, increase the speed settings to make sure you're always sprinting at 8/10 effort. If you've only got time for a short workout, this short sharp session (10-15 minutes) does the trick. Warm up with an easy jog on an 0.25-1

golden opportunity to perfect your pacing. But watch out for the cut-offs - the finish for both races will close five hours after the start of the 20 mile race. With the ten mile field joining in 15 minutes later, and famously friendly marshals lining

8)Trollers Trot 24K (North Yorkshire, March 14)Trimpell 20 (Lancashire, March 15)Rhayader Round The Lakes 20 (Powys, March 21) The A20 Pathway 17.3 (Kent, March 22) Fradley 10K, March 8 Fradley 10K (Staffordshire, March 8) Good for: PB chasers

Keith's solution: Self-talkRunners need to learn to manage their internal dialogue. The average person has 10-15,000 thoughts every day, and you need to get as many of these thoughts working for you as you can.There a couple of techniques you can try

Spring's the perfect time to pick up the pace – or the pieces – of your running regime. The weather's warming up, and runners' diaries will be packed with top racing opportunities over a huge range of distances and terrains. Whether you're worried

© Getty Images If 26.2 miles just isn't enough, an ultra could be the race for you. Races longer than a marathon, ultras range from 30 miles to hundreds of miles and take place in hundreds of beautiful locations from Sussex to the Sahara

their experience of pre-competition stress. He says, "The world's best athletes set lots of different goals – if you go into a race with 15 goals, then you're sure to achieve at least some of them.' Set a variety of goals to make sure you come away happy. You could

before returning to gentle 5-10-minute running or cross-training sessions. Make time for plenty of rest and recovery while slowly building your training volume over 6-12 weeks - bearing in mind, of course, the problems that originally led to you

of periodisation, it can seem tough between 'peaks'. Runner Lasse Viren, dubbed The 'Flying Finn', won very little other than his four Olympic gold medals, from double victory in the 5000m and 10,000m at the 1972 and 1976 Games. He mastered the art of peaking

Year Box Hill Knacker Cracker 10K (Surrey, January 1) Kick off 2010 in style at this tough trail run complete with killer hills and flamboyant fancy dress.  National Highlights...Lancaster Half-Marathon (Lancashire, November 8) Boasting a pancake