. With a sub-3:00 target I started the race at 6:30 pace (to allow for a little slowing), which I maintained perfectly through 10 miles and the halfway point. Then people started to pass me, and by mile 19 I was running at 7:45 pace and still slowing. I

This calculator lets you input an actual race time to see what you should be capable of at another distance. It is adjusted for distance (ie its 10K prediction isn't just double your 5K time), but there are three caveats:It assumes you've done appropriate training for the distanc...

for the monitor, I would have kept going at the slower pace, as I'd always done."Oliner's experience is a classic example of how runners can benefit from advances in technology. Once considered something that only hard-core professional athletes would use, heart

, but your new training paces might come as a surprise too. Before you get started, work out the right benchmarks to work towards by finding your maximum heart rate. If you're a complete beginner, start off with this very approximate formula: 214 - (0.8 x

and then decelerate for 20m. Lengthen repeats Elite tweak Coach Greg McMillan (mcmillanrunning.com) recommends repeats that total approximate goal race distance at goal race pace. This works your VO2 max and lactate threshold. If you're running a 10K, try three lots

at the end. You need to get up to race pace earlier on and stay there. The key thing is to get your warm-up strategy right and include some faster 200m sections where you take longer strides to drive your heart rate higher. Practise your warm-up routine

their running to the next level."PRE-STARTIt's now that the pre-race nerves kick in. But it's not just your incessant back-and-forth pacing that's sapping vital energy stores – sizing up the competition and playing your mile-by-mile strategy on a mental loop can

at the end. You need to get up to race pace earlier on and stay there. The key thing is to get your warm-up strategy right and include some faster 200m sections where you take longer strides to drive your heart rate higher. Practise your warm-up routine

as you adapt.See full threadTrain better with friends: try 'shuttle' runningLizzy B -If someone who is naturally faster than you wants to come along for your slower sessions, don't feel you have to go at their pace. When I run with someone faster than me

I've ticked most of the 'must-do' boxes in my 20 years of running, from 5Ks to marathons, a multi-day event and even a night run. But I've never raced a mile, attempted cross-country or donned fancy dress. Nor have I run a European city marathon or braved a fell race. "Many of us...