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Simple Marathon Training: The Right Training For Busy Adults With Hectic Lives
Book Description Do you dream of running a great marathon, but your busy life and obligations make the training commitments difficult? Do you suffer from injuries that put you on the sidelines when you desire to race? The 20-week Simple Marathon Training system can prepare you for marathon success. With a modern outlook on training schedules, innovative exercises for injury prevention and maximizing time spent training, the Simple Marathon Training system prepares you to toe the line with the confidence to run your best marathon. The Simple Marathon Training system has improved marathon times and the overall experience for many busy adult runners with hectic lives. This system works. It will for you, too. Included in Simple Marathon Training is a day-by-day schedule which includes running assignments as well as the crucial element missing from most training core strength, hip strength and hip mobility exercises. You don't have to look at a sequence of photos in the book to learn these routines, rather, you will be able to watch all these strength and mobility videos online, for free. The incorporation of training videos into a sound marathon training program makes Simple Marathon a one of a kind system; a book that will help any committed athlete run a great marathon. The Geek Out section at the back of the book is another unique aspect of Simple Marathon Training . The Geek Outs are written by world-renowned physiologists and professional marathoners as well as Coach Jay's clients who have been using the system for several years to run PRs. You'll learn why it's best to do your hardest strength and mobility work on the same day as your workouts and long runs. You'll learn the correct method for fueling during a marathon. Information on imagery leading up to the race and mental skills to use during race day are just some of the topics in the Geek Out section. The bottom line is, if you're a busy adult with a hectic life, Simple Marathon Training is the right training book for you. "Jay's training system works beautifully for runners who aim for excellence in every area of their lives-athletically, personally and professionally. He understands that we're busy but still want to run our best; he's helped me do just that."
- GenresNonfiction
302 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
5 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Jay Johnson
257 books2 followersJay Johnson most recent work is a novella, The Soul's Tariff, about the painter Tintoretto and 16th century Venice on the cusp of war with the Ottoman empire to the east.
His novel Gold Diggers, a slipstream urban fantasy set in Las Vegas, follows dwarves and elves living at the fringes of society. It was reviewed favorably by Kirkus Reviews: "...maintain(s) a persistent sense of mystery. Johnson grounds his story by showing the peculiar beings from the perspectives of the humans..." "Johnson, not one to let his narrative lull, boosts his story with riveting subplots involving a conspiracy, a betrayal and a disappearing corpse." "... its creativeness and exuberance are unquestionable."
His first novel History of the Unnameables, based on a novella originally published by Duct Tape Press in the late '90s under the title King of Siam, was one of the first works of fiction to address fears of cyberterrorism. He began the story after talking to a number of friends working in blackworks, mainly conflicted science and math academics, who were aware of the problem but were not being listened to.
Invisible City was orphaned by a major publisher but has found new life in ebooks formats. It adds the murky world of bioethics and the porous nature of the new digital reality to the world of spying.
As a filmmaker (under his given name Jay Wright) he was included at the Mexican National Museum of Art's (MUNAL) Biennial of Poetry and Video in 2002. His work has appeared at Cannes, and at other film festivals where the films have won numerous awards. His films and videos have also played internationally at galleries and exhibitions. He has also been nominated for a Guggenheim.
His novel Gold Diggers, a slipstream urban fantasy set in Las Vegas, follows dwarves and elves living at the fringes of society. It was reviewed favorably by Kirkus Reviews: "...maintain(s) a persistent sense of mystery. Johnson grounds his story by showing the peculiar beings from the perspectives of the humans..." "Johnson, not one to let his narrative lull, boosts his story with riveting subplots involving a conspiracy, a betrayal and a disappearing corpse." "... its creativeness and exuberance are unquestionable."
His first novel History of the Unnameables, based on a novella originally published by Duct Tape Press in the late '90s under the title King of Siam, was one of the first works of fiction to address fears of cyberterrorism. He began the story after talking to a number of friends working in blackworks, mainly conflicted science and math academics, who were aware of the problem but were not being listened to.
Invisible City was orphaned by a major publisher but has found new life in ebooks formats. It adds the murky world of bioethics and the porous nature of the new digital reality to the world of spying.
