reaching the tissues and organs where they're known to do damage.The free radicals to worry about are those that infiltrate your body via environmental pollutants, such as ozone and cigarette smoke. Stay far away from them. And continue to fight them

an improvement in hydration status or endurance performance, but a two-year-old study with Olympic distance triathletes produced convincing results. In a randomised, double-blind, crossover study in 30.5oC conditions, the triathletes slowed down much less

psychological pitfalls.Problem: You find it hard to stay motivated Keith's solution: Awareness trainingIt's very difficult to keep motivated to continue running if you aren't aware of how your running is going, your progress to date and what factors might

, you'd rather be on a country lane or the trails of Mont Blanc, but your urban run means you're burning calories, building endurance and strength, clocking useful mileage and, if you're commuting, saving time and money. But urban running comes

down, without the core strength to control your movement, your quads and knee joints bear the extra pounding of your body weight, which can lead to fatigue, pain and even injury. 4. Endurance As you're nearing the end of a race, a solid core helps

you stay healthy. A poor recovery strategy can lead to fatigue, chronic tiredness, muscle soreness, poor sleep and increased susceptibility to infections and injury.   Recovery in the body involves a complex process of adaptation to the physical stress

was eating a very lean and healthy diet, but I can see now that endurance running without iron in your diet can have debilitating consequences," says Eimear McCann. She has added red meat and leafy greens to her diet as well as using the Spatone supplement

fitness and endurance. But to kickstart a sluggish metabolism, you need intensity. Karp suggests interval training (condensed runs that combine intense efforts with recovery) because studies have found these workouts burn more calories during and after

rate, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and other physiological patterns that help dictate endurance performance. Understanding them can help us perform better.The rhythm methodOur circadian rhythms (the word circadian, derived from Latin,  means

endurance event," says Horne. "Besides just feeling more rested and ready to tackle the day ahead, adequate sleep – at least seven hours, uninterrupted – can make a big difference in your recovery."Sleep is divided into five stages – the first four