lean back to increase the stretch in the front of your thigh. Take care if you have ankle problems, and stay tall in your upper body to avoid compressing your lower back. 2. Bent-leg standing hamstrings stretchBe thoroughly warmed up before you attempt

, after a 10-minute warm-up jog.Ease into each stretch: don’t bounce or force it.Before speedwork, hold each stretch for 10-15 seconds. After a run, hold each stretch for 30 seconds; repeat once or twice on each leg

and feet. Stretches your hamstrings, calves, Achilles tendons, back and shoulders. 2. Lying spinal twistStart on your back with both legs straight. Hug your right knee in towards your chest, and hook your right foot behind your left knee. Then roll to your

and competitive runners were put to the test. After initial evaluation of ground reaction forces, lower-extremity stability scores and 5,000m running performance, half participated in a six-week core strength training programme while the other half did not. All

without them." Hereare the key core muscles you need to run. Here's how your core works for you on the road...1. SpeedAs you extend your stride or quicken the rate of your leg and foot turnover when you're trying to pick up the pace, the lower abs

crunches, you may find you have slipped into a routine. "You need to constantly challenge your muscles to get results," says running coach Sam Murphy, co-author of Running Well (Human Kinetics Publishers; £14.99). The fix Mix it up. Fine-tune your

Your feet take 18,000 steps every day on average. When you run you'll add to that figure, as well as the amount of perspiration produced by the 250,000 sweat glands on each foot. With stresses like that it's no wonder your feet complain from time

my mileage and practised running above 14,000 feet, but still I'd limped home after aggravating an old Achilles injury. Today I was ready for a charmed third try. I was fit, healthy and confident of a top-10 finish. Maybe I'd even break three hours

....hit the marathon wallWhat's going on? The energy to power your muscles comes from a store of about 2000 calories worth of glycogen in your liver and muscles, which is enough to energise about 20 miles of running. When you run out of glycogen, your body is forced

my mileage and practised running above 14,000 feet, but still I'd limped home after aggravating an old Achilles injury. Today I was ready for a charmed third try. I was fit, healthy and confident of a top-10 finish. Maybe I'd even break three hours