hours after the race and may linger for up to a week after the marathon. For the first 24 hours after the race, apply ice (wrapped in a cloth) frequently to any painful parts of your legs, keeping it on for about 12 minutes at a time. Elevate your feet

.Wilson: There is no single session. You need a balance, as I have suggested above.Spedding: I never like pulling out one session, but I suppose the 3 x 1M or 6 x 800m, faster than race pace, is the most useful.Anderson: There are two possibilities – a 5K race run in about 19:16

. If your shoes feel uncomfortable, stop and refit them. A minute lost now could save you 15 miles of painful blistering later on.Miles 10-13 You have a stitch. Try holding some deep breaths for a few seconds before exhaling. Alternatively, stop running

and intensity drops off. This week, as your training hits its peak you should also eat a bit more protein, troubleshoot your race plan and choose your race-day shoes.Training ChecklistThis is the final week of big training, with your final long run of between 18

overdoing it:Week 3Your final week of hard training. Aim to complete your last long run (18-20 miles) at the end of this week.Week 2Your mileage should total half to two-thirds of your most intense training week. Your longest run should not exceed 10 miles

at the Institute for Physiology and Anatomy in Germany. Leyk recently examined age-related changes in marathon performance among 300,757 runners, and found that among top-10 finishers, running times slowed by about 10.5 per cent per decade for men and 14.8 per cent