. And one who, by way of all that, has clocked up some satisfying PBs this side of 40.So what is AT? ‘The Alexander Technique is about learning to do something more efficiently, with less unnecessary effort and strain,’ says Malcolm Balk, an Alexander

keeping the speed of your efforts consistent. This will better adapt you to race conditions. If you’re aiming for a 5K, you’ll be ready to tackle a new PB at your goal pace when you can complete sessions evenly with just two-minute recoveries.Work slightly

and heart rate go crazy.6. Focus on formSpeedwork improves your system’s biomechanics, so think about form when you run fast. Visualise yourself running lightly, smoothly and efficiently.7. Find the funFaster running is a new kind of effort, but it doesn

those side effects, and make an effort to eat real fish rather than relying on supplements.

. This is why your skin often feels very hot to the touch, almost as if you’re running a temperature, after a long or hard effort. This means that your core temperature is often very different to the skin temperature that you feel. When you return from a long

and effort, it might actually be worth leaving your heart rate monitor at home for a few weeks. That way you can avoid the psychological distress of failing to balance your pulse rate with your workload.—Dr Patrick Milroy, RW Medical Advisor

, with perhaps two 20-metre efforts on each leg.Improved strength and endurance is not something that will develop overnight, but if you persevere with this type of session once or twice a week, you should notice a difference after a month or so.— Irene Mc

’s more, you have a great endurance base which can be used as a platform for your next venture, provided that you give yourself time to recover after a marathon. Six weeks is the minimum interval between marathon-type efforts because you need at least two

to be running about 100 miles a week throughout May, June and July next year, putting in the occasional long weekend effort where you’re running 40 miles a day for two or three days in a row. This is the only way to get used to it. Break the day down into four

high sugar-burning with the use of very little fat for fuel. Hard runs are also a big psychological effort. So, although some faster running is good for our ego, economy and pace judgement, to lose the lard it’s better to put your energy into more miles