This week's problem is one that many runners will recognise: How do you cope with being a "beginner" again after injury?"I used to be a half-decent runner. I've run seven marathons with a PB of 3:36, and loads of half marathons and 10Ks
home, so I run in my lunch hour and am lucky to have access to a shower. – SJSGet on your bikeCarrying stuff on a bike is loads easier – I tried it whilst running and hated it. So I combine running and biking (bike to and from work, and run three
limits may or may not be. Try to train (run) as much as you can. Work out how much you can fit in and do it well, stick with it and be patient. Running will get easier and your times will get quicker. – bazzaHard work outweighs genes – only just
, or a perceived effort of "able to talk in short sentences", is easier to sustain, and less likely to lead to you becoming injured or stopping enjoying your runs. – VelociraptorLeave the strength training for another dayDo your core exercises as a
't had any problems with knee or back injuries (I'm now 42), apart from the odd dodgy parachute landing. Once the weight was off my back, I tended to run much faster and easier. It's no fluke that most army cross-country leagues and championships etc were
, and the 4x15 were fitted around commuting – running to and from the train station twice a week. I think all the talk about 'mental toughness' is a bit of snake oil. Ultras aren't that hard. Running 100 miles slowly is much, much easier than running 26
"I have to do my weekday and some weekend runs in the evening (7-8 o'clock-ish). The nights after my runs I don't sleep very well. I've stopped using recovery drinks because I thought they were keeping me awake, but it's not made much difference. I
This week, a first-thing fuel conundrum..."I'm training for a marathon, and I struggle with my early morning runs. I simply don't have time to get up, eat, and wait two hours before I can run. Do you have any advice on food that can be eaten, say
or because you're just plain exhausted, please hold on to the fact that it does get easier. I've got four children and wasn't awake enough to run until the youngest was well past her third birthday. – VelociraptorI have a three-year-old boy and a daughter who
athlete has to live with, but how do you deal with knowing that a niggle may appear out of nowhere one day? I'm just interested to know how other runners manage injury in a way that gets them back to running as soon as possible."– Swan SongYour best
