How to breathe when running is one of the most common questions when you start: through your nose or mouth? Should you follow a rhythm? Why do you run out of breath on hills? Breathing largely adjusts on its own, but there are things you can do to feel more comfortable. This guide explains what…
Heart rate zones help you train at the right intensity for each session: easy when your plan calls for an easy run, hard when it calls for intervals. Without them it is easy to fall into the most common mistake, which is running every day at a middling pace that neither lets you recover nor…
Calories burned running are surprisingly simple to estimate: running uses about one kilocalorie for every kilo of body weight and every kilometre, more or less the same whether you go fast or slow. This guide explains where that rule comes from, gives you a table for the most common distances and covers what makes you…
Running to lose weight is one of the most common reasons people start, and it works, but not as quickly or directly as many believe. Running burns a lot of calories per minute, yet it is easy to make up for them without noticing. This guide explains what the evidence says, how many minutes you…
A side stitch is that sharp pain in your side, usually under the ribs, that forces you to slow down or even stop. It is very common and, although it is not dangerous, it can ruin a training run or a race. This guide explains what is known about it, what causes it and what…
Marathon recovery starts as soon as you cross the finish line and lasts much longer than it seems. Even when your legs stop hurting after a few days, your muscles keep repairing for weeks, and going back to hard training too soon is an easy way to get injured. This guide explains what to do…
The right weekly running distance is one of the most common questions runners ask, and the answer depends on your goal, your pace and how many days you train. You do not need to run as much as you think to finish a race well, and increasing volume too quickly is one of the easiest…
Fartlek training is a way to practise pace changes without the rigidity of intervals. You run continuously and add fast sections whenever you like, by time, by terrain or by feel. It is one of the most rewarding sessions for improving speed, and you can do it anywhere, without a track or a precise watch….
This half marathon training plan lasts twelve weeks with four runs a week. It is designed for runners who can already run a 10K or an hour non-stop and want to prepare the 21 km with a time goal. Below you will find the week-by-week table, the paces and how to run the race. Before…