are bulky creatures and marathon runners are frail waifs. Improving your strength will help to improve your miling, but you need to work on the right muscles. As you’ll be on your toes more in the mile than in a long-distance race, it will help to strengthen

, with a pint of water (or a sports drink) an hour before you run, and half a pint for every 30 minutes of running. On days when you run you should aim to consume five litres during the day, twice as much as is necessary on rest days. 8. Don’t forget your

battery life - three times that of the Apple. Contact www.samsung.comMobiBlu B153 - £119 (1GB), £149 (2GB) Weight 64gEstimated battery life 153 hoursRunning out of power while listening to your favourite speed-session track, or half-way through your

, but it does allow your brain to switch off. You can generally buy it from a good herbalist or online. – Nick KirbyDo you eat before or after your run? When I trained for the London Marathon I used to run at about the same time each evening, and then would have

Will Do ItUnsafe if you fail to take your shoes off first, whatever the wash. – The Hoose GoerQ2: Are there any ethically-made running shoes?"I'm after a decent pair of running shoes to train and run up to half-marathon distance, but I'm concerned about

Prix, you wouldn't fill your Formula One car with diesel. Nor should you pump the wrong fuel into your body before a race. What you eat and drink in the days and weeks leading up to an event, especially one of marathon distance or longer

This week's reader completed the London Marathon using a run/walk strategy – but she now wants to cut out the walks altogether, and it's not proving too easy. Can you offer any advice? "I'm getting really annoyed with myself. I trained for FLM using

cushioning, and the slimline design ensures a snug fit around the whole foot, but the T5 is not a shoe to train in on a day-to-day basis. As the name implies, it’s best left for race day, with Brooks recommending it for use on any distance up to a half-marathon

for half of that – or at least 75g – to be consumed as whole grains. Research showed that the average person was only eating about one serving a day of whole grains. The popularity of very low-carbohydrate diets may have played a role in the public's move

| Weatherproofing 9 | Breathability 7 | Comfort 5 | OVERALL 7 Montane Featherlite Marathon Jacket (Women's), £40 Weight: 120g Contact www.montane.co.uk This jacket has been aptly named - it wasn't officially the lightest