makes fast runnersAs with many new runners, the idea of upping my pace until I was out of my comfort zone, let alone setting foot on a running track, filled me with dread. The idea of lung-bursting, vomit-inducing speed sessions obviously didn’t appeal

-old I'd won the English Schools' 5,000m championships on the track, and held high hopes of representing my country. Sadly I broke my foot, and had to give up track racing. Instead, I took to the roads and discovered I had a talent for marathon running

should be done as genuine recovery runs, but I see so many club runners doing them as steady runs – it puts you on a fast track to fatigue and over-training." Slow it down – use a heart-rate monitor, train with a plodder or take in some chilled, view

When? September 14 Why? With a route taking in Victorian follies and a Saxon fort, get lost on the tracks and trails through the private woodland of Eridge Park. 94 100 39 ratings13 Rhayader 'Round the Lakes' 20 , PowysWhen? March 15Why

, calls a 'pain community' – a running club, workout group or training partner that pushes you to run harder. A pain community can teach you to handle suffering by guiding you through a set of intense physical rituals, whether they are Tuesday track

basis – and that's not easy. So to stay on track, dieters develop a workout routine (that often includes lots of steady, slowish runs) and then stick to it no matter what. "People are comfortable doing what they know," says Pete McCall, an exercise

track. The unit is also compatible with a bike's cadence sensor. You can download sessions to your computer in order to pore over them, if that's the sort of thing you're into. We tried out the 405CX and, like most Garmin owners, already can't imagine

When? June 14Makes the top five for the third year running, with participants raving about the slick organisation, the stunning scenery and the challenge posed by the numerous tracks and trails through the woods and parkland along the route.YOU SAY "The

for the Paris Marathon on April 10.Read the whole forum debateQ. With five weeks to go to the Virgin London Marathon, my training was on track for close to a 3:15 race. However, I picked up a knee injury and have only managed a couple of runs since. I've been

the right thing". That really helped.The 6.55-mile course was mostly off-road, gravel, rocky, rutted track, some grassland and some concrete path. It was also mainly flat apart from one short concrete hill, which went straight up and then straight back down