with your eyes closed," says Robert Burton, a runner and psychiatry professor. Training your brain to help you run better isn't difficult, it just takes a little practice. So to help you, we've come up with 10 mental strategies for solving the most common
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
Running addicts can be hard to take, but being laissez-faire isn't ideal, either. "Competition motivates you, but you need to focus on your own performance, not on how others do," says performance counsellor Shaunna Taylor of the Association
Thompson's eight essential strategies - and log onto the forum this Friday (April 13) at 1pm to ask him your race strategy questions in our live webchat.Picture credit: Mads Abildgaard/Getty Images
yourself to the limit, the only credible option to improve the situation you're in appears to be stopping." Your strategy "There are two essential strategies for handling the pain – dissociating to externalise it and distract yourself away from it
, we have solicited time-management tips and strategies from busy runners everywhere; teachers, lawyers, newspaper editors, television presenters. We asked every time-stressed runner we knew how he or she made time for running. Then we picked the best
and exercise psychologist at Sheffield Hallam University, to develop strategies that will enable him to reach his Ironman goal.This summer he'll take part in small triathlons to become used to the atmosphere at races. "Rob is helping me to develop strategies
When you first take up running, what gets you out the door is sheer enjoyment. It's this that motivates you to complete your first race (and fans the desire to target your second and third...) and gives you the immense satisfaction of putting a hard
