The long run is the staple of every distance runner’s diet. If you’re training for a marathon, it’s de rigeur. Novice runners use them as springboards to the finish line, and elite marathon runners do multiple long runs to improve their times. Even

UAN: 162 Article type:-->Compared with other training sessions, the long run is fairly simple: put one foot in front of the other and stop when you’ve done 20 miles.But its simplicity is deceptive. Like an onion, the long run has many layers; and

It's easy enough to play a song that pumps you up for a few minutes, but conceiving a playlist to propel you through an entire run is a trickier matter, especially when you're going long. "You're building a jigsaw," says Steve Boyett, DJ

as they seek new challenges. If you don't know it already you will soon. Running is an elixir for long life. It wards off illness and disease, promotes virility, boosts your immune system and reduces the risk of cancer and heart attack, but how do you make sure

Q I know that long runs should be run slower than race pace, but can you explain why. I want to race at eight minute/mile pace at next year’s Flora London Marathon, so surely I should train at that pace? Also, if I run a half-marathon in January

to the doctors that had helped me recover that led me to train for and run my first London Marathon – raising money to support Spinal Research. Up to then I had always hated running (unless I had a ball tucked under my arm and an eye on the touchline) – I

marathon, the 10K is still an aerobic event, so training should follow the classic lines of developing and maintaining an aerobic base then adding relevant speedwork on top. The legendary coach Arthur Lydiard advocated building a base of long, steady runs

Q. Towards the end of a long run my heels begin to clip each other every few strides. What can I do to prevent this?A. This sounds like a technique and conditioning issue. Running technique is thought to be a natural activity, but natural doesn

Q Why is it that almost exactly 48 hours after a long training run, and particularly after completing a marathon, my leg muscles hurt most? If the race is on Sunday, then I always dread Tuesday because I cannot walk down the stairs without adopting

Q After a run, I get an intense hangover-type headache that can continue for two to three days, even though I take the usual pills. I don’t drink alcohol or coffee, I drink isotonic drinks when I’m training and racing, and water the rest