On Sunday 27th November I ran my first competitive race (the Tokyo Seaside Marathon — a 20km).

I learnt several important lessons that are very useful for people learning English to.   Links and things mentioned   - Video Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV23MW_-eF4   - Doing English Daily Newsletter http://doingenglishNEWSLETTER.com   - Doing English+ http://www.doingenglishPLUS.com/

Quick! Run! The Zombies are coming!! No, wait… the zombies are “going”. This is episode 41 of the Doing English podcast — enjoy!

Links and things mentioned   - Video Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrScXhq47t0   - Doing English Daily Newsletter http://doingenglishNEWSLETTER.com   - Doing English+ http://www.doingenglishPLUS.com/

Question: What is something you've always wanted to learn just for the sake of learning?

Links and things mentioned

- Video version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfMFa8ywQeE

- Two Step Speaking:

http://twostepspeaking.com

- The Doing English Daily Newsletter:

http://doingenglish.com

An interview with Julian Part 3   This is part 3 of an interview I did for a polish website.   http://doingenglish.com

This is part 2 of an interview I did for a polish website.   http://doingenglish.com

This week’s podcast is a little different.   This is part 1 of an interview I did for a polish website. Part 2 is coming next week, then part 3 in two week’s from now.   http://doingenglish.com

The Love Vein   Ever wondred why people wear wedding rings?   More than 2,000 years ago Greek physicians believed that the ring finger (the one people wear a wedding ring on) was connected to the heart by a special "Love Vein”. So logically, people started to "bind" that finger in marriage.   Obviously we now know that such a vein doesn't exist...   … but still we follow the custom of wearing a "binding" wedding ring.   This is fine when it comes to customs and traditions.   But for you English?   Not so much.   You can also get a free transcript for this episode (and other free resources) by helping me out with my research.   More information on this after signing up for the Doing English Emails, which you can do here:   http://doingenglish.com

Your current position doesn’t mean anything — it’s all about the actions you take from now.   Other people better at English than you?   They’re probably not as good as you think, so stop worrying about it and get on with improving your own English.   That’s the lesson in this week’s podcast.   For more on this — and a story that demonstrates the point nicely check out this week’s episode.   You can also get a free transcript for this episode (and other free resources) by helping me out with my research.   More information on this after signing up for the Doing English Emails, which you can do here:   http://doingenglish.com

Whether you like it or not...   … appearance matters.   Funny example of this. My youngest son had a really cute haircut. His teachers at school called him things like, “little angel” and nobody could ever believe he did anything bad. But then he got head lice.   So I shaved his head.   And the way people started to treat him… changed.   In this podcast episode I tell you this story, and give you a few tips for improving your English based on it.

Are you learning English every day?

Recently a new member joined Doing English PLUS and said that she was frustrated with her progress. Another member replied, talking about the importance of routine. "When you work out your learning routine you'll soon see the results,” she said.

Nothing could be truer.

And guess what?

That’s exactly what we discuss in this week’s Podcast episode.

You can get a transcript for this episode by signing top at:
http://doingenglish.com