As a filmmaker (under his given name Jay Wright) he was included at the Mexican National Museum of Art's (MUNAL) Biennial of Poetry and Video in 2002. His work has appeared at Cannes, and at other film festivals where the films have won numerous awards. His films and videos have also played internationally at galleries and exhibitions. He has also been nominated for a Guggenheim.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 5, 2017
This is a great running book. This is ideal for the adult runner looking to do well in the marathon and not blow up their lives at the same time. I have yet to test the system in my own life, but Jay has clearly written this book with the busy adult runner in mind on each and every page. The bulk of the book is Jay walking you through every day of the SMT system. It's like having a coach give you the week's training complete with common questions and how to adjust your training when life intervenes. Get sick? He tells you what to do. Up all night with a sick kid? He's got it covered. Stressed at work because of that big presentation? Jay talks you through that as well. Reading through the book Jay repeats the major principles of his training system over and over. Some may view this as overly repetitious. I see it as reinforcement for when things get hard. A good coach doesn't change what he or she is saying from week to week. They have a consistent philosophy and stick to it. Jay is one of those coaches. This also serves to remind us that it is one thing to read about keeping your easy days easy and a completely different thing to actually do it in training. Jay's persistence is working to keep us honest when he cannot physically be there to tell us to slow down.
The book also has sections on being a self coached runner, tweaking the system to fit your life, and a how to recover properly from the marathon. A good chunk of the second half of the book is the geek out section, where subject matter experts delve deeper into the science behind the training. Some of this is hard to follow simply because each section is written by a different expert. Each of them have their own style and level of depth. Going from choosing a mantra to use on yourself to carbohydrate oxidation takes some mental agility as a reader.
Overall this is a great book, although I am a little disappointed that I have to go online to find the SAM routines; they should have been included in the book. Having access to them online is nice but I'd rather have them right there with the book. The only other issue I have with the book is Jay's use of Yasso 800s. In my opinion these workouts have no place in a marathon training system and there is no scientific evidence to support using the workout for predicting your marathon time/pace. Running a half marathon and using the VDOT or McMillan calculator is a better option. That said this is still a great training book for folks with a lot going on in their lives. I'll follow the system, with my own tweaks, this fall and see how it goes. Jay says in the book to follow it to the letter but there is not a single coach or training program that I agree with 100%. This training will give most people an 80% solution for their marathon training. The other 20% will most likely have to come from conversations with a coach. Which are a lot more expensive than this book.
The book also has sections on being a self coached runner, tweaking the system to fit your life, and a how to recover properly from the marathon. A good chunk of the second half of the book is the geek out section, where subject matter experts delve deeper into the science behind the training. Some of this is hard to follow simply because each section is written by a different expert. Each of them have their own style and level of depth. Going from choosing a mantra to use on yourself to carbohydrate oxidation takes some mental agility as a reader.
Overall this is a great book, although I am a little disappointed that I have to go online to find the SAM routines; they should have been included in the book. Having access to them online is nice but I'd rather have them right there with the book. The only other issue I have with the book is Jay's use of Yasso 800s. In my opinion these workouts have no place in a marathon training system and there is no scientific evidence to support using the workout for predicting your marathon time/pace. Running a half marathon and using the VDOT or McMillan calculator is a better option. That said this is still a great training book for folks with a lot going on in their lives. I'll follow the system, with my own tweaks, this fall and see how it goes. Jay says in the book to follow it to the letter but there is not a single coach or training program that I agree with 100%. This training will give most people an 80% solution for their marathon training. The other 20% will most likely have to come from conversations with a coach. Which are a lot more expensive than this book.
December 16, 2016
Would rate this book between 4 and 5 - too much repetition when describing week plans, but Geek Out section is definitely worth 5.
While my coach has different view on marathon training I still got information about his ideas and reasoning behind training during each week and that is more valuable than simply getting plan and using it - you want to understand rational behind exercises and their place.
While my coach has different view on marathon training I still got information about his ideas and reasoning behind training during each week and that is more valuable than simply getting plan and using it - you want to understand rational behind exercises and their place.
February 19, 2025
Seems good. I'll put it into practice to train for a marathon this year.
It is absolutely batshit insane that the book stresses the importance of pre- and post-run workouts, and rope stretching, and at no point in the book details what those are.
I had to parse through youtube videos to note down the recommended exercises.
It is absolutely batshit insane that the book stresses the importance of pre- and post-run workouts, and rope stretching, and at no point in the book details what those are.
I had to parse through youtube videos to note down the recommended exercises.
February 14, 2018
Really good material (training, exercising, planning) for busy adults that want to do well racing in a marathon (26.2 miles/42.2 km).
May 16, 2019
3.5 stars.
June 15, 2019
I'd like to give it 5 stars, but I'd have to go through a training cycle with it to really know. But I was very impressed with the content, how it was laid out, and the book's perspective.
October 16, 2021
This book helped me take 40+ minutes off my marathon PR and snag my BQ! I refer back to it regularly as the fundamentals and the workouts are evergreen. Highly recommend!
January 15, 2017
If you are looking for a marathon training program that provides in-depth explanations and rounds out running with strength and mobility training, this is your book. The book reads like someone coaching you (not very surprising, since Jay is a coach). He uses repetition to continually reinforce salient points. Can't wait to try out the program for my first marathon this coming fall.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews