Robbie Britton - 1001 Running Tips: The essential runners guide

Good advice doesnt have to be boring. Excellent, but boring advice isnt any use either, if no one reads it.

Thats the maxim to keep in mind when jotting down the tips you are about to read (or are considering reading, if youre fortunate enough to be browsing in a wonderful bookshop).

In the hope of preventing this hefty tome from becoming a doorstop or, worse still, a pristine, unopened textbook on your shelf that one hopes to absorb via osmosis, I have jam-packed it full of solid advice and smiles.

If you read, and absorb, all 1,001 tips in this book, then you are guaranteed a new personal best (PB). This could be at any distance or event, but probably not the 800 metres.

A good book is dog-eared and worn. Favourites pages folded down; corners blunted from being carried around in a bag or passed to friends to borrow. My goal is for 1001 Running Tips to become like this too.

The following pages contain a huge number of snippets of advice that come from my own experiences, both good and bad, as well as the experiences of friends, fellow athletes and coaches. Some of them you might already be familiar with, having learned from your own mistakes or having taken advice from mentors, but some will be new and hopefully will help you on your way. To some, 1,001 tips might sound like a lot, but when it comes to a subject that Im so passionate about and have spent years and years dedicated to, the advice comes swiftly.

Over a decade ago I started out as an ultra-runner, who did a bit of coaching on the side. Now the tables have turned and Im an endurance coach, who happens to indulge in a bit of running and cycling too. That doesnt mean Ive lost my competitive edge, or have become resigned to a gradual decline in sporting performance as I move towards the grave, but I have found that the joy I get from helping others towards their own endurance goals is as great, or greater, than the pleasure I get from working towards my own goals.

Running is a simple sport. We choose to make it complicated, but when broken down into its fundamental parts its just one foot in front of the other. Anyone can move from point A to point B. Be it five kilometres or 100 miles if your life depended on it and time wasnt an issue, youd get there.

What I hope these tips will do is make that journey a little bit easier. Good training prepares the body and mind for the challenges ahead; good fuelling makes the miles easier and the right kit can stop your nipples from being chafed into oblivion. So, whether youre just starting out or an experienced veteran of 100-mile racing, there is something in this book for you. I mean, with 1,001 tips, there must be something youve not heard before and, if not, I doff my cap. Ive forgotten at least 200 of these since writing them.

As runners we are enamoured with progression. The real, tangible and often objective improvements that might be hard to find in other walks of life. A time or a PB can be oppressive if you cant beat it, but when you do beat it you know its down to hard work. Or fancy new shoes.

I like to think the reason I was asked to write this book wasnt because of my outrageous running successes (there are plenty of faster, stronger or better runners than I am), and it probably wasnt down to my fantastic sense of humour (although it could be), but down to my willingness to risk failure, chase big dreams and learn from my mistakes. vii

A textbook might tell you how you are supposed to run, eat or train, but I want you to take the advice in these pages and go and experiment. Try, fail, reflect, learn and try again. Failure is seen as a bad word, but its an opportunity to learn and hopefully this spirit is shared in the pages ahead.

Failures, lots of them, brought me to where I am today. Big dreams keep me working hard and doing my best to be a good athlete and coach, but even if I do ultimately fail to achieve all of my big goals in life, having a book published was one of them, so thats a win. Having raced from 3,000 metres up to 261 kilometres in one single day, across deserts, over mountain passes and through cities, the failures have come thick and fast, but the successes have kept my head above water too. Hopefully this book is one of the victories; it certainly feels like one.

There are way more than 1,001 ways to improve your running, but here are the best bits of advice Ive been given, or learnt through blood, sweat and tears, in the world of running. Now go out for a run and read this book as a cool down.