are generally flat or gently rolling, and are made of dirt, gravel or wood chips. Double-track trails, created for vehicles, are found in forests and multi-use areas, often have a gravel surface and may feature steep climbs. Single-track trails are narrow dirt

work through, or whether you should take a step back, and focus on another race.Roadblock: You're boredIf you look at that 20-miler on your schedule and feel like you can't drum up the will to get out of the door, you're not alone. It can happen any

hill workouts. Don't go overboard though: climbing a steep incline of 11 to 15 per cent is more of a strength-training workout than a running one.Target Heart Rate Heart-rate zone programs are ideal for recovery runs because they force you to maintain a

, so you can test out your trainers on a range of surfaces as it follows trails on farm tracks, stony paths and country roads. Enter online nowRace dates: June 12, July 10, August 7, September 18Lancaster & Morecambe Race Series (Lancashire, June 13)If

’ll have the field of the 10-mile event for company for most of the course.Of course, if the friendly atmosphere’s not enough to keep your spirits up, the thought of the finish in Wymondham’s pretty marketplace will. Enter online nowMad March 20 (Hampshire

heart-rate strap, though it was difficult to get a signal with this. It has a fan, although this was not very effective.Tunturi T60F, £1,500 Running area 51cm x 138cmMotor 2.5HP Top speed 12.5mphContact www.tunturi.co.ukThis was easy to get going

this with some speed, you need to turn to interval training.In an ideal world, you'd be able to use your HRM for every kind of training, but it's less than perfect for short intervals. Imagine running 8 x 1-minute reps with three-minute recoveries. Unfortunately

Studies conducted at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in New York indicate that people underestimate the calorie content in a meal by about 20 per cent - and by as much as 50 per cent after a tough workout, which means athletes often

of an individual matter, varying from runner to runner just like favourite shoes, the following guide will clear up the merits of the various alternatives so that you can make the very best of what’s available to you. (Ratings are out of 10.)1. GrassAt its best

tracks your player can store depends on the file type used. Using an industry standard gauge of a four-minute track, an 8GB device would store: 4000 tracks in WMA  2000 tracks in MP3 2000 tracks in AAC  200 tracks in WAV