“A Comprehensive Guide to Running” by Declan Molony

Just because you can run, it doesn't mean that you know how to do it properly.

This systematic review showed that:

50% of runners experience an injury each year that prevents them from running for a period of time, and 25% of runners are injured at any given time.

Running-related musculoskeletal injuries (RRMIs) are common among runners. These RRMIs are usually caused by the application of relatively small loads over many repetitive cycles.

When your form is wrong, because running is a repetitive motion, you are compounding the same mistake over and over—a surefire way to get injured. So it's important to not assume that you know what you’re doing. Running is more complicated than it looks.

I’ve been running for over a decade, and I’ve made almost every mistake possible. I put together this comprehensive guide to help both beginners and experienced runners alike. The sections are presented [...]

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Outline:

(01:33) 1. Injury Prevention

(01:37) (A) Good Running Technique

(02:35) (i) Midfoot Striking

(03:31) (ii) A 10-16° Forward Lean

(04:47) (iii) Arms

(05:39) (B) Training Structure

(05:50) (i) Zone Training

(09:38) (ii) The 80/20 Principle

(11:55) (iii) The 10% Rule

(14:00) (iv) Where to Start if You're a Beginner

(14:33) (C) Change Shoes Every 250-350 miles

(15:45) (D) Hire a Coach or Visit a Physical Therapist

(16:11) (i) What to Do if You're Injured

(17:45) (E) Runner's Stitch

(19:04) 2. Nutrition/Hydration

(19:34) (A) Nutrition

(20:04) (B) Hydration

(20:30) (i) Are Electrolytes Necessary?

(21:00) 3. Should I Warm-Up?

(21:54) 4. Gear

(22:03) (A) Shoes

(23:02) (B) Clothes

(23:55) (C) GPS Watch

(24:45) 5. How to Get Faster

(25:47) (A) Speed Workout

(26:52) (B) Tempo Run

(27:20) (i) What's the Difference Between Speed Workouts and Tempo Runs?

(27:48) (C) Lose Weight

(28:28) (D) Lift Weights at a Gym

(29:05) (i) You're an Experienced Lifter

(29:16) (ii) You've Never Been to a Gym Before

(30:38) (iii) Can You Gain Too Much Muscle?

(31:42) (E) Temperature Affects Your Performance

(32:12) 6. Sign up for a Race! Join a Run Club!

(32:18) (A) Races

(33:52) (B) Run Clubs

(34:14) 7. Other Resources

(35:39) 8. Questions?

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First published:

August 25th, 2025

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4cHn8NgB9ZdriorrK/a-comprehensive-guide-to-running

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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