Extract from No Need For Speed by John Bingham (Rodale International Limited, £8.99). To order direct from Runner's World for the special price of £7.99 (inc P&P), call 0800 731 0622 and quote 55174-0.Those who know me well know that I enjoy participating in marathons. I’m carefu...

It's a creeping dread for many triathletes. You run and run and run and then you slowly, reluctantly accept that you've stopped improving. And you know that if you push yourself any harder you're going to pick up an injury.Or perhaps you're already finding that you're injuring yo...

Old habits die hard and sometimes not at all, but if you want to see improvements in your performance or make the leap from recreational athlete to ultra-competitive pace-setter, you must address any triathlete transgressions quickly.As my gym teacher used to say, it's not practi...

You've probably had a busy start to the year. Not only do you have to fit training around your work commitments, family and social life, but you also have to decide what training to do, when, for how long and how hard. With so much to occupy your brain, a proper nutrition plan ma...

Whether you're tripped up in transition, or you struggle with the swim, everyone has different weaknesses and strengths when it comes to triathlons. That's part of the appeal - and the challenge - of a multi-sport event. To help make that leap between disciplines a little bit eas...

Monday: three-hour bike ride; 90-minutes weights; 40-minute swim. Tuesday: 60-minute swim; 90-minute run. Wednesday: two-hour bike ride; 60-minute swim. That might be the start of the training week for a professional triathlete. But they don't have a life, and you do. With three ...

It’s unlikely you’ll win every race you enter but you can be a winner every time you race by beating yourself and setting a new PB. Here are nine tips that work.Strong LegsMany runners assume that because they run, they don’t need to do leg-strengthening exercises. This isn’t nec...

Q This autumn I’m attempting my first marathon. My goal is simply to finish, although it would be nice to run it in about five hours. What’s the best strategy for this type of goal?A First things first. Your goal – ‘simply to finish’ and ‘to run it in five hours’ – are two diff...

Painful, paralysing and PB-unfriendly, cramps can strike at any time. "There's no one definitive cause," saysDr Steve Ingham, head of physiology at the English Institute of Sport (eis2win.co.uk). Research in the Muscle & Nerve Journal shows that genetics might be one factor, ye...

Four years ago, Dutch duathlete Huub Mass was competing at world level in shorter events, but suffering diarrhoea and vomiting when attempting longer races. He approached sport and exercise nutritionist Asker Jeukendrup. "He was co...