Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot - Softcover

Parker Jr., John L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1891369849 ISBN 13: 9781891369841

Publisher: Breakaway Books, 2009

Synopsis

John L. Parker, Jr. is one of running literature’s great luminaries. As the author of Once a Runner and Again to Carthage, he is revered, quoted, and imitated. He also wrote this wonderfully accessible, witty guide to training with a heart-rate monitor. His common-sense approach aims to force you to take easy days—easier than you can even stand at first. And mix these in with periodic hard days, all precisely calibrated to your resting heart rate and maximum heart rate, to achieve levels of running fitness you had never before been able to attain. His program is very specific, with numerous tables and graphs for runners of all levels. He imparts his wisdom with extraordinary clarity and wit, making the whole experience one of hiring a wise, encouraging, and amusing coach.

This third edition of Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot brings Parker’s work up to date and back into print. Heart monitors are now cheaper and easier to use than ever, and any runner wanting to break his or her personal records would be well-advised to buy this book and train with Coach Parker.

About this title

About the Author

John L. Parker Jr. is the author of "Again to Carthage" and "Once a Runner," and is a former editor of Running Times Magazine.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter 1:

Give me a month. Actually two would be better, but one should be enough to prove the point. Putting the simple training theory in this book to practical, day-to-day use will require some self-control--not to push yourself to train harder, but actually to do a lot of your running easier.

If, at the end of the month, you're not running, racing, and feeling better than you ever thought possible, send this book back to me, and I'll send you a refund and a certificate of apology suitable for framing.

I'm convinced the approach in this book is absolutely the best way to train for distance running events. I'm also convinced that most people--even some very good runners--do it wrong.

So do yourself a giant favor. Stick to this program for a month even if it seems strange or even silly at times. At the end of that time if you're not convinced, go back to what you were doing before--with a refund in your pocket and my humble apology framed on your wall.

If you're skeptical--as you may well be--I urge you to turn to Chapter 11 and read one or two of the actual case studies of runners who have used this method. They tell their stories in their own words, and you'll find their experiences both instructive and inspirational.

Once you realize from their experiences what you can achieve using this method, you'll find it easier to commit to a program that many athletes at first find counter-intuitive.

And one more thing. Forget all the cockamamie stuff you may have heard or read about using a heart monitor to make sure you're running in your training zone, and other such folderol--some of which information may actually come from the manufacturer of your heart monitor. In my opinion it's an utterly useless way to approach heart monitor training. And it's misleading and will probably leave you more confused about using the technology than you were before you started.

About this edition

• Publisher: Breakaway Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1891369849
• ISBN 13: 9781891369841
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 272