Run Faster Brad Hudson
The October 2008 issue of Running Times has an excerpt from Brad Hudson’s book “Run Faster”, it starts off with this statement:
General running volume - or how much you run - is the most basic parameter of running.
So you have a choice between two hot running books. One is written by the Coach of Dathan Ritzenhein who just took 9th in the Olympic Marathon or you can choose the one published by Jogger’s World called Run Less Run Faster.
I love the similiarities, it’s just like the scene in Something About Mary. There on the shelf you have Brad’s book “Run Faster” and right next to it you have the Runner’s World book “Run Less Run Faster.”
I ordered up Brad’s book.
I think you pooh-pooh “Run Less Run Faster” too much. For people without the time to log in a lot of volume, it is an effective plan to get faster. The idea is not that you can get faster by running less per se, but that there is a trade off with volume and intensity. If you only have time to run 3 times per week, you are going to get faster if you do an interval workout, a threshold workout, and a distance run versus 3 medium-hard runs.
Hudson’s book looks good, but the premise of it is that there are many paths to success and everyone is different. It offers up multiple approaches and methodologies for training, with the basic idea that it is good to mix it up. I don’t see the two books as mutually exclusive.
My main gripe is the title, “Run Less Run Faster.” I understand the principle, it’s nothing shocking, the key workouts in running are the long run, intervals, lactate threshold, so if you do those three per week you get the most bang for the buck.
“Run Less Run Faster” also has you doing cross training two times per week. I am still of the opinion that you are better off running those days, even easy than cross training. I believe if you want to get better running than you should run.
I’m also highly skeptical of any of the garbage that Runner’s World throws out there, you’re talking about the magazine that every year on the cover it reads “How to lower your 5k time in six weeks!”