The word 'fartlek' means 'speed play' in Swedish, and a fartlek run aims to do just that, alternating fast and slow pace during the course of a long run. This system was initially designed in the 1930's by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér for the Swedish cross-country team. This form of training has a number of advantages: Read more >>

One of the most common kinds of injury is due to a tightening of the iliotibial band (ITB), a ligament which runs all the way from the hips to the feet. When it tightens and contracts due to exercise, the places that tends to feel it is around the outside of the knee. Here are a couple of stretches you can do to loosen up the ITB before and after racing: Read more >>

When you begin running, the temptation is to look at long distance and marathon runners and immediately want to jump to their level. We think the challenge will be for our cardiovascular system to take the strain of a sudden increase in mileage, but it is actually the muscles and tendons that will give way first! Put simply, one's body needs to gradually 'learn' how to handle long distances. Read more >>

For a special few runners (mainly the good ones), running automatically comes first and foremost . For the rest of is, there's this thing called life which sometimes gets in the way. First one thing happens and then another, and before we know it, it has been a few days or a week since we were last out running. Read more >>

There are many pitfalls one can fall into when one is recovering from an injury, which act to increase the tilme it takes to recover. The adage 'runners always seem to learn the hard way' is often used to describe how runners get injuries in the first place, but it can be equally well applied to how we cope with injuries too. Read more >>

The marathon has become one of those things which many of us dream of accomplishing at least once in our lifetime. In the marathon, the highs, the lows, the adversity, the despair, the euphoria come one after another - it really is like living an entire lifetime in the space of a few hours! Here are a few tips on making the marathon a more enjoyable experience: Read more >>

Behind every good race, there is a band of unsung heroes quietly working away behind the scenes to put everyhting together. In most cases this is done on a completely voluntary basis. What makes people come out in wind and rain, hail and snow to give their time in this way? Read more >>