Q I regularly run hill reps at 85 per cent of my maximum heart rate (MHR) but when I’m halfway through the session, I feel like giving up. What should I concentrate on to get me through the repetitions? A Training in the 85 per cent MHR zone

Q I’ve completed a couple of 10Ks and half-marathons, but worry that I only seem to have one pace. I want to run faster so I’ve tried adding tempo runs to my schedule. But when I make a conscious effort to speed up during a run, I soon find I have

your endurance, you need to become very efficient at utilising oxygen. Interval training is a superb form of developing this ability. This is where longer intervals, run at race pace (anything from 5K pace for 400m intervals, up to half-marathon pace

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

Q I’ve picked up an injury that’s likely to stop me running for at least a month, but as I desperately want to keep up my cardiovascular fitness levels, I’ve decided to cycle to and from work – a round trip of 25 miles. How can I best make use

-confidence. If children have enough space, they’ll be running and walking every day as part of general play anyway. In truth, a child as young as seven could probably cope with covering a total of five miles a day in this manner at their own pace. If children can only

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

Q During a recent race, while I was running very comfortably, my heart rate suddenly shot up to nearly 40 beats above my usual level and remained there for the rest of the run. At no time did I feel ill or even out of breath, but understandably I

. My racing times sometimes don’t even match up to my training times, but I don’t want to give up. I think I’ve got a future as a runner – can you help?A You do not say what age you were when you started running. This could be a factor if you were

accurate? A In general terms, at the start of your 20s, the MHR is about 200 beats per minute (BPM). From then on, the heart gradually slows down, by approximately one beat per year. In endurance athletes, the MHR also slows as a response to prolonged