put it down to bad luck and poor company. But either way, while training for a race I'm almost always scuppered with a cold at some point. In fact, in the last three marathons I've run, I've picked up something in the weeks leading to the race.Two tips

realises that to capitalise on his performance, he needs to plan his racing wisely. That doesn't mean you have to skip summer 5Ks. Like Bekele, you just need a plan that optimises the combination of participation and performance. To do that, pick your

routine within three to four weeks," says David Allison, a running coach based in Arizona, US. So stick to a basic mix of speedwork, tempo runs and long runs, but make some weekly tweaks and adjust these workouts."For example, if you ran four one

on track, with 400m jog recoveries) 7M steady pace run, untimed 8M inc repetitions: 3 x 3K (or 3 x 10 mins), with 5-min recoveries Rest or 4M, jogging only 5M easy with strides 20M. Set up some feeding stations where you can pick up carbohydrate drinksWeek

for a recovery week. If you run more than 40 miles per week, or if you run faster than an eight-minute mile, you can add two miles at a time to your long run. Your long run should make up no more than 30 per cent of your weekly mileage. Pick Up the Pace

Last week we were lucky enough to meet Dame Kelly Holmes and six of her On Camp with Kelly protégés - amongst them the 2011 World Championship 1,500m silver medallist Hannah England and 800m semi-finalist Emma Jackson.Radiating confidence

lactose free and comes in appealing choco loco or banoffee flavours.Currently right at the heart of the high mileage weeks in marathon training, I’ve struggled to control hunger and I've needed that extra boost to keep me going. Skinni Minni Super Slim

.However, what lies behind this bragging is the hard fact that I took weekly swimming lessons for ten years and yet was never picked for any sort of competitive team. I may look beautiful in the water, but I am SLOW. A manatee rather than a shark, if you will

be comfortable running steadily for 30 minutes three to four times a week. 2. Scout out the right courseAvoid traffic and other hazards. Also, shun fast downhill running – it looks easy, but it’s actually tough on the muscles and can quickly lead to injuries.3

If you’ve been training for weeks, you’ll want to make the last workout before your race count. Studies indicate the best way to prepare for a race is to reduce the volume of your running (mileage) while maintaining the intensity. These four