a mild hypoglycaemic reaction after prolonged exercise. The body’s energy-producing systems sometimes fail to keep pace with the demands placed on them, and blood-sugar levels fall low enough to make you feel faint, clammy and tight in the stomach

, and arranged an emergency contact for you all to ring if the plan goes awry.Race-day kit list Vest or shirt with race number pinned to it Race-day shoes with ChampionChip properly taped to it; socks Shorts and/or tights to run in Optional light gloves, gilet

Q. Whenever I race, I find that I feel sluggish during the first few miles. Can you give me some tips to speed me up during the all-important opening section of a race? A. The first thing you need to look at is your pre-race warm-up. If you

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

Before The MarathonYou have no appetite at breakfast You need to take in 400-600 pre-race calories to replace what your body has burnt since you last ate. Because the marathon starts at 9.30am, some runners find they need to eat at 5.30am; others

or warmup suit will do the job. Or you may want to wear bike tights, which warm your muscles without adding bulk to your legs, so you can even wear them when warming up on your bike.Race number (preattached to your race outfit): Pin your race number onto

're not.The Function: Besides keeping your legs warm, the deep-heating effect of embrocation soothes muscles and stimulates circulation on those bitterly cold days.Tight fitForm-fitting, not ill-fittingThe Fashion: Your tri-suit should never be loose

.Kit listDon’t let missing kit ruin your race – here’s what you need to take with youRace number4 safety pins (plus spares)Race T-shirt or vestShorts and/or tightsSocksRace shoesWarm-up shoes if differentWarm-up long-sleeve, tights, jacket and thin gloves

time accordingly. Think about it: the swim leg accounts for roughly 10 per cent of your race, around 60 per cent of your time is spent on the bike and the remaining 30 per cent on the run. If you want to compete, rather than simply finish, you'll need

.As opposed to those who beat themselves up in the early stages, only to find themselves walking the last eight miles, we will integrate scheduled walk breaks into our training and into our race. At the Flora London Marathon, we figure that the ‘Get you