that will help you slow down on your easy days:1. When you head out, imagine you’re doing a two-hour run. That’s the pace you should be aiming for. If you don’t think you could keep the pace for two hours, you’re going too fast.2. Learn to monitor your breathing

Q How do speed sessions benefit me? I’ve tried things like 400m repetitions at 5K pace, but as I never seem to be out of breath at the end of the session, surely they’re not doing me any good?A Many people think that they only need to do interval

in the same place, just under my ribcage on the right. I've tried everything to stop it – not eating for 2-3 hours before a run, eating a banana half an hour before, breathing out when my left foot strikes the floor, ditto with my right, relaxing my breathing

MinutesShort on gym time? Follow this advice:1. Cruise Through That Circuit Instead of catching your breath (or catching up on club gossip) between exercises, move quickly between machines. Keeping your heart rate up means added aerobic benefits.2. Wake Up

each position for at least five (and up to 15) minutes. Focus on relaxing your entire body and taking slow, deep breaths.Picture credit: Studio Peter Frank/ Getty Images

Q During a recent race, while I was running very comfortably, my heart rate suddenly shot up to nearly 40 beats above my usual level and remained there for the rest of the run. At no time did I feel ill or even out of breath, but understandably I

was still mortal, and I’ve been trying to shake it off ever since. And until now, I’ve relied entirely upon Buddhist meditation techniques to sort the problem out. First, I tried Mindfulness of Breathing while running. This is a method I filched from the Zen

(a very gentle inward curve in the lower back). Relax your lower abdominals, then gently flatten (without bracing) below the belly button towards your back. Try to keep the ‘six-pack’ muscles, your breathing and your diaphragm relaxed. This should

in case I had hypochondria. I get it when I’m meditating, too. I’m supposed to count out 10 breaths while concentrating wholly on my breathing. If my mind strays to anything else – Ducati motorcycles, the size of mangoes, the Shania Twain video – then I

with 10-15 minutes of easy running before picking up the pace. Combine that with stretching for optimum results.5. Don’t start too fastBeginners usually err on the speedy side of speedwork. Hold it steady, and don’t run so fast that your breathing