David A. Whitsett, Forrest Dolgener, Tanjala Mabon Kole - The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer

Pros: Inspirational, practical, and readable.
Cons: After you've completed your first marathon, you'll be left wondering, what's next?

Great inspiration, practical advice and a readable format make this THE book to use when training for your first marathon. My husband and I both read this book and ran marathons. We started using this book for guidance on how to start and increase distances/times in running after we got a treadmill. But the book inspired us and we both completed marathons, each on our own.

The book is broken down into a 16-week training program, with one chapter for each week. Each chapter is broken down into a similar format. One part physical, one part about sports psychology, and the last part inspirational based on quotes from people who completed the Marathon course, taught by the authors at the Univ of Norther Iowa.

If nothing else, a read through part three of ever chapter, was enough to inspire us to try. But the pages of the book are filled with practical advice for the non-runner. No prior knowledge or experience was needed or assumed.