One of the first books I read when I started running was a book called Running: The Lydiard Way
I really liked his principle that first you must build your aerobic capacity and strength, and then you can start doing other training exercises that aim to develop different aspects of your physique.
Lydiard was not right about everything, in my opinion, but that’s the beauty of running: every person is different, and though I must have tested and followed dozens of training philosophies, and dozens and dozens of training programs, I have concluded that the only way a program will work for you is if it resonates with you. Through trial and error, you will reject some teachings from one training program and will use teachings from another training program; you will change and experiment until you create the program that is best suited to you.
If you share that program with another person, he or she will probably not like it or won’t follow it, because everyone needs to customize their own program that will suit their needs. While there are general guidelines, every person is unique, so your training program will differ depending on your body type, motivation to run, experience, and so forth.
I spent eight months preparing myself for my first marathon (42 km and 195 meters, or 26.2 miles). The distance was great, but through proper organization, diligence, determination, discipline, and patience, I knew that nothing was impossible.
I planned to follow the Lydiard method for the aerobic part of my training, which basically involves running at a comfortable tempo and increasing the mileage every week.
This is an excerpt from my first book Thirsty for Health
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