Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: This book is basically a hodgepodge of collected articles. Review: 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
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Good introductory text into running Review: '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.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Everything you wanted to know about running. Review: 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.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A great starting point Review: 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.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Very Interesting Book On The Sport Of Running Review: 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.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: An OK addition to a library on running Review: 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.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Very complete, although somewhat conflicting Review: 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.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Should be air-dropped to all runners Review: 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.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: This book lacks substance Review: 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.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: The best advice articles from Runner¿s World magazine. Review: 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.
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