Q London will be my first marathon, and after looking at quite a few training schedules, I remain puzzled about one thing. What, precisely, are the benefits of clocking up a high weekly mileage? Surely lots of miles of running will result in an injury. My current routine of two ...

Q Three weeks into a retirement (after 32 years of shift work) that I hoped would see my return to serious competitive running, my plans have been thwarted. I’ve become incredibly heavy legged when I run. A blood test has shown that I’ve a high amount of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, ...

Q I’m a mum of three with a full-time job and I’m training for a marathon. To help me cope with my hectic lifestyle, I’ve been taking Siberian ginseng. And it seems to work. I feel great – full of energy and vitality – even after half-marathons! However I’m worried about potenti...

Q. Whenever I race, I find that I feel sluggish during the first few miles. Can you give me some tips to speed me up during the all-important opening section of a race? A. The first thing you need to look at is your pre-race warm-up. If you don’t warm up and get yourself ...

Q I want to add some fartlek sessions to my training regime, but I’m not sure how to go about it. How hard, and over what distance, should I push on the quick bits? How easy, and how long, should my recoveries be? A A fartlek session can be either the easiest or hardest thing y...

Q In the last 18 months, I’ve run three marathons. As a result, though, my times have gone backwards for 10K and half-marathon. I thought that all the training I’ve been doing would make me faster – what am I doing wrong?A Firstly, you need to ask yourself whether you’ve fully ...

Q I often read how elite athletes train twice a day, and it’s got me wondering whether double sessions can benefit us mere mortals. Is it a good idea?A Provided that you are not already doing additional cross-training, running twice a day can yield improved fitness and race res...

Q I’ve never seen a convincing answer to the question “can bike sessions replace running and still make you a better runner?” For instance, will I be a better runner if I replace a six-mile fartlek with a 50-minute bike speed session, and an easy Saturday run with a three-hour e...

Q I’m 22 years old, with PBs from 16:49 for 5K to 1:16 for the half-marathon. My running is going well, but I’d love to try my local triathlon in August. I already swim and circuit train – my only fear is that replacing some of my training with cycling will weaken me as a runner...

Q After a year of running I’ve managed to tone up my legs and bottom, but my stomach has not improved and remains ‘potty’. I find sit-ups very hard and therefore don’t bother with them. Will toning up my abdominals actually improve my running, and what can I do to improve them?A...