slice of toast or half a bagel. Alternatively, a few swigs of a sports drink can give you a quick boost – these are easier to digest than solid food, and are a good source of carbohydrate if you can’t stomach anything more substantial.Keeping hydrated

it all or choking, I probably don't need the water. For longer races I usually stop drinking a couple of hours before the race, then have a bottle of isotonic drink within 10-15 minutes of the start. This means it doesn't have time to end up in my bladder

confidence and persuade her to sport her trainers once more?“I started competing in March this year at the Liverpool Half-Marathon. I was really pleased with a time of 2:06 and felt like a proper runner. I was confident I could do two hours on Sunday

products on the marketI manage about 300-500ml sports drink in a marathon and maybe a few sweets. Some energy gels have to be taken with water, others can be tolerated without. In theory you also need to eat within 20 minutes of a long run - if you can

Ready, steady… goStart slow. You will feel lousy before the marathon because of tapering, then when you start you’ll suddenly feel wonderful. Your body hasn't really changed so don’t revise your target pace because you feel good at mile five, or 10 or 15. You