as little as nine miles, which will affect your performance?Here’s why: when your body senses that your easily accessible reserves of carbohydrate energy have fallen to 40 or 50 per cent, it starts to increase its use of fat as a source of fuel. It simply

them; then a five-minute recovery, then two more repetitions with a two-minute recovery. This gives you some of the race-specific benefit of short recoveries, even if you’re not at peak fitness.90-minute long runWhy? Long runs are excellent fat

% Recovery run – dead slow. It may feel biomechanically odd at first, but it’s important. 30-40 minutes.60-70% Long, slow runs – up to 65% the body is teaching itself to burn fat as fuel (useful for marathons). Anything from 1-3hrs.70-85% Fartlek – speedplay

-rate controlled threshold or fat- burning runs and random sessions. The variety of these programme options can be overwhelming, and in truth we can do without most of them. On the other hand, custom programmes and heart-rate-control programmes can prove

but low-maintenance – and none of the wheels are suitable for running through deep salt water. Thinner tyres are faster on pavement, while fat ones are better for off-road grip.Slot-in rear wheels and quick-release front wheels are the fastest

cent solution. Mid-race treats are great, but avoid too much fat – it’s hard to digest. Consider a carbo/protein recovery drink at transitions in long races; it’ll help your muscles survive. They’re a bit heavy to drink before a run, but fine before a

machine that’s high on motivational features, such as a fat-calorie-burning display and – more importantly – the option of linking up to special work-out videos and CDs that control the treadmill. A very stable (but creaky) base, and fair cushioning

through deep salt water. Thinner tyres are faster on pavement, while fat ones are better for off-road grip.Slot-in rear wheels and quick-release front wheels are the fastest for dismantling, while wheels that need spanners are too much trouble to take