endurance event," says Horne. "Besides just feeling more rested and ready to tackle the day ahead, adequate sleep – at least seven hours, uninterrupted – can make a big difference in your recovery."Sleep is divided into five stages – the first four

endurance event," says Horne. "Besides just feeling more rested and ready to tackle the day ahead, adequate sleep – at least seven hours, uninterrupted – can make a big difference in your recovery."Sleep is divided into five stages – the first four

sunglasses) to help you reset your biological clock more quickly. Early morning walks are best for this. Do not overdo any exercise because at this stage you should be following a tapering programme as race-day approaches. BlistersIf you develop a blister

and trails conducive to enjoyable running. Once you get past the difficult early stage of your return, which should really just be an easy run every couple of days, try to develop a ‘shape’ to your training. The RW half-marathon schedules will be ideal

outdoors in the sun (without sunglasses) to help you reset your biological clock more quickly. Early morning walks are best for this. Do not overdo any exercise because at this stage you should be following a tapering programme as race-day approaches

UAN: Article type:--Knowledge is power, in running as in any other pursuit. The more you know about training, nutrition and health, the better you’ll be at getting the most from your running, whether that means fitness, weight loss, great race

, applied physiologist at Bath University's Human Performance Centre. "Understanding the physiological processes that occur during the different stages of a marathon gives runners a better grip of the underpinnings of strategy and training and can take

fatigue, breathlessness, pale skin, increased sensitivity to cold and hair loss.Runnersworld.co.uk reader Eimear McCann experienced similar problems training for this year's Dublin Marathon. In the build up to the race she began to feel increasingly

the burn in my throat tricked my mind into thinking I'd just nipped into the garden for a quick fag. – orbital sanderPursue a PB for an added incentiveI went for six months without then had a couple the night before a 5K race. I added a minute and a half

-to-day level before it gets to that stage," says Shah. "Running is ideal because it's so accessible and achievable – and the mountain of scientific evidence pointing towards its stress-busting properties is growing by the day." Runner's high - fact or fiction