Learn to Run

Top 10 Questions Asked by Beginning Runners »

Learn how to run! This article contains the most common questions asked by new runners, and those returning to running after an extended layoff. Includes a beginner training plan (running program) to get you on your way!

A Letter to Mrs. McCarthy*-Part Three »

Part three of a three-part essay I composed for an acquaintance who had met me for lunch recently to discuss “how to run.”

A Letter to Mrs. McCarthy*-Part Two »

Part two of a three-part essay I composed for an acquaintance who had met me for lunch recently to discuss “how to run.”

A Letter to Mrs. McCarthy*-Part One »

Part one of a three-part essay I composed for an acquaintance who had met me for lunch recently to discuss “how to run.”

How to Run Fast–Fast »

One of the more common mistakes that recreational runners make is moving up to long races too quickly. After a few months of running, they set a goal of running a marathon and begin adding a lot of distance to their workouts. That’s all well and good if you’re interested in simply completing a marathon [...]

Speed Training: What to Do and What Not to Do »

Here are some thoughts on speed training adapted from a talk I gave recently to a general audience. [ad#inPost-Big] Do not run intervals too fast. Running intervals too fast is not only possible, but is by far the most common mistake made in doing speedwork. My training logs show that I was running 400-metre repeats [...]

Next Time »

On Sunday October 1, 2006, I ran my first marathon. The experience was exhilarating, exhausting, intense, fun, and rewarding. My family was there and supported me throughout the race and, without them, my finishing would have been in doubt. I struggled for the second half of the marathon (the hard half) and the positive words, [...]

Video: Running on Ice »

There are few tests of a runner’s technique better than running on ice. Being able to run on ice — especially at the speed shown in the clip below — demonstrates excellent balance and timing, and efficiency of form (i.e. by not slipping, energy is not wasted). Dr. Nicholas Romanov (originator of the Pose Method [...]

Video: Children’s Learn to Run Program »

What you are about to see is a Children’s Learn to Run documentary filmed over a 10-week period at the school I taught at in Edmonton. During the 10 weeks, students were exposed to a variety of learn-to-run topics (see running program below video), and completed the program by participating in a Fun Run finale [...]

Do You Need to be Taught How to Run? (part II) »

(part two in a series) ———————————————– In Do You Need to be Taught How to Run Part I, we touched on some of the most common reasons why runners get injured, and concluded that poor running form is often left out of the discussion. That set the stage for Part II: Whether you should work [...]

100 Beginner Running Tips »

Welcome to the Complete Running Network 100 Beginner Running Tips where you will find beginner running, racing, training, apparel and shoe selection, motivation and inspiration and runner safety tips.

Do You Need to be Taught How to Run? »

(Part one in a series.) ————– Do you need to be taught how to run? To many of us, the question seems ludicrous. Isn’t running among the most basic of skills? Is it even a skill at all? Or is it just an automatic thing we pick up naturally? On the surface, the answer might [...]

First Steps »

The boy (6-years-old) is going to soccer camp this week. But, he’s also going through a phase where all he wants to do is act a bleeding fool all the freakin’ time. His mom is on the verge of trading him in, and the coach at soccer camp is on the verge of leaving him [...]

Taming Those Race Day Butterflies »

Everyone gets the race-day-butterflies, that nervous, flip-floppy feeling that keeps us bouncing up our toes and getting back in line for the porta-potty. A small dose of nerves gives us that excited edge that revs up the adrenaline on race day. But what to do when those race-day butterflies wage a full-scale assault? [ad#inPost-Big] Here [...]

10 Ways to Inject Fun Into a Run »

New runners struggle. Veterans get into slumps. We all know them—those times when running becomes more like work than fun. And, most of the time anyway, running should be fun so what do you do when confronted with the running blahs? Look no further because here is the Complete Running Network’s 10-part prescription for injecting [...]