Do you need carbohydrate during your run?

For plenty of runs, the answer is no.

If you're heading out for 30 or 40 minutes at an easy pace, taking a gel is unlikely to make any meaningful difference.

But as the run gets longer, harder or more important, carbohydrate becomes more useful.

The prob...

One of the easiest ways to measure progress in running is to look at the numbers. 

You ran 15 miles this week. Maybe 16 or 17 next week. Then 18.

Your long run goes from six miles to seven, then eight.

It feels logical. If you want to get better at running, at some point you probably do need to b...

You get a pain in your knee after a run.

Your Achilles starts grumbling.

Or that calf problem you thought had gone suddenly appears again.

The natural question is:

What caused it?

Was it the new shoes?

The hill session?

Your running technique?

Weak glutes?

Running too far?

Sometimes there ...

You go to the toilet before leaving home.

You start running and everything feels fine.

Then, ten or fifteen minutes later, you suddenly feel as though you desperately need another wee.

Sometimes there is only a small amount when you stop.

Sometimes your bladder genuinely is quite full.

Then,...

You can now create a running plan in seconds.

Tell an app or AI tool your current weekly mileage, how many days you can train and what race you are preparing for, and it may give you a perfectly sensible schedule.

It can organise your easy runs, long runs and harder sessions. It may suggest target...

Have you ever been out for a run and thought:

“My legs feel like they could keep going, but my breathing is the thing stopping me”?

If so, you are definitely not on your own.

This is one of the most common things I hear from beginner runners, returning runners, and even more experienced runne...

Introduction

It's all too easy to misinterpret abdominal pain when running as being the dreaded stitch but there are a number of other problems that can feel like a stitch.

Summary

• The stitch runners can experience when running does not yet have a conclusive explanation (in last week's blog, we
...

Introduction

The technical term for a stitch is Exercise-related Transient Abdominal Pain (EATP), and although a significant amount of research has been carried out over the last 2 decades, the exact cause is still unknown.

Summary

• Getting a "stitch" is one of the most common complaints amongst
...

Introduction

If you've ever experienced a soft tissue injury, such as a sprain, strain, or a pull; you have probably been advised to follow the R.I.C.E. protocol. Or at least, the "I" component of that, which stands for Ice, i.e. to put ice on the affected areas as soon as possible and at regular t...

Introduction

You make a decision to improve your running and pay for a program, or for coaching, but how do you know it's working?  How do you know it was worth the investment in time, effort and money?

Most people will follow a plan and then check at the end if it's made a difference by completin...

Introduction

Do you even get pain in your toes when running?  Or do your toenails ever go black and/or fall off because of your running?  If you experience any of these then this video will provide a way of preventing the problems that you may not yet have tried.

The blackness of your nail is caus...