comfortable under your belt as your first goal – easily reached goals are the way to go. Start off with 10 mins now, do that for a couple of weeks, than add 1 or 2 mins (or whatever you reckon) a week. You'll improve in leaps and bounds, way faster than you

to be disciplined to stick at it. – Nick LDo you work in an office? Try sitting on a swiss ball instead of your normal chair. It will improve your core strength and posture. Also, I used to have a core of steel when I was a ballet dancer, so a ballet class may

, and partly for general health reasons. But I feel sluggish and my work is suffering. Is there really a point to this caffeine-free lark?" – Jane Hoskyn aka e17 pixieYour best answersResensitising really works, so brave it outI abstain from caffeine now

for action. It's the fight or flight response – your tolerance for pain, physical strength and stamina all improve. When you’re in this mindset, the average runner can be capable of major achievements."Each to her ownSo how "major" can these achievements be

the short-term of how much you do a week. – Wirral DaveRest days will improve your performanceI don't think there's too much wrong with training everday if you enjoy it, but to improve performance you need to juggle rest/easy, progressive build up, changing

, and they can help assess your current position, provide a training plan and support you to reach your goals. Spin and cross-training classes will be an excellent way of improving your stamina in a controlled manner. Also make sure that you're eating a balanced

with mild asthma. You just keep going, and if your chest tightens up you either slow down or stop for a little while. I can avoid wheezing by running slowly – and, as my fitness improves, my threshold for wheezing improves too. The key is to build up slowly

, find that base pace and keep working it until you start to feel the improvement (note how your resting hear rate drops over the weeks as you do this). Then you can start introducing some quicker runs and/or intervals. – Chocolate MooseDistract your

injured. There are much better ways to improve your core strength. I've just finished 11 miles with a pack, and I probably won't be doing any exercise until Monday (three days away), when I might be able to move again! – VezzaIf you want a little more

-twitch muscle fibres will not in themselves make someone a fast runner. The one thing that is consistently proven to improve fitness (and speed) is training. Generally the more you train the better you get. Less is NOT more! Don't get worked up about what your