and perhaps even take your running to a new level.One answer, and a possible way to improve your running time at the next triathlon, may be cross-training. Substituting some of your running with other cross-training enables you to complete extra endurance

I've ticked most of the 'must-do' boxes in my 20 years of running, from 5Ks to marathons, a multi-day event and even a night run. But I've never raced a mile, attempted cross-country or donned fancy dress. Nor have I run a European city marathon

-road terrain is that you are running on an uneven surface, so you need to prepare your body for that," says Barden. "If you were to do all of your training on the road, you might initially feel OK in a cross-country race, but your body will fatigue a lot

and illness. Resist the temptation, however, to put that extra energy into cross-training, DIY or partying (save that for later!). Your priority until marathon day is resting your body for one monumental effort. Even if you haven’t quite followed the schedule

I've ticked most of the 'must-do' boxes in my 20 years of running, from 5Ks to marathons, a multi-day event and even a night run. But I've never raced a mile, attempted cross-country or donned fancy dress. Nor have I run a European city marathon

. The length of time you'll stay at that level will largely depend on how long you've been training and how fit you've become, but now is the time to take advantage of it.Run another marathon? You must be joking!If you crossed the finish line chanting

on a shorter race distance for this spring and postpone your marathon goal for a year.Do you have people to train with?Your preparations will be easier if you can find a partner, or better still, a small group to go out with. The added motivation

Good news: during the next year, you're going to run PBs at 5K and 10K.That's right: you're going to race faster and you're going to enjoy the entire training and racing experience more than ever. That's because you're going to train by the numbers

’s natural in these easy weeks, partly because you’re used to hard training and partly because we find it hard to passively await race-day. But fight the temptation to train more – even cross-training – and don’t take to DIY or gardening to keep your body

scenic route – then try an ultra race. Unlike shorter races, it will feel like a training run in company – until you start to suffer, that is.Cross-Country As a road runner you probably train a lot on grass, but racing on it is a different matter. Cross