your focus on maintaining a steady pace. Dr Fletcher advises, "Once you're in the race, switch to auto-pilot and just do the job. Rhythmic breathing and counting strategies are useful for dissociation from any pain you're feeling.'In The Middle

and recovery time? Running the same distance at the same pace all the time means you'll be working a limited range of muscles in a narrow cardiovascular range - and you'll probably be bored, too. Calculating how much recovery you need requires constant

your body to go at race pace without risking injury.Phase 3: Anaerobic action Race day's getting closer, so put fire in your belly and speed in your legs with short, sharp sprints that simulate racing. Carry on with the tempo runs, but as you take

into beautiful countryside - make sure you save your legs for the notorious long incline at halfway and a cruel, short sharp final ascent that could put the brakes on a sprint finish.That said, with the right pacing, some runners have found themselves on course

through their paces. On the one-lap course you'll scale hills, dive into a ravine and wriggle under camouflage netting, all while dodging rocks and muddy puddles.Trail shoes might be a good idea, and you'll need suitable kit – the GRIM 8 is not the place

sandwiches. Another attraction is our experienced RW pacing team, who will be at Blackpool ready to lead groups around the course to come home in a variety of target times.Belvoir Challenge 26 (Leicestershire, February 28) Good for: hardy runners with a

James's Park and Green Park. Lucky entrants will be close up to London’s landmarks at a faster pace than the hordes of tourists – runners will pass Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial

music festival. The off-road circuits at Eastnor Castle are used by Land Rover to put new models through their paces, and are some of Britain’s most challenging all-terrain tracks. With an undulating course over seven miles of rough footpaths, tracks

. The single-lap course is gently undulating, following the Arboretum's well-kept and traffic-free gravel trails – and if you’re not up to a PB, not to worry – the surroundings are more than enough to tempt runners to take the race at a slower pace. When

? JanuaryThe New Year Box Hill Knacker Cracker 10K packs in four 'ruddy great hills' including a lung-bursting series of steps and a thrilling final descent to the finish line. But whatever race pace you reach on January 1, you'll have plenty of company