've no idea how quickly I'll recover."– Soon to be skinnyYour best answersYou need more post-marathon recoveryThere's no point. You will get round, but you won't do yourself justice. The rough rule of thumb is that you need one day's recovery (that doesn

as you get older. Comparing notes with some V60s a few weeks back, most of us found that running a flat-out 10 mile or half marathon can take up to two weeks' recovery before any hard speed work. – Johnny JNote every niggle and work on preventionI suppose

story began four months ago, when forum member 200 Minutes, better known at home in Exeter as Dave Moulder, wasn’t feeling well. Really, really not feeling well.Dave was a healthy family man: an experienced marathoner who ran most days, didn't smoke

"I have to do my weekday and some weekend runs in the evening (7-8 o'clock-ish). The nights after my runs I don't sleep very well. I've stopped using recovery drinks because I thought they were keeping me awake, but it's not made much difference. I

This week's reader completed the London Marathon using a run/walk strategy – but she now wants to cut out the walks altogether, and it's not proving too easy. Can you offer any advice? "I'm getting really annoyed with myself. I trained for FLM using

have to do it during the session, and this can have a major impact on your time. People say they want to conserve energy before a race, but I read somewhere that the body (liver) stores up to about 2,000 calories in glycogen. At marathon pace

This week's problem may sound extreme, but it's one that many enthusiastic runners or marathon trainees can relate to. In short, how much training is too much? And when you feel you're overdoing it, do you really have to stop completely for a bit

, but when I take a day off my appetite drops and I feel sluggish. After four years of running I've done two marathons, 3:58 and 3:41, so surely I'm doing something right?" – Little LizardYour best answersIf you feel fine, you're getting enough restIt depends

if there are any complications. Good luck! – Angie JacksonI ran during two pregnancies. If you've always been a runner, carry on. I ran three half-marathons when pregnant, finishing when I was six and a half months, as it got too uncomfortable. Just lower your

With spring marathon training well underway, the cross-training question is heavy on our minds. Do we really have to do it – and if so, what kind and how much? Is it enough to trot up the escalator once a week, or, horrors, do we have to hit the gym