There’s good and bad news about running in the heat.

First, the bad news: When the temperature rises about 10 degrees C, you’re going to run more slowly and feel worse than you will at lower temperatures. But by gradually preparing yourself for increased temperatures and taking action from the beginning of hot weather runs, you’ll get a welcome dose of the good news. You’ll learn how to hydrate yourself, what to wear, and when and how much your body can take in hot weather, all of which will help you recover faster and run better than others of your ability on hot days. While even the most heat-adapted runners won’t run as fast on hot days as they can on cold ones, they won’t slow down as much nor will they feel as much discomfort.

Until the temperature rises to about 65 degrees F, most runners don’t notice much heat build up, even though it is already putting extra burdens on the system. It takes most folks about 30 to 45 minutes of running (with or without walk breaks) to feel warm. But soon after that, if the temperature is above about 15 degrees C, you’re suddenly hot and sweating. On runs and especially races under those conditions, most runners have to force themselves to slow down. It’s just too easy to start faster than you should when the temperature is between 10 and 15 degrees C because it feels cool at first.

As the mercury rises about 13 degrees C, your body can’t get rid of the heat building up. This causes a rise in core body temperature and an early depletion of fluids through sweating. The internal temperature rise also triggers the rapid dispersion of blood into the capillaries of the skin, reducing the amount of that vital fluid that is available to the exercising muscles. Just when those workhorses are being pushed to capacity, they are receiving less oxygen and nutrients. What used to be a river becomes a creek and can’t remove the waste products of exercise (such as lactic acid). As these accumulate, your muscles slow down.

Scheduling
The best time for hot weather running is early morning. The more you can run before sunrise, the cooler you will feel, compared with how you’ll feel later in the day. The second best time to run, by the way, is right after sunrise, unless the temperature cools off dramatically at sunset, which would make that time more favourable. In humid areas, however, it usually doesn’t cool down much after sunset.

Some tips on how to say cool

• Slow down early – The later you wait to slow down, the more dramatically you’ll slow down at the end and the longer it will take to recover from the run. Walk breaks, early and often, help you lower the exertion level, which conserves resources for the end and reduces heat build up.
• Wear lighter garments – Loose-fitting clothes allow heat to escape. Don’t wear cotton clothing. Sweat soaks into cotton, causing it to cling to your skin, increasing heat buildup. Several materials will wick the perspiration away from your skin: Coolmax, polypro, etc. As moisture leaves your skin, you receive a cooling effect, and these types of materials are designed for this.
• Pour water over yourself – Up to 70 percent of the heat you can lose goes out through the top of your head so regularly pour water over your hair (even if, like me, you are hair challenged). Regularly pouring water on a light, polypro (or a similar material) singlet or tank top will keep you cooler.
• Drink cold water – Not only does cold water leave the stomach of a runner quicker than any type of fluid, it produces a slight physiological cooling effect – and an even greater psychological cooling effect. But don’t drink too much either.

Pick of the Crop: Summer

Quick and easy guides to the best of seasonal produce

Most runners are keen to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and plumping for the fresh, seasonal food on your doorstep is an easy way to make sure your diet is made up of the freshest and most nutritious food around. Not only will eating local food boost your green credentials by reducing food miles, it could even save you money too.

Summer is officially here, and with it comes a feast of delicious British produce that’s been soaking up the sunshine. There’s a rainbow of world-beating fruit and veg plus seafood galore, so make the most of the fabulous food around you this summer – whether it’s in a crisp salad, sizzling on the barbeque or in a juicy fruit pudding.

Beans and Peas 

The British summer serves up a bounty of beans and peas grown all over the UK, from broad beans popping up in June to September’s crop of green beans.Why? Naturally low in fat and sodium, beans and peas contain high levels of Vitamin C, which helps the body heal wounds and fractures, and boosts the immune system – perfect to protect yourself when your resistance dips post-workout or to stave off coughs and colds before a big race.

Peas and beans will also give you stacks of energy for your sessions – they’re packed with folic acid and Niacin (Vitamin B3), nutrients that help release energy from food.

Cook: Beans and peas are simple, tasty and perfect for pepping up dishes from risottos to traditional roast dinners. Cook green beans al dente to enjoy them at their best. 

Try this: Minty Broad Bean Dip. Cook 200g broad beans for 4-5 minutes. Rinse and shell the beans, and then put them in a food processor with 200g Greek yoghurt, a small handful of mint leaves, a little grated Parmesan and a clove of garlic, and whiz until you have a thick green puree. Season, and serve with a selection of dippers – breadsticks, sliced cucumber and peppers are tasty accompaniments.

