per cent or three per cent increase might be more appropriate.In addition to following a hard day/easy day approach, or more likely a hard/easy/easy pattern, many top runners use a system where they scale back their weekly mileage by 20 to 40 per cent

, the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that Dutch men who ate the most chocolate had a 47 per cent lower mortality rate over 15 years than a similar group that consumed little chocolate. In June, the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology published a

on the back of an envelope. In 1886 a British man, Walter George, ran a 4:12.8 mile. The mile record dropped by a little more than 13 seconds in the 68 years leading up to Bannister's 3:59.4. In the 50 years since Bannister, the record has dropped another 16

the final miles of a marathon, you should be able to run faster.This extract is from The Runner's World Complete Book of Running by RW USA Editor Amby Burfoot.

’t like loose ends like this. It demands results backed by physiological explanations, or at least solid hypotheses.“This happens all the time in science,” Ivy says. “It was a long time before we could explain why caffeine improves endurance performance

or she planned. You won't either. Stuff happens, life gets in the way, but you can deal with it as long as you stay focused on the big picture. Shrug off the bad days, get back on the programme, and you'll still achieve your goals. Remaining persistent

runners drink 400ml to 800ml per hour. His advice sparked a storm, as it was basically 50 per cent lower than the widely quoted recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Association of Athletic Trainers, and other sports