by David A. Whitsett, Forrest A. Dolgener and Tanjala Kole I'm loving this. The book is based on a "Marathon Class" offered by the University of Northern Iowa, which was featured in a Runner's World article titled "Marathoning 101". The class has a waiting list as virtually everyone who takes it, finishes the marathon! The book follows the same format as the class: 16 weeks training/16 chapters. Each chapter has 3 sections - One about the physical goals of the week, one dealing with mental tools (my FAVORITE part) and one section documenting some pertinent participants observations. There is also a section to record your own runs/observations at the end of each week/chapter. I skimmed the entire thing when I first got it, and am now savoring each chapter slowly, documenting my progress. (I'm currently training for a 1/2, but the mental tools have proved invaluable.

I'm currently training for a 1/2, but the mental tools have proved invaluable.

Good to know. I'm not planning on my 1/2 until 2010 but good to know this resource is good for the mental stuff. I think so much of running at any distance involves mental strength. Good luck with your half, by the way.