This week: Do you really benefit from warming up before a run – and if so, how hard and how far should you go?"How far, or for how long, are you supposed to warm up before a race? The more I warm up the better I seem to perform. I ran a 5.4-mile

Sub-zero temperatures aren't very inviting, but at least running quickly gets the blood flowing and the body temperature cooking. In theory, anyway. One RW reader revealed on the forum that her legs never warm up when she's running in the cold

was running slower than I could walk up a hill, but I kept running. If you want to overcome the mental battle, leave your watch at home and tackle a new route and listen to music, bird song anything – just enjoy being a runner. Also, make sure you're warmed up

knew me at school can hardly believe it, because that 100-metre dash with no warm up was enough to label me forever as an embarrassment to running. I might easily have gone the rest of my life engaged in no exercise at all, because I'd been led

if RW readers could settle a hot debate in our club about speed work. Our head coach is suggesting a session for endurance athletes, as follows: Small warm up and stretch, then speed work (eg 2x5x100m), then straight into the car and drive home without a

, circulation and overall alertness. Despite being tired from a busy day at work, your body is effectively "woken up". The endorphins make you feel good and can leave you feeling great for hours afterwards. May I suggest that you do slow-paced, short

, and can mean that you end up out of action for months. Having said that, I also think that it's really important to listen to what your body tells you. If you feel like running, go for it, but keep it gentle. You will soon know if it's a bad idea! – vixter

's important to condition your body before you start running. Cross-training is exhausting, and my advice (which is my trainer's advice) is to do gym work first, then run. I use the aerobic equipment to warm up on. – paul johnsonKeep the pace slowIf your aim

race? Can I continue running 40-50 miles per week without risk of serious injury? Or this a stupid idea?!"– Michael FirmstoneYour best answers...Keep up the training, and enter a race evry couple of months to give you targets to aim at. Start trying

, then scrub off the excessive mud. – Man in BlackScrub 'em with soapy water and a nailbrush in the bath, stuff with dry newspaper and put them somewhere warm to allow to dry naturally. If you run on trails, you'll have to accept they're gonna get dirty