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We’ve turned the top book on running into a handy Running Press Miniature Edition™! With tips from marathon runners and well know Olympians, this pocket-size reference provides easy-to-follow tips on getting started, picking the right shoes, how to train, where to train, how to prevent and cure common runners’ ailments, and much more.
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June 1st, 2010 at 5:11 am
Love Amby Burfoot!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So I’m not a marathon runner. I run for fitness and because I enjoy it. The RW books edited by Amby Burfoot never disappoint me when I’m looking for information at different stages of my running career. This book provides concise information regarding issues we as runners are concerned about and I know that any of the topics can be more thoroughly researched – If I choose to – by going to the RW website.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:56 am
Very comprehensive and useful
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a very complete book that summarizes many aspects of running for beginners and intermediate runners. It is very well edited and is full of nice pictures which makes it a very pleasant reading experience. I only found it a little repetitive in the chapter about psychological aspects of running and a little bit shallow regarding the last chapter on marathon training. Overall, it is worth reading and buying. It should not be used as a reference book, but as a motivational tool to start, keep or improve your running experience.
June 1st, 2010 at 6:39 am
Answers for All
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Runner’s World Complete Book of Running, edited by Amby Burfoot, contains thirty-seven quick and scannable chapters that describe the basics of healthy running. Topics include:
*Begging Running
*Nutrition
*Injury Prevention
*Women’s Running
*Building Strength, Endurance, and Speed
*The Mental Side of Running
*Cross-Training
*The Marathon
Each topic contains bolded headings that make it incredibly easy to locate the answers to almost any questions you may have about running. Whether learning the basics of buying shoes, to self-treating common ailments, The Runner’s World Complete Book of Running is the perfect reference manual. Instead of wading through pages of useless statistics or boring histories of the sport, this book strictly focuses on the information you need to improve your performance.
June 1st, 2010 at 8:23 am
The best advice articles from Runner�s World magazine.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Middle of the road, middle of the pack glimpse at what Runner’s World magazine does best: steer the recreational and sometimes competitive runner with conflicting advice. That said, there are no surprises here. If you want to get started with running, subscribe to the magazine and keep this book around for general, uncomplicated reference.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:38 am
Everything you wanted to know about running.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Amby Burfoot couldn’t have done better if he tried. This book is everything you would ever want to know and is for any runner at any pace. The title of the book reads “Complete” and it is just that, complete. Even the most experienced runner will learn something new from reading this book.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am
This book lacks substance
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I wanted a book that provides detailed information about things like running training programs, information about injuries, and information about nutrition. While the Runner’s World Complete Book of Running mentions these topics, the information is so watered down that it is barely useful. If you want some serious information I suggest getting Tim Noakes “The Lore of Running” instead. If you simply want to read some warm fuzzy articles that don’t really say anything, then buy this book.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:46 am
Paperback, Complete book of running
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nice update to the hard copy version from several years ago. Well worth the $$
June 1st, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Great for beginners
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just started running and this book has been a big help. I’m in my 5th week and you don’t realize how much you running (20 minutes out of 30).
Before I started the program I was running one alp and out of breath. Now I can do two and 1/2 laps with no problem. I know enough of the infomercial. I really like this book and recommend it.
June 1st, 2010 at 3:17 pm
All kinds of Information
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this book to help me with my running technique. I never realized there was so much stretching excerises, running foods, sports drinks, and all the different ways to make running more enjoyable that you learn from this book.
Highly recommended
June 1st, 2010 at 3:49 pm
A Great Place to Start
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
When I started running about a year ago, this book was my only guide. The book is loaded with valuable information that helped make my running program much, much easier. The most helpful information for me included common mistakes beginners make, injury prevention, and the mental side of running. Some reviewers complain that Runner’s World magazine is better, which may be true, but what first-time runner wants to subscribe to a year’s worth of magazines that arrive once a month and may or may not contain what you need at the beginner level? Burfoot’s book is a great place for any beginning runner to start.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Complete Book of Running
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This book is a complete set of guidelines for all those interested in running for any reason. The information is presented in an easy to understand format which is helping me reach my fitness goals.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:30 pm
An average running book
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This book has nothing new to offer. It contains a mish mash of acticles from many different runners. If you are unsure about how to train before you read this, you will be totally confused after. Different people have different opions on how to train. I would not recommend this as a first book. You’d do better to take the money and subscribe to runners world.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:30 pm
A great starting point
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
An excellent book for those after a general overview of running. I like using it as a basic reference point for a simple answer to questions such as injurys, diet, mental preparation and training. More for the beginner rather than advanced athletes as it gives no information that you don’t already know, but I have found the mental preparation and diet tips chapters quiet helpful. Overall I’d recommend it to any runner in the early stages of their running.