Buy: Get along to your local greengrocer for field-fresh beans and peas, or search out British veg in your local supermarket. Look for bright-green peas and crisp-looking beans with a firm and bright exterior.

Trout and oily fish 

Whether you’d rather tuck into sea trout, rainbow trout, mackerel or sardines, Britain‘s rivers, lakes and seas are thriving with fishy goodness in summer.UK, but particularly in central and southern Scotland, south England and North Yorkshire.Why? Oily fish like trout are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect against coronary heart disease and alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – keeping you healthy and running stronger for longer.

Cook: Oily fish are usually firm enough to leave whole and pop on the barbeque, whether straight on bars or wrapped in a parcel to cook in the hot coals underneath.

Unlike its wild past, the indigenous brown trout, as well as rainbow trout, are now mostly farmed in freshwater farms. There are trout farms all over the

Try this: For simple and delicious baked trout, slip a clove of garlic inside a gutted whole trout, sprinkle over lemon juice and season. Make a loose parcel out of greaseproof paper and wrap the fish. Bake in a medium oven for half an hour.

Buy: Fish for your supper at trout farms around the UK, or head to a farm shop or fish counter for the best fresh British fish. Make sure your fish is shiny with smooth scales, and avoid fish that smell overly ‘fishy’ or have dull eyes.

Beetroot
Beetroot has been popular with cooks from the Roman Apicius to the creators of the famous Eastern European beetroot soup, borscht.East Anglia‘s fenland, which has the perfect combination of soil, sun and water to produce sweet beetroot from July right through to October.Why? Beetroot is the perfect fuel for running. Virtually fat-free and low in calories, it has a ‘medium’ GI rating with an extremely low Glycaemic Load (GL), which means it’s converted into sugars very slowly – just the thing to keep blood sugar levels stable and fuel long runs.

Beetroot is also a rich source of carbohydrate and protein, and has high levels of antioxidants, potassium, magnesium and folic acid. It also contains betaine and tryptophan (also found in chocolate), which relax the mind, create a sense of wellbeing and are used to treat depression.

Cook: To cook beetroot, don’t peel or cut it, or the colour and nutrients will escape. Just scrub the beets gently and twist off the green tops.
Grate raw beetroot into salads for sweet flavour and a stunning injection of colour, or juice it with other vegetables like carrots and celery. Beetroot’s also great, believe it or not, in squidgy chocolate brownies and cakes.

Try this: Beetroot and celery salad – a zingy combination of brilliant colours and the contrast of sweet beetroot with crunchy celery.

Buy: You can find a massive range of British beetroot in most supermarkets and greengrocers, from raw whole beets to ready-prepared packs. For more information go to www.lovebeetroot.co.uk.

Make the dressing by combining two teaspoons wholegrain mustard, half a teaspoon sugar, the juice and zest of an orange and a little olive oil. Stir in sliced or cubed beetroot and sliced celery, and serve.

Summer berries
Gooseberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, tayberries, loganberries, redcurrants, white currants, blackcurrants – from the first spring strawberries to blackberry picking on a chilly September day, the summer months are a feast of British fruit.UK has the perfect climate for these delicious and colourful treats.Why? It’s a no-brainer – strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are high in fibre, low in calories and a good source of folic acid. Raspberries are also packed with vitamin C and dietary fibre, while blueberries are famous for packing antioxidant power.

Cook: Wash and eat berries on their own, or add sugar, cream or ice-cream for a sweet summer treat.

Try this: Eton mess. For a simple and sophisticated summer pudding, whip some cream and crumble meringue into it. Pop your choice of summer berries in a blender and whiz briefly, then swirl all three together and serve.

Buy: Spend a summer afternoon picking your own fruit at a farm or off hedgerows near you – or head to your local grocer’s for the pick of the British crop. Look for firm, bright fruit, and avoid bruised or squidgy fruit and punnets with juice in the bottom – it won’t last very long.

The Blackberries and blueberries may also reduce the risk of heart disease.

Tomatoes
Brits get through a whopping 420,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year, with around a quarter of that grown in the UK.
Heated glasshouses mean the British tomato season runs from February until November, with tomatoes grown outdoors between July and October.Why? Tomatoes are tasty, low in calories, and contain virtually no fat and no cholesterol.

Tomatoes are also an excellent source of Vitamins A, C and E, and contain calcium – vital for healthy bones – and potassium, which is thought to lower blood pressure.

