, especially on tarmac or concrete,' she says.'Eagle pose opens them up more, including the knee, hips, ankles, elbows, shoulders, and scapula (shoulder blades), and allows more blood to flow in meaning they recover quicker after a session and remain supple

I hit a section of Tarmac I took along with me half a field of mud, which made me run like one of those  button-shoed string puppets.By the halfway point the good weather gods had packed up their toys and gone home, leaving me with deteriorating

So long as you’re well organised, come marathon day you’ll have nothing to worry about except the few miles of Tarmac linking the start to the finish. Here’s the seven-day countdown that no runner should be without – plus the tried-and-tested route