embarrassingly short while out in the wild. Some have the forethought to tuck some tissue paper into their shorts before leaving the house, but if you’ve ever had to find a patch of wet grass or prickly dry leaves, then you might like the Ortlieb T-Pack (£20
eventually add hills to a programme as you advance beyond the beginner stage, start with some slight inclines; save the mountains for the future. Be particularly careful to avoid pounding on the descents. As with flat running, hills that feature grass
't going to be any traction issues so you can just grit your teeth and keep on plodding. Off-road you constantly need to look a few yards ahead to pick out the best line or see where it’s less slippy (look for grass or fallen leaves and avoid wet mud
failed to dampen spirits or detract from the carnival atmosphere, but it did put some of the more flimsy costumes to the test. This year's fancy-dress theme was exotic places and islands, and looking around I noticed that my grass skirt and plastic flower
in the final week can help to turn your legs over. However, I would not suggest you run the reps at maximum speed - run at race pace or just a little faster. You could also stay off the track and do 90-second bursts of controlled running on the road or grass
. Furthermore, always make sure you are wearing well-cushioned shoes and perform the drills on a yielding surface, such as a running track, sprung floor or even grass - as long as the ground is flat and not too hard.Nor is it wise to get explosive without
running on grass."Blakemore's knees have been problematic in the past, and a long spell away from sport inspired his triathlon ambition. "A couple of years ago I had a nasty knee ligament injury," he says. "I was pretty much sidelined from all competitive
to motivate even the most jaded athlete. Try open countryside such as a trail with grass, gravel, mud or mossy forest floor to get started.Core valuesRocks, hills and slippery mud are perfect terrain for giving your core muscles a workout, leaving you stronger
by grass in the run section. "Crossing a field in a racing chair can really mess you up," he says. He'd also like to see wheelchair users separated from runners at crowded races. "A racing chair is typically faster than your average age-grouper," he says
or even on grass verges behind the supporters. I took the opportunity to go "off road" and passed dozens of people at the same time. In hindsight I think that this is why my time chip didn’t work. If I missed a mat sensor on the course while overtaking - I
