. Palpitations and mild tremors are also not uncommon, but as blood-sugar levels return to normal the feeling usually passes. Prevention is usually found in adequate pre-exercise nutrition and hydration, and the use of energy drinks while running instead of water

to match your training energy output. However, as your training volume increases and then tapers, so should your food intake. Planning your pre-race diet needn't be a nutritional nightmare: here are 25 handy do's and don'ts to help get you started

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's the motto many runners follow when it comes to their diets – and for good reason, since the wrong pre-workout meal can turn a run into one

Is nutrition too complicated? These 10 simple commandments are guaranteed to make you healthier, fitter and faster1. Plan your diet Devise a sensible eating plan that you can stick to, which will suit your lifestyle. Don’t set yourself

quality pre- or post-run fuel for unscheduled sessions.Stock up"When work is hectic and you're training hard, life can get pretty crazy," says Appleman. Stock your kitchen with quality easy-prep basics such as  pasta, rice, beans, fresh and frozen veg

; fry for five minutes.Souper choices Onion, garlic, celery, carrots; dried sage, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, rosemary, cumin, cinnamon, chilli powder.Liquid assets These add anti-inflammatory compounds that help fight post-run soreness.Quick tip Add

-before’ selection. Just ban the word ‘stuff’ from your pre-race vocabulary. The evening before a race, you want to top off your glycogen tanks, not pig out. Since you probably do little or no running the day before your race, you only need a light meal. Besides

to Nutrition for £9.99 at WH Smith and other selected outlets.Runner's World Complete Guide to Women's Running...the essential guide for women everywhere. Running is a simple sport, but it's not always easy to take the first steps towards a new you, so we

with your head means not going out too fast; running with your heart means seeing what you have left towards the end."Make a list - and check it twice Even if you're not normally a list-maker, having a pre-race checklist is a tangible, foolproof way

riding."Butler also carries pre-opened energy bars in a pouch on his crossbar and runs with a waist belt packed with more gels and bars.  "On the run I drink water or a sports drink at every aid station, but I carry my own gels and bars. That way you can