Cook: Tomatoes are a sub-tropical fruit so you should avoid keeping them in the fridge – not only will it spoil the flavour, but over-ripe tomatoes will actually go soft even more quickly in the fridge.

Tomatoes taste great partnered with mint, parsley, basil and oregano, and feature heavily in countless Mediterranean and Indian dishes. Use up over-ripe tomatoes to make soups or sauces – which you can stockpile in the freezer for up to six months.

Try this: Prepare your own ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes by sprinkling equal amounts of caster sugar and salt over halved tomatoes. Place them cut-side up on a baking sheet and cook in the oven on a low heat for two and a half hours, until most of the liquid has dried out. Store in a jar of olive oil, and toss through spaghetti with pesto for a quick and nutritious post-run dinner.

 Buy: It takes just a day or two for a British tomato to make it from the field to the vegetable counter. When you’re picking tomatoes, go for glossy, firm and bright tomatoes, and avoid pale, dull, bruised or dented veg.

Watercress

Watercress has long been a popular health food, known for its revitalising properties – the ancient-Egyptian Pharaohs even gave their slaves watercress juice to increase productivity.

Nowadays it’s grown across Hampshire and Dorset, and is ready for harvest just in time for summer salads.Why? Gram for gram, watercress contains more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and more folate than bananas, and is packed with antioxidants, vitamins B1, B6, K and E, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

Cook: Watercress is a fabulous addition to salads, soups and smoothies. Add watercress to rocket and spinach for a peppery salad with real bite.

 The winning combination of vitamin B1 and magnesium, which help the body release the energy from food, plus calcium to build and maintain healthy bones, will keep you running strong.

 Try this: Watercress, apple and kiwi smoothie. Peel and chop three apples and four kiwi fruit. Pop them in a blender with 50g watercress, blend and enjoy!

Buy: Within hours of being picked, British watercress is chilled and packed into ‘washed and ready to eat’ bags. Pick up a bag of watercress, on its own or teamed with other leaves, from your local greengrocer or supermarket. Look for dry, perky and unbroken leaves and stems, and ditch slimy or broken leaves.

  ]]> http://www.baselrunning.ch/healthy-living/pick-of-the-crop-summer/feed 2 http://www.baselrunning.ch/healthy-living/six-common-problems-you-get-on-a-run-and-how-to-avoid-them http://www.baselrunning.ch/healthy-living/six-common-problems-you-get-on-a-run-and-how-to-avoid-them#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:10:19 +0000 admin http://www.baselrunning.ch/?p=505  

Symptom: A burning sensation in your chest or throat

The diagnosis: Acid reflux – or heartburn – is the bubbling up of stomach acid into the esophagus. “Vigorous exercise can cause reflux even in people who don’t normally have a problem with it,” says Jeukendrup. “Running jostles the contents of the stomach, and in certain people the pressure relaxes the valve that normally keeps acid in its place – the oesophageal sphincter – allowing acid to come up.”

The fix: Avoid common trigger foods – caffeine, chocolate, mint, onions and citrus fruits – at least two hours before you run. “I have noticed that red fruits and vegetables in particular can be a common cause in some runners,” says Jeukendrup. Also, loosen your waistband and fuel belt: if they’re too snug, they can squeeze open the valve that keeps stomach acid down.

Symptom: You finish a race and your head is pounding

The diagnosis: An exertion headache, which is essentially a tension headache. “This occurs when the upper back and neck muscles tighten, with this tension transferring to the head and face,” says Greg Whyte, from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moores University.

The fix: Warm up your neck and upper back with self-massage, as well as doing neck and shoulder rolls. This will help prevent the fatigue and cramping in those areas that can lead to headaches, says Whyte. Also, keep your shoulders relaxed throughout your run – once per mile, shake out your arms.

Symptom: You feel sluggish and drained during runs

The diagnosis: If sleep deprivation or overtraining isn’t to blame, your iron stores may be low. Iron is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, the protein of red blood cells that carries oxygen to your muscles. Low iron means less hemoglobin – and less energy to run.

The fix: If you think you might have an iron deficiency, your first stop should be your GP for a blood test. “What’s normal for a non-runner might be too low for runners,” says Jeukendrup. “Even a relatively mild deficiency can cause symptoms.” The best nutritional sources of iron are beef, fish and poultry, which your body absorbs better than the plant-based iron found in fortified cereals, soya beans and kale, says Jeukendrup. “For optimum absorption, include some vitamin C in your meal,” he adds. Your doctor may also recommend an iron supplement.

