Every good marathon-training plan should ‘taper’ during the final two or three weeks. That means you run less and rest more. For some people, the idea of backing off on their training just before the big race seems counter-intuitive. "So many

The Two Days Before The Marathon...You can’t sleep You should expect nerves to disrupt your sleep on the night before the marathon, so aim for a long night’s sleep two nights before it instead. On the night before the race, eat early, and relax by watching a video with friends to...

Even experienced marathoners can find race-day a journey into the unknown. Arm yourself to deal with the unexpected, though, and you’ll have a marathon experience to cherish. Here are links to the articles that show you how to ride out whatever comes your way before, during or...

« Two weeks to goDuring the last week of your taper, things can get ugly. Two weeks ago, you ran 20 miles in a single run, but now you shouldn’t even be totalling that distance in the whole week before the race. And as your mileage plummets, your

The Week Before The Marathon...You have aches and pains Time for some honesty here. Are your muscles just feeling tight – in which case, get a proper massage – or do you have an unresolved injury? If it’s the latter, particularly if it has been severe enough to affect your runnin...

’ll be working a little harder, but still feeling strong and running at an even pace.BodyResist the temptation to throw in extra cross-training as you tail off your running mileage this week. Tapering means tapering – don’t spend the extra time in the gym

« Three weeks to goThe hard work is now behind you. You’ve finished the final long run and you should be easing back on the intensity of the mid-week runs. Rest truly replaces training as the most important element of your preparations, and race strategy takes on increasing impor...

This week's question comes from a forum member whose event schedule is looking a bit crowded..."I'm doing the Edinburgh Marathon on 27 May. It's my first marathon, and the training is going OK, though I had two weeks off due to injury. I've got it in my head that I want to do the...

GETTY IMAGESRid yourself of any old-fashioned ideas you might have about carbohydrate-loading. There’s more to high-carb regimes than endless bowls of pasta, and done effectively, carb-loading is one of the best ways to get ready for endurance events like marathons and triathlons...

to concentrate on the taper, I am peaking too early and then losing it in the taper. Maybe two weeks walking around Disney getting up early and going to bed late, and only doing two 5 mile runs in the middle, plus a spot of jet lag was not the ideal taper