react to the gels, bars and electrolytes you use when you are racing at a higher heart rate (race pace) than is usual when you're training. "Practise eating during training. Try to eat what and when you would during a race," recommends Taylor. It is also

says. "If I do longer five- to eight-minute reps, I add some shorter hill sprints, or 30-second sprints just to break it up. I definitely look forward to sessions more now. Doing 10x1,000m straight can be quite hard, mentally." Combination workouts

of some of the country's finest athletes and a sports scientist, we've come up with a list of the most common training and race-day misdemeanours and the tips you need to tackle or avoid them. These people have experienced them all, so now you don't have

.Half-Marathon - a huge milestone Half-marathon schedules Tried and trusted... Our best-ever schedules --> for the half; 12 weeks from sub-1:20 to 2:30 run-walk Essential Q&As --> Nutrition, training, race day and more...The technical know-how --> Pacing tactics

. "For Ironman Germany in 2006 and Ironman Switzerland in 2009, I obsessively looked at online course profiles and listened to banter about the races on the Runner's World forums. My training cycle loop has four climbs that matched those in the Ironman

race. Warm up on the bike for 10 to 15 minutes, then put in three or four 5K intervals at race pace. If you can use a course that simulates your next race, all the better.Arriving back at your transition, do a fast turnaround and head out for a 20

weeks before a race as it will familiarise you with the open-water scenario," says Griffiths. As you near race day you can trim the distances." Warm up with 10-15 minutes' steady swimming - practise sighting every six to eight strokes and swim in a

their experience of pre-competition stress. He says, "The world's best athletes set lots of different goals – if you go into a race with 15 goals, then you're sure to achieve at least some of them.' Set a variety of goals to make sure you come away happy. You could

energy reserves. Robinson notes that even during normal sessions of 1,000m or 1,600m reps he has been adding 5x1 minute at the end - fast. "It's great practice for cross country," he says.Your workout Aim for 3-4x1200m at 10K pace with a 400m recovery

compromising your performance. Jon Alexander explored these matters while he was training for Challenge Barcelona in 2009. His plan was to race while trying to minimise his carbon footprint. He says there are three main issues: kit, diet and transport. Where