For most runners, doubles are a foreign concept, assumed to be the province only of those cranking out 100-mile weeks. I would like to convince you to think otherwise. Intelligently adding some double days to your programme can help advance your

Q I gave birth nine weeks ago, and before this I was running up to eight miles every day. I went for my first run the other day and felt dreadful. I want to run a 10K in a couple of months, before tackling a half-marathon in the autumn. I

Whether it's because you're waylaid by illness, a holiday to Spain or a bout of ennui, sometimes your tri kit ends up sitting in the rack rather than racking up the miles. But it's never too late to return to fitness. "Sometimes it's actually

on Mondays or any day after a holiday. Her advice is to make a weekend schedule, and stick with it. For help, line up a training partner.11. Stay involvedIt seems counter-intuitive, but keeping busy can keep you healthy. Having projects to do gives your day

psychological pitfalls.Problem: You find it hard to stay motivated Keith's solution: Awareness trainingIt's very difficult to keep motivated to continue running if you aren't aware of how your running is going, your progress to date and what factors might

is to stay away from like-minded people that haven't recovered. Don't feel guilty about this. Running requires you to be fit and healthy, and it will inspire you beyond belief. I am training for a marathon, and have not weighed myself during training – and I

Bettag is a Level 3 Performance coach who works at Serpentine Running Club, and who suffered a bout of overtraining syndrome in 2003. He says, 'When I started running I tried to do my own thing, and I experimented with high mileage. I ran around 280 miles

and preventing injuries.But it can be hard to run well when you're recovering from a weights workout. Plus, squeezing running into your schedule can be tough enough as it is. And you probably don't want to join a gym; after all, one of the reasons you're a runner