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:09 am
An OK addition to a library on running
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Contrary to what the title states, this is not “Everything you need to know to run”. The book shows painfully that it is just a collection of magazine articles. Like most magazine articles, the content has breadth but no depth. And even though there is an attempt at organizing the content in a structured way, whereever there were no articles there are holes. So if you are looking for just one complete book on running, you will do much better with either one of Bob Glover’s books (depending on your level as a runner). This is a decent book with some interesting ideas and concepts (for example the article on embedded circuit training) that will complement nicely your other books.
June 2nd, 2010 at 2:58 am
Should be air-dropped to all runners
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I thought so highly of this book that I gave a friend my old paperback copy and bought the hardcover for my library. This is a compilation of lessons gleaned from every conceivable mistake made by beginning runners, into real wisdom that allows the new runner to bypass the cost of errors. This book should be air-dropped to all runners just starting out.
June 2nd, 2010 at 3:09 am
excellent book
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m training for my first half marathon and I picked this book up at the library. It’s simple, easy to read and has excellent advice. It’s easy to criticize books that are reader friendly–too many pictures and graphics, not much text per page. I find, though, that books like that are easier to pick up and read and keep reading. I recommend this book to everyone serious about running.
June 2nd, 2010 at 3:48 am
This book is basically a hodgepodge of collected articles.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
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
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:15 am
Very complete, although somewhat conflicting
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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.
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:21 am
Great Book for Beginers and Avid Runners
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well written book on all the aspects of running. I highly recommend it for people just starting out or seasoned runners.
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:27 am
Runners World Complete book of Running ($4.95–one)
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This book is a joke. It is about two inches square. Don’t waste your money by ordering it. The large book which has the same cover is great but this one is a waste of your time and money to return it.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:15 am
Very Interesting Book On The Sport Of Running
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Bought this book recently and enjoyed it. Although I am sold on low carbohydrates whereas this book preaches high carbs, I still found it very informative on everything from picking out the right shoes to stretching to the proper way to run/jog.
The book is authored by an expert, Amby Burfooot, in the field. He is editor of Runner’s World Magazine and has ran several dozen marathons, so I took his advice seriously and all of it made perfect sense.
The book is very organized and easy to read for anyone and flows smoothly so putting it down was sometimes difficult. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to start running or has already been an avid runner.
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Great Informative Book
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a very useful book for beginners or for people that have been running for a while. There is a lot of information on every aspect of running…and more! I like how it is organized into sections and select information is easy to find. There is a helpful table of contents and index. All of my questions about running or that I’ve had while training have been answer in this book. Worth the money.
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:19 pm
The title of this book says it all
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have always enjoyed running and have been a long distance runner since high school and for fun in college and this book still taught me fundamentals I didn’t know before. It’s great for one just looking to start running and can be the difference to really perform your best and improve your PR. I’ve learned what and when to eat, how to use my heart rate when training, preventing injuries and other great stuff. It’s an easy read and provides great advice from professional runners, doctors and regular long time runners. In short, it’s a great coach and road map for your running goals.
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Best running book I’ve read!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This book is a compilation of the best articles published in Runners World Magazine. I loved it and use the information to heal injuries, train better, and run faster. This book contains basic information that other running books eroneously skip.
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Good introductory text into running
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
`Runner’s World Complete Book of Running’ is a compilation of different articles from Runners World magazine. It has 37 articles written by about 25 different authors. While the book has a lot of breath, it lacks a certain commonality between the chapters. Amby Burfoot. The editor, attempts to rectify this by writing introductions and postscripts after each chapter.
With that, the book has a lot of valuable information and is an excellent overview for those that want an summary of the various aspects of running.
On the other side, the book, notwithstanding its title is not `Everything you need to know to run….’. There is a lot of information and details that are left out.
But if you are looking for a good introductory text into running, this is it.
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:51 pm
You’re Better off Going to the Newsstand
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This isn’t a bad book, but it’s essentially for the novice runner, with a heavy slant toward the female runner. Not a bad resource tool, but you could probably look up the same or more current/detailed information faster and easier online.
Essentially, this book is a collection of Runner’s World magazine articles. You’re better off in the long run (no pun intended) just picking up a copy of the latest issue at the newsstand.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Decent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Nice overview
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Written by several different authors with Burfoot as a guide at the beginning and end of each chapter, this book is very enjoyable.
