to masters runners. The authors are avid lifelong racers and marathoners,and while they admit that the marathon is not the ideal distance for those seeking a long life of injury-free running they don't dissuade those who do want to continue to pursue the unpredictability of 26.2. That said, as someone who personally prefers shorter distances this book offers a lot of support for that preference. With so many books focused on training for competition, the FIRST seven-hour workout week plan emphasizes that it is consistent base training that builds real sustainable fitness.

My only complaint is that for a book filled predominantly with examples of over-40 runners finding success, about 60% of the photographs between chapters are of attractive runners who are clearly *much* younger than that. It would be more inspiring if the photos matched the text.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been looking for a running plan that incorporates strength training and flexibility, and this looks like it will fit the bill. Most of the writing is geared to people who are older than me (although I'm about to hit the age where I lose muscle and flexibility and speed). I also don't need convincing that I should be doing more than just running, and I strongly dislike the authors' focus on weight and how pretty much everyone has too much fat. It's not a huge surprise that extra weight makes people slower, but since this is supposed to be a book about sustainable running, not elite running, the authors could have dialed back a bit on the weight stuff.

[Sue CNM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read Bill Pierce's first book 'run less, run faster' which I loved so I wanted to get more out of this book but was disappointed. If you have read the first one I didn't find that much more info from the second one. There are exercises and stretches with pics in the book but I just don't get much from that and can't see me holding the book trying to duplicate but that is just me. There are a few exercise routines for bike etc listed in the back but wish they would have put more of that and less of individual stories that were not that interesting. Read the 1st one, skip this one.

[Amy Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's geared for older runners who need a program that won't injure them, but I learned some really important things about diet, injury prevention, and what a healthy running program looks like. The biggest thing I took away was the importance of a training program, from stretching, pacing/distancing/nutrition, and how that directly impacts performance. Like I said, even though it's geared towards older runners, I am glad I read it so that I don't experience some of the same health/injury issues that older runners have had.

[Kendal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the previous book, so this book has a lot of new-to-me information. I really appreciate the suggested stretches and strength training exercises and I am trying to incorporate them into my daily routine. I also didn't realize how beneficial cross training can be. It makes sense. I used to bike to work so I got a lot of cross training without realizing it. I definitely biked more than I ran, and yet I was a much faster runner. I was also 10+ years younger, so that helps too. But this book has encouraged me to finally go join that spin class I've been meaning to join for years.

[Andrew Shipe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure this was worth a whole book. The 14 pages that describe the 7-hour workout week seem interesting. But the rest really just summarizes things that are available through some web searching.

Also, the authors are not clear about what level of fitness and running one should be at before starting this program. For me, Daniels' Running Formula addresses that much better. I think incorporating Jack Daniels' ideas for planning the quality runs during the week with this plan would be best for most runners.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Runner's World" so a bit so so, but also seems like an honest book that emphasises different strokes for different folks and looking at people aging. I like the advice to "Simply buy the shoes that you like and make sure they feel good. Few individuals need extreme shoe types". This seems to be repeated more and more often with truly independent studies. A pretty basic general running book with some good advice.

[Tara B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book along with Run Less, Run Faster.

They both have their good points.

This book is geared towards the older runner. Lots of ideas for cross training.

LOVE the specific stretches and strength training for every day of the week. These are simple steps that I don’t always do. I will now. Each set of exercises or stretches can be completed under 15 minutes.

Doing it this training cycle. Wish me luck & speed!

[JDK1962 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely sure what this added to the previous book (Run Less, Run Faster), plus the first third seemed to mainly be a sales pitch for running. There was some additional info on older runners and their inevitable declines, but in general, I think they probably should have just done a second edition of the first book.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book if you are focused on distances shorter than the marathon. Don't see a lot of application for ultrarunners- hell a lot of my long runs are 7 hours just by themselves!- so a 7 hour training week? Not gonna happen. But again, if you're focused on the marathon and/or shorter distances, could be useful for you.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book: solid concepts and good easy to follow plan. I'd like it better if it came with more variations and some kind of companion you could take in your gym bag for the workout itself. It's hard to work with a bound book on a regular basis.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few good nuggets in here, but I think it’s a bit simple and leaves out some of the necessary nuance. Not a lot of new stuff. They also don’t acknowledge that people’s bodies are all different and different approaches might benefit different people. It’s not so prescriptive.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written for runners age 40 and over in order to increase their love of running and to decrease their injuries. The suggested 7 hour a week training plan given is for both a run and to strength-train 3 times a week. The authors, who are long-time runners, are age 55, 67 and 70.

[Francesco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I follow the FIRST running program but for this book I had the feeling of a collection of articles as opposed to a coherent book focused on running whole aging. The most useful content is already present in "Run Less, Run Faster" (3rd edition)

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book. Liked the ideas on what I need to do to run longer as my body is not 25 anymore.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically a rehash of their previous book run less, run faster

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed - did not read

[Tammy Sack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and user friendly guide to a healthy approach to running. Filled with sample workouts, picture guide to strength training and stretching and plenty of motivation.

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very superficial book buy brain training to get good out of your body

[Chi]

Good strength training techniques

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It had good stretching ideas and conversion charts.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with keeping your workouts sustainable over the long period, so you can continue to run for years ahead.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview. I wish the book helped link cross training activities to the sorts of injuries they are meant to address/prevent.