on comfortable time on your feet. That’s particularly true if you’re a beginner, in which case you should build up your long runs by no more than 10 minutes a week, and not be afraid to take one-minute walk breaks every mile or so. Ideally, run on trails, grass

know? I overtook Carol Vorderman at the Great North Run in 2006! OK, she was walking, but still... Lucy's Schedule | Lucy's Training Thread | Lucy's profile (Lucy will be following the sub-5:00 schedule under Paul's guidance as she

muscles," says Bean, "so you don't want to fill it with anything solid. Energy bars and gels need to be broken down in the stomach, but drinks don't." Therefore, stick to sports drinks unless it's after running or on easy-paced runs or run/walks. Try (fat

workouts that will ultimately make you a stronger runner and faster racer. As a general rule, you need at least one easy recovery run after every hard session you do.Fast FixesTo rein yourself in on easy runs, wear a heart-rate monitor on all recovery days

Recovery activity 0-10 minutes Walk slowly. "It prevents blood from pooling in your legs, which can cause light-headedness," says Janet Hamilton, author of Running Strong & Injury Free. 10-15 minutes Drink 250-500ml of sports drink

You might think that running very, very slowly to become much, much faster is right up there with eating more cake to lose weight. For the marathon runner Sue Gardener, though, slowing down has been the secret of her running success. Before she

either focus specifically on the downhill section, in which case jog or run/walk back up the slope, or combine it with another hill session and take your recovery at the base. Ideally, though, you should do your downhill training on a rolling course where

can be very frustrating. You'll want to run faster, as you may find that your base rate pace feels barely quicker than walking. But, if Gardener is anything to go by, sticking it out for a few months before adding harder sessions is well worth trying

As runners, we all want to increase our endurance, but we’re often referring to different things. While the beginner often wants to go further – from two miles to four miles, then to six, more experienced runners don’t see much point in running

. Personally, I think this is a fine way of doing things.The Lactate ThresholdWhen you’re reading, walking, or just running very slowly, your muscles burn modest amounts of carbohydrate and produce modest amounts of lactic acid, which doesn’t do you any harm