Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing
by Alberto Salazar
with Richard A. Lovett
Ragged Mountain Press, 2003 (ISBN: 0-07-138308-5)

Alberto Salazar is coach of Nike's Oregon Project, which combines his expert knowledge of running and training methods [with] cutting-edge technology to create radically better marathoners.  He burst onto the American and world marathon scene with a victory in the 1980 New York City Marathon.  During his running career, he set one world and six U.S. records [at] various distances.  After a hiatus lasting more than a decade, he made a comeback in 1995 [and] won the Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa.

Richard A. Lovett, is an avid runner and veteran of numerous marathons.  A former law professor, he is now a full-time writer.

In this book, Salazar shows readers how to run farther and faster without the injuries or burnout that accompany over-training, and offers both first-time runners and dedicated marathoners the training methods he's developed and refined in his many years of racing and coaching.  It does not, however, contain detailed (day-by-day) training schedules for (say) 18 or 20 week periods of time.

++++++++++

Here are some quotes from the book:

"... this book is about a more challenging form of racing ... the type in which you set a goal that will take some preparation to achieve."

"Racing for time means training not only to go the distance ... but doing speed training at a pace faster than you will be racing."

"Your goal should be to become the best runner you can become ... and to measure your progress by your own standards, not by comparison to other runners."

"Before taking up racing, you should have been jogging for at least one year and have built up to 20 miles per week."

"To achieve your potential, you must always push slightly beyond your comfort zone.  That encourages your body to make adjustments that raise your comfort zone to include the new workload ..."

"Before we can go fast ... we need to be able to go the distance."

"To be effective, base [endurance] training shouldn't be more than 85 percent of race pace ... more than a minute below race pace even for elite competitors."

"Base [endurance] training is the foundation of your entire running program.  It builds the mileage base that supports speed work and racing."

"Base [endurance] training runs need to be slow.  Very few people run them too slowly.  Many people run them too quickly.  If in doubt, slow down."

"Save the race for race day, and make sure your training is paced to achieve its goals."

"Concentrate on relaxing your arms, hands, and shoulders to keep from wasting energy by clenching up."

"A single [speed] workout won't produce a noticeable effect, but a month of training twice a week has a reasonable chance of knocking several seconds per mile off your race pace."

"Train for speed at least three times every two weeks."

"Calculate speed-workout pace based on your recent race performances."

"Speed training isn't a race.  It works best if done at the proper pace."

"Don't start marathon training unless you've been running at least 30 miles per week for the previous 2 months."

"Build up to a 20-mile training run 3 weeks before marathon day.  If you decide to do more than one 20-miler, keep them at least 3 weeks apart."

Good point CoolHand,

Alberto Salazar (Dathan's coach) and Terrance Mahon (Ryan Hall's coach) are two "hot commodities" these days, and for very good reason.  I've likely read 30-40 "running" books in the past two years (nearly 20 have been documented on this forum) and would love to read about the training plans used by Dathan and Ryan.  My guess is that both coaches are far too busy, but maybe could find a "ghost writter" (like Matt Fitzgerald) to do the work.

I read "somewhere" that Ryan Hall is working on a book ... really.  Not sure whether it will talk about training or about his personal life.  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Alberto Salazar got every ounce of talent out of his body during his glory days by training very, very hard.  He ran for Oregon and later Nike in the days I lived in Eugene (Oregon), so we watched him develop year by year.  Chasing the Kenyans from Washington State University (particularly Henry Rono) made Alberto a great runner.  But ... he burned out and his body broke down (from over training).  Today he is fond of saying "... do as I say, not as I did ..."  Just listen to Dathan talk about Alberto holding him back from time to time.  Great stuff to read ... and watch.

After the University of Colorado won a national track championship ... someone wrote a book about the experience (Running with the Buffaloes).  On the other hand, the University of Oregon has won multiple national track and cross country championships ... but I can't find any reference to a book telling their story (Flying with the Ducks).  Maybe a "fighting" Duck is not as dangerous as a "thundering" Buffalo (kidding).