VO2 max - the measure of how much oxygen your body can get to your muscles - has tended to  grab all the headlines when it comes to evaluating endurance running performance. After all, it's relatively straightforward to measure, gives quantifiable

quick time, even if you are new to it.If you find the right course, it's a challenge that requires fitness, preparation and tactical thinking. It combines a mix of speed and endurance, and boy does it feel good when you reach the finish line with enough

, 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

one target, then focus on the next, and you'll feel you're getting somewhere.Learn to accept that it's good to hurt and suffer in training. Being able to endure the pain gives you the confidence to overcome it, so when the going gets tough, you just

to progressively give you an overload stimulus that builds speed, endurance and strength.  There are five different training stresses - frequency, duration, intensity, volume and workload. All are important but the most important is intensity. If you train too hard

increases resistance. This will improve your strength and endurance.Build up graduallyIncorporate short amounts of paddle work into your training sessions and gradually build them up; if you do too much, too quickly you risk shoulder strain and injury

injury risk, and includes recovery time to avoid fatigue. Here's how to design your ideal running week.What to includeYour ideal week will feature a longer run to build endurance, a hilly run to improve your strength, and a scenic or social run

to be faster than a thinner runner if the heavier runner has the necessary ingredients for better endurance: higher VO2 max, higher lactate threshold and better running economy. Genes play a huge role as well, as does experience. GGWell, sure, it

Triathlon (sprint distance) will be a chance to record an official 5K time with a truly clean run (no excuses)!It'll also be my first triathlon. OK, it is a relay. So I won't have to endure a completely new discipline like most newcomers, and I

mistake," says running coach Dean Hebert (running-advice.com). Conditioning the mind, he says, is just like building endurance and speed: it requires practice and consistency.Picture credit: Image Source/Getty ImagesPractise no excusesA key aspect