I am a new runner this past summer and I have found this book to be a very helpful guide to getting started. It provides a good basic overview of the important parts of running–avoiding injury, nutrition, shoes, etc.
Because of the format of using several different authors, there are places in which the book conflicts with itself. I did not find this troubling. In fact, I think it led me more to realize that running is not an exact science. Different training methods work for different people. Because of the variety in the book, readers will more likely be able to find what works best for them as they “listen to what their body tells them.”
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Surprisingly-average book from Runner’s World
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Runner’s World has been such a rich source of good reading forrunners that I was somewhat surprised by how ordinary this book is.That the book is a collection of articles from past issues of the Runner’s World monthly magazine shows: the book “feels” disjointed. To the editor’s credit, it is evident that he has tried, with his comments, to thread all the chapters (read “articles”) together, but there still seems to be something missing. If you are a newcomer to running and needs a good first book on running, “The Runner’s Handbook” will be a better choice. If you are already a serious runner, you are better off subscribing (or re-subscribing) to the Runner’s World monthly magazine.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Good info for beginners, but design a bit whimsical & content could use improvement
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
As other reviewers have stated, this is a good book for beginning runners. The tone is positive–in the introduction, the author states that she wants to be your cheerleader–and presents a “you can do it!” attitude throughout. One of the book’s strengths is its emphasis on starting out gradually if you’re a beginning runner. The author is well aware of the pitfalls of beginning runners, one of which is getting discouraged and ultimately abandoning running because of unrealistic expectations. She presents a clear running program that just about anyone should be able to start with. Inspirational stories–including a now-dated piece about Oprah’s first marathon–support the idea that pretty much anyone can train to run competitively (or just for fun). Well, at least if they’re millionaires who can train for a total of four hours a day.
Also included are the obligatory diet recommendations, including a curious plug for vegetarianism. This is where I think the book starts to lose its focus. I realize that many people reading about running are likely looking to lose weight and incorporate vigorous exercise into a healthier lifestyle, but how many times–and in how many publications–must we read about carbs and fats? We get a brief intro to healthy eating, and then the book jumps into diet choices of runners. The organization of the book suggests that you’ll go from novice runner to carbo-loading marathoner in a matter of pages.
I think that the injury section, perhaps incorporated into a larger chapter about running and its effects on various body systems and health generally, could be expanded. How to best deal with shin splints, which affect nearly all beginning runners at some point and to some degree, is barely touched on. Compartment syndrome (which is uncommon, grated) isn’t mentioned at all. I think that more could be said about strength training as a complement to running, as well as detailed information about effective stretching and cool-down techniques.
Major content gripe: An entire section in the Women’s Running chapter (which constitutes about a quarter of the book, so male readers may want to keep this in mind!) is devoted to avoiding the various ways that you can become a crime victim if you’re not careful. It’s a tired rehashing of all the “safety and security” stuff that women are exposed to on a regular basis, usually in women’s magazines or on freak-out local news reports. A cop’s contribution to this section details how to avoid getting pulled into a car and ultimately murdered (his solution: don’t get near the car). I’m not advocating a head-in-the-sand approach; any solo runner should be alert, particularly when running in an isolated area. But jeez, do we really need a whole section to remind us to run in well-lit, populated areas? The number of pages given to this subject suggests that you’re more likely than not to be the victim of a bad-intentioned male at some point during your runs.
My main problem with the book is its format. It is heavy (literally), with a glossy format consisting of giant margins, big text, and dozens of pointless photos. I understand that the book is attempting to be true to its roots: it is published by Runner’s World, after all, and its page design is similar to a magazine. But it’s a book and should look like a book. Even though it’s paperback, it’s printed on heavy stock paper and isn’t the type of book you’d toss into a beach or vacation bag. And the vast majority of pictures are completely unnecessary. Page after page of very fit people in 1990s running garb (it appears that the images weren’t updated for the 2004 edition) are meant to be inspiring but get really old after the first chapter: three young chicks running on a track, a fit middle-aged guy energetically moving along in front of a sunset backdrop, a forty-something gal lacing up in a park. Most of us know what fit runners look like. Do we need to see full-color photos of them on every other page? In the nutrition section, literally half a page is taken up with the image of a banana and something that looks like oats. In the footwear section, we see generic pictures of white leather running shoes with the laces undone. Zzzz….
I realize that this review is a big negative, so you may be wondering why I’ve given the book three stars. There is a lot of good information for people new to running, and indeed fitness and nutrition. But I’m glad that I got this book out of the library–I’d be annoyed if I paid good money for this. The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik, and the old standy, Jim Fixx’s The Complete Book of Running, are better choices in my estimation.