at Sports-Nutritionist.com. "Then you need to take in foods that give you the fuel to perform your best." Here's how. Calories are based on a 68kg athlete.Picture credit: Sue TallowEasy Spin or RunCalories: 200 to 300 Time before: 30-45 minutes

training plan, diet and race-day strategy. "Every race is a puzzle," says coach Jeff Horowitz, author of My First 100 Marathons (£15.99, Skyhorse Publishing). "Look for clues to solve it." Did you rest enough during your taper? Did you go out too fast? Did

. Another energy bar for runners who want something that tastes like a sweet.Contact Boots stores nationwideHigh Five Energy Bar – £1.10Weight 65g; Calories 211; Carbs 48.7g; Protein 2g; Fat 0.9g; Fibre 3.1g.Main Ingredients Mixed dried fruits, oats

of the participants running a 62-mile race consumed 14,000 millilitres of liquid; another who ran only 26 miles, drank only 280 millilitres. The latter runner, not surprisingly, showed the most loss of vascular fluid, resulting in thickened blood plasma and impaired

turns of your pedal for 60 seconds.)Focus on taking on board 50-70g of carbohydrate for each hour of the ride (100-150ml of sports drink every 15 minutes).Top Tip If you take on board the right amount of food and don't ride in too high a gear, you can

at mile 14 and I was quite upset that I had missed her.  The last time I had done a marathon in 2005 she had missed passing me a sports drink at mile 17 because she had gone shopping for shoes and forgot the time! Well this time it was just too many

of caffeine drinkers, who downed 1.4mg of caffeine per pound of body weight (a 355ml coffee for a 68kg person), had a 1.2 per cent improvement in an 8K race. "They were able to maintain a higher intensity without undue fatigue," says study author Dr Michelle

and music, and fields of up to 10,000 runners. Still, there are advantages in going small, too: you’ll probably find that a low-key event is easier in terms of travel and getting to the start, for instance.Races are usually advertised in local sports centres

."NUTRITIONPass on the extra carbsBread, bagels, pasta, potatoes and pancakes - you just can't get enough, right? Wrong, says sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, author of Nancy Clark's Food Guide for New Runners (£12.95, Meyer & Meyer Sport). Running two or three miles

of caffeine drinkers, who downed 1.4mg of caffeine per pound of body weight (a 355ml coffee for a 68kg person), had a 1.2 per cent improvement in an 8K race. To read the full article (including a breakdown of how much caffeine could be in your favourite hot