This extract is from The Runner's World Complete Book of Running by RW USA Editor Amby Burfoot. You can now preview it, free, for two weeks without risk or obligation. All running programmes for beginners are the same: they move you from walking
"I'm out of shape, overweight and I've never run before."Just like the millions of couch-potatoes-turned-runners before you. "Beginners all say, 'This seems crazy. Can I do it?'" says Bob Glover, co-author of The Runner's Handbook (£9.99, Penguin
enough sport. There's only one thing that's bothering you: if running's so simple, why do you have so many questions? You're not alone.Every beginner worries about how to get started and has a lot to ask - about how to get motivated, what to eat, how
’ve already mentioned this several times, but it can’t be over-emphasised. All runners, from beginners to veteran marathoners, would like to run longer and easier. The R/W system gives you a new tool to achieve this. Does it come at a cost? Sure. Your overall
. Scientists always knew that runners with a high VO2max tended to produce the fastest running times. More recent research has elevated lactate threshold to a position of equal importance.Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic marathon champion, and Derek Clayton
