PB Running Editor's Page

Treadmills are very handy for speed work, particularly popular among athletes who are short on available training time, but there has to be a balance between indoor sessions and outdoor sessions if you truly want to see gains on the open road.

The limitation behind a treadmill is that you are really just trying to keep up instead of propelling your body mass forward. You do work very similar muscles, but it is harder to gain real-world speed. A treadmill is excellent for helping you wor… Continue

Fartlek, or ‘speed play’ as it translates from Swedish, is a form of interval training consisting of intermittent hard efforts of varying length in a session combined with easier efforts that usually lasts more than 45 minutes. Its purpose is to stress both the aerobic and anaerobic systems to varying degrees. Fartlek training is generally associated with running, but can include almost any kind of exercise.

When training, it is important to develop all aspects of our physiology, partic… Continue

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of different advice proffered by fellow runners and written about in magazines & on the web. With so many sessions and programmes out there, many runners end up over complicating their training.

So remember, you won’t go too far wrong by sticking with the basics and focusing on just four key principles that should form the backbone of your training plan throughout the year. Tailor them according to your goals and distance you race.
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The week before:

1. Don’t try and cram in any last minute training, you can’t do anything now to make yourself go faster but there are things you can do to make yourself go slower…..

2. Don’t completely stop….a ‘taper’ is designed for a purpose simply stopping and doing nothing for 5 days may well make you feel heavy and sluggish. Do something light and short, even running for 10 minutes with a few stretches to follow will keep you feeling in great shape.

3. Adjust your work schedule a… Continue

1. Remember that your head can be responsible for about 40% of heat loss. Keep your head covered, wear gloves and wear long leggings to protect your knees.

2. Dress in layers. Use light weight wicking fibers as the layer closest to your body. If it’s raining or looking like it’s going to be wet, wear suitable waterproofs. Wear socks that are made of synthetic fibers to wick moisture away from your skin, helping to prevent blisters and athlete’s foot.

3. Apply skin protection using sun block an… Continue