training.PRE-SWIMWear enough clothes to stay warm before the start. Warm-up with a 10-minute jog followed by a short swim if allowed. Attend any pre-race briefing. Allow 10 minutes to put on your wetsuit then aim to be at the start line 10 minutes before

jog and strides, then 12 x 200, with 200m (1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jogWed 7M (60 mins) slowThu 1M jog, then 3M (24 mins) brisk, then 1M jogFri RestSat 3M (30 mins) easySun Race (ideally half-marathon) (15M inc warm up/ cool down)For The Month

to do exactly the same things before each race – same breakfast, same way of travelling, same warm-up etc. This way, the body and mind feel that what is to come is predictable, and this helps relaxation. Listening to music that you love prior to the race

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

very light racing month, with very few road options. But join a club and, whatever your standard, the wonderful world of cross-country opens up to you. Visit the UK Athletics site to find your nearest club. Of course, you could kick off the New

training into your running schedule is a great way to boost speed. Always warm up and cool down using one of the outside lanes, and move off the track completely to stretch or fiddle with bits of kit. It's important that you develop confidence as an athlete

and strides, then 12 x 200, with 200m (1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jogWed 8M (72 mins) slowThu 1M jog, then 3M (23 mins) brisk, then 1M jogFri RestSat 3M (27 mins) easySun Race (ideally half-marathon) or brisk run (15M inc warm up/ cool down)For The Month

Solution:You need to concentrate on spending longer periods on your feet, and specifically longer periods in which you run on tired legs. As well as ensuring that your long weekly run builds up to nine or 10 miles, try combining a warm-up and a 4 x 400m session

to EarthSo, with your kit and diet nicely greened up, you can now race with a clean green conscience, can't you? Well, sure, but not if you fly or drive to your chosen event. In 2008, Crystal Palace Triathletes staged the country's first carbon

by three, then multiplying the result by two.During the first two weeks of your 5K build-up, do each of the following sessions (preceded by a warm-up) once a week:Session One3 miles at a pace 45 seconds per mile slower than your APPM. Session Two3 x 1 mile