Runner's World Complete Book of Running: Everything You Need to Know to Run for Fun, Fitness, and Competition (Runners World) [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Amby Burfoot (Editor) "The first step for an exer program (after you get a medical exam) is to ask yourself, what's realistic for me?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Running Days, X-Training Days, The Exercises

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
With all the books on running available, deciding which one to buy is not easy. Look no further; the subtitle says it all. Runner's World magazine's executive editor Burfoot had two objectives when producing this book: to gather the best advice possible and to present the information in a user-friendly manner. Burfoot definitely succeeds in producing an up-to-date, useful guide for running enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Every aspect of the sport is covered, from nutrition, injuries, and women's running to speed/endurance, cross-training, mental preparation, and the marathon. Complete with photos, index, and detailed table of contents, this study is a worthy purchase for all public libraries.?Larry Robert Little, Penticton P.L., B.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
A guide to running starts with the basics, nutrition, training, and avoiding injury and then broadens its scope to encompass such topics as women's running, cross training, and the mental side of running. 25,000 first printing."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Press; illustrated edition edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875963544
• ISBN-13: 978-0875963549
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #664,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book is basically a hodgepodge of collected articles., September 14, 2004

By	PaulB "pbanik" (Saskatoon, SK Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Runner's World(r) Complete Book of Running (Hardcover)

Despite what the title and subtitle suggests, this doesn't
provide everything you need to run for fun, fitness and
competition. While it probably a 3 1/2 *** to 4**** book,
in terms of content, there are more comprehensive books
on the subject of running. This is a good book for getting
a base understanding of running, and it only offers
training programs for one type of road race, namely the
marathon. If you want something that covers training for
shorter races, forget it. That doesn't mean the book is a
total loss for those who purchase it. If you are looking
for a tome on the sport, look no further than Dr. Timothy
Noakes' Lore of Running, which is nearly 1000 pages of
information from a physician who is also a runner. It
doesn't discuss specific training exercises with regards
to weights like other running books, or it doesn't even
mention which exercises to do in terms of stretching/flexibility, nor is there any mention of
pylometrics, which is used by some competitive runners.
The book is fairly narrow in scope, geared more for
road racers of the marathon persuasion mostly. If you
want to run some track race or cross country race, this
book is probably of somewhat limited value to you. Another
problem is the book is fairly expensive consider the amount
of information is provided in the pages, considering this
is basically a rehash of topics already discussed in
Runners' World, along with other running magazines and
books.
The book is organized as follows:

CONTENTS

Introduction.................................................xi

Part 1. Beginning Running
_______________________________________________________________

1. The First of Many Miles ..............................3
2. On The Road With Oprah ..............................12
3. Step into Good Shoes ................................16
4. Unexpected Pleasures ................................23

Part 2. Nutrition
________________________________________________________________

5. Fueling Up For a Peak Performance.....................31
6. The Lowdown On Fats...................................36
7. For Men Only: 10 Truths...............................42
8. Tomorrow's Beverages Today............................47
9. Say Good-Bye To Meat..................................51
10. Buried Treasures......................................56

Part 3. Injury Prevention
________________________________________________________________

11. The Big Five..........................................63
12. The No-Injuries Running Program.......................75
13. 10 Laws of Healthy Running............................82
14. Self-Treat Your Ailments..............................88

Part 4. Women's Running
________________________________________________________________

15. Advice That Could Save Your Life.....................103
16. A Woman's Encyclopaedia of Running...................111
17. Ask Runner's World...................................120
18. To Care, to Create, to Dream.........................129

Part 5. Building Strength, Endurance and Speed
________________________________________________________________

19. Time-Tested Advice...................................135
20. Ideal Paces..........................................142
21. Stretch Your Limits..................................150
22. The Experts' Training Secrets........................156
23. The Need For Speed...................................163

Part 6. The Mental Side of Running
________________________________________________________________

24. Seven Strategies To Be Your Best.....................173
25. Digging Deep.........................................182
26. Smooth Sailing.......................................191
27. The Mysterious Breakthrough..........................198

Part 7. Cross-Training
________________________________________________________________

28. The Many Doors to Fitness............................209
29. The Great Indoors....................................216
30. Running in Place.....................................222
31. Masters of Efficiency................................229
32. Training the Whole Body..............................234

Part 8. The Marathon
________________________________________________________________

33. Guideposts for a Marathoner..........................245
34. Guaranteed Results...................................261
35. Ease on Down the Road................................264
36. Countdown to the Big Race............................271
37. A Tip for Every Mile.................................280

Credits..................................................289
Index....................................................291

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decent, September 9, 2004

By	Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Runner's World Complete Book of Running: Everything You Need to Know to Run for Fun, Fitness and Competition (Paperback)

This is a decent book. I nearly gave it four stars (see following), but it does many things well. Some may knock the book because it has few bells and whistles (i.e., gear and gizmos). However, anyone that has run for a long time will tell you most of the same things that this book does.

I was slightly disappointed that all the photos were "eye pleasing". Looks more like a magazine of female models for TV spots than the typical healthy runner. In some ways, I prefer the old style of James Fixx in the original "Complete Book of Running" (not Runner's World).

There are almost no shoes shown, which is the most important of equipment. This is good. What is shown is the proper way to size your shoes and reinforcing that a runner should stick with what works for that runner and not chase after fads.

The nutritional and healthy lifestyle information is excellent. There are things that a more advanced runner may want to see, but this is an excellent start.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very complete, although somewhat conflicting, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

I often found myself turning back in the book to find places where it gave opposite advice. For a beginners willing to follow almost any tidbit at the promise of improvement, this can be frustrating.

To those new to running who are just looking for more tips: Try a Runner's World subscription first. You'll get 12 months advice, information and motivation--so much that you'll probably realize you didn't need this book after all. (At least Runner's World rarely offers two pieces of conficting advice in the same issue. Month-to-month is another story.)

That said, if you still feel the need to put a running book on the shelf, it'd be tough to top this one. As the title says, it is very complete, and for that reason, one of the best running books I own. Those looking for that one definitive book on general running and racing would probably be best served here.