Q I’m 35 years old, and have recently been told that the intermittent hip pain that has affected me for a year could be arthritis, and that I should stop running. While I accept that a marathon is out of the question, is it really the end of my

Q I’m 48 years old, and thanks to the training I’ve been doing for my first marathon I’ve gone down a dress size and feel great. I’m currently running 11-minute miles, and have just run my first marathon, but I really want to know what sort

Q. I’m a novice runner and I am working my way up to 30 minutes of running at 12-minute/mile pace. I plan to stick at 30 minutes for one month, then start adding some speed before a 5K. What would be the best speedwork for me?A. Begin your

Q. I really enjoy half-marathons and long runs, but rather than step up to a marathon I’ve decided to go to an extreme and attempt to run from John O’Groats to Lands End (the JOGLE) next August. If I do, I’d like to cover 40 miles a day

Q I like to use an elliptical trainer for cross-training when I’m injured. How do I best use it to maintain aerobic fitness and fast leg turnover?A Among all cross-training machines, elliptical trainers provide the closest approximation to running

Q I’ve bought some new shoes which give me blisters on the inside of the arches on both feet. My previous shoes were fine, and the new pair are designed to offer excellent foot support. So have I just chosen the wrong ones? I’m 12.5st and I run

Q Can you explain why I seem to suffer from pins and needles in my left foot when I’m out for run? It can strike at any time, and if I continue running my whole foot goes numb. But as soon as I stop, the problem disappears.A Pins and needles

. But this obviously requires surgery, which can be painful and may prevent you from running for several weeks, and I would suggest that you try to avoid this if possible. Before considering surgery, try placing padding around the lump. Fashion some felt and strapping

no longer carries out heel trims, and my foot is so painful that I fear I’ll have to give up running. Is there anything I can do? A From the description of your symptoms (stiff heels) and the operation you underwent (heel trim) it sounds as though your

is the better of the two. The problem could be that your lateral ligament, or iliotibial band, is being overloaded. If so, it could certainly be a biomechanical problem. You should, therefore, have your running style and biomechanics assessed.The really