training so you peak in time for a race. What, when and why?Until the Soviet sports scientists got on board, athletes trained at the same intensity all year round. As well as being deeply boring, the constant pressure and physiological demand on the body

.Although it's possible to approach an ultra from a standing start, most newcomers are marathon runners bitten by the long-distance bug. Training time Don't worry – you don't have to double your mileage if you double your race distance. The key is to emphasise

performance and keep injury and boredom at bay, then variety and recovery should be the linchpin of your training and racing. It’s also valuable to decide what, for you, are going to be the three or four most important races of the year. This not only helps

, just remind yourself of all the tough training runs you've done – the discomfort in one race can't be as bad as all the pain from those sessions put together.'If you devote some time to visualising your race beforehand, make sure to put a special