with an early-morning drink. Coffee may be a good choice if you’re planning an early run – caffeine can make you feel more alert and wide-awake, and it helps increase endurance – but excessive amounts can increase nervousness, trembling and even trigger

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 drinks

have changed.In the first Olympic marathon at least one runner thought it was smart to drink wine during the race. We're not saying the challengers to conventional wisdom are right – or wrong. Only that their ideas are worth considering, because

them to eat more; men, it turns out, aren't as susceptible to these changes.If you've just finished a three-hour run, you need a recovery meal containing carbs and protein, such as a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice, to restock energy

integrate repetition/interval work into your training, or even better, a mix of tempo and interval work. For example, 10 minutes tempo, then five-six x 800 at half PB speed, followed by a short recovery. Finish with another block of tempo work. You should

cent solution. Mid-race treats are great, but avoid too much fat – it’s hard to digest. Consider a carbo/protein recovery drink at transitions in long races; it’ll help your muscles survive. They’re a bit heavy to drink before a run, but fine before a

, and most runners still don’t do it right.”There are many questions about the long run, including the big four: Why? How? How fast? And how often? We’ll answer those, and take a look at related issues such as eating and drinking, rest and recovery and fat

to a fast recovery. (Some of the sections are geared towards the London Marathon, but you can carry the principles anywhere.)MondayMind Focus on miles 1-5 of the Marathon. Prepare for taking anywhere from 2-10 minutes to cross the start line

tips? Should I skip breakfast, or eat something small and easily to digest, like a banana?Also, in terms of water, I tend just to drink from my own water bottle and don't bother with water stations at races. Could I perform better if I took on more

will need to refuel, so take carbohydrate snacks and/or drinks with you.You should also consider regularly adding a short endurance run off these longer bike sessions to develop the ability to move from biking to running. These do not need to be fast