and coaches generally agree that there are three ways to improve running performance: you can increase your maximum oxygen uptake, or VO2max, which measures the greatest volume of oxygen that can be dispatched to your muscles during exercise; you can extend

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

is crucial to improved running. "When beginners get discouraged or hit a plateau, I tell them to remember the time and effort invested and the progress they've made," says beginners' coach Jane Serues. "You don't want to slide backwards, you want to keep

, enjoyable (and effective) way to run. It’s worth a try, isn’t it? Amby Burfoot is Editor of Runner's World US.