If you ask me, the ancient Olympians were a lot cleverer than we are. They had the good sense to run, jump and throw in the nude. When you put anything between your skin and the environment, such as shorts and a singlet, you only decrease your body

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

ran cross-country in. The best are lightweight, soft and non-chafing. "You want the clothes to wick moisture away - cotton holds moisture and stays wet, which causes rashes and blistering," says Gilly Wight, branch manager of Up and Running in Leeds