Symptom: Post-run coughing

The diagnosis: Exercise-induced asthma, a condition brought on by the constriction of the muscles surrounding bronchial tubes. At rest, you breathe more through your nose, which warms and humidifies air. “When you’re running and breathing through your mouth, the air that hits your lungs is colder and drier,” says Andy Jones, chair of Applied Physiology at University of Exeter‘s School of Sport and Health Sciences. This causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

The fix: “Walk for five minutes before picking up your pace to give your lungs time to adjust to the effort of running,” says Jones. When your lungs are warmed up gradually, they can handle a heavier breathing rate. “Wearing a face mask or scarf can increase the humidity and warming of the air before you breathe it,” adds Jones. A vitamin C supplement may help, too. An Indiana University study found that participants who took 1,500mg of vitamin C for two weeks cut their asthma symptoms in half.

Symptom: Itchy bumps, wheezing, feeling flushed or tingly

The diagnosis: Exercise-induced urticaria (hives) is a mild allergic response (to food, medication, clothing, detergent or pollen) that’s set off by physical activity. “It’s the combination of the allergen and exercise that causes the reaction – although we’re not sure why,” says Whyte.

The fix: Seek medical attention if you have these symptoms. Anaphylaxis, a more severe – and frankly, rare – reaction can cause facial swelling and difficulty breathing, says Whyte. To help your doctor pinpoint the cause, keep a log of where you ran, what you were wearing and what you ate beforehand. Once you identify your allergen, limit your exposure to it within two hours of running. Taking an antihistamine like Claritin before running can also help.

Symptom: Abdominal pain, bloating

The diagnosis: Gas. During an intense bout of exercise, blood moves from the digestive tract to the legs, leaving less blood to help with digestion.

The fix: Fruits, beans and vegetables – great foods for runners – contain fibre and sugars that commonly lead to gas. Dairy and wheat can also cause trouble, especially if you’re intolerant or allergic. Eliminate these foods from your diet one at a time for a week to see if your symptoms ease. Then avoid the offenders at least three hours before you run, says Jeukendrup. “This will ensure they are completely absorbed by your intestines.” But you don’t have to miss out on your energy foods forever. “You can train your gut by starting to eat smaller amounts before a run and building this up over time. You’ll find your gut is surprisingly adaptable.”

This should be one after a jog/warm up for at least 10 minutes has taken place.

Numbers 1 to 3 repeated on both legs, as well as 9  and 10 with both right and left arms.

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Take the ‘talk test’ always run at a relaxed and comfortable pace. This isn’t the Olympics – it’s a lifelong fitness quest. To check your effort level, start a conversation with your training partner. You should be able to speak without gasping or feeling out of breath. If you can’t, then slow down.

Go farther, not harder Once you reach the magic 20-minute mark, build up to 30 minutes (then 40, 50 and 60). Don’t make the mistake of trying to get faster – don’t try to run your 20-minute course in 19 minutes. Increasing endurance is your first priority.
Dont look at a watch or even wear one at first as you only compare yourself to your last run. This can be totally demoralizing and the biggest achievement is you are out there in the first place.

Be a tortoise, not a hare I don’t have to re-tell the old children’s story here. Running works just like the tortoise-and-hare race. It rewards the patient with weight loss, steady progress, less stress, more energy and a host of health benefits and penalizes the overeager with injuries, burnout and the like. This isn’t a sport for sprinters. Be slow, not sorry.

Don’t compare yourself with anyone else There must be a billion runners out there, so don’t feel bad if you see someone who’s faster, thinner or smoother-striding. Running is your activity – make it work for you, and don’t worry about anyone else and enjoy it and feel good about what you are achieving.

One last point, run as a group It’s good to start with other people going through the same thing as you and come and join us for a run on Thursday after work at 18.30, see the calendar.

1. The golden rule is to try not to eat up to one hour before running as this is a very common source of sickness, stitches and stomach cramps. Allow adequate time for digestion – three to four hours for a large meal, two to three hours for a smaller meal and less than an hour for a small snack.

Pre run food

For evening runs like above try not to eat an hour before, good foods before then which give off energy are snack-able foods like Peanut butter or Jam sandwiches/Bagels, energy bars and nuts and dried fruit as they are packed with proteins and give off slow energy. Eat high-carbohydrate meals through the day to keep your muscles fueled such as pasta and rice, this will give off slow energy and good for endurance runs. Coffe is a good source of caffine and can give you a boost, but can also dehydrate you, so drink some water and on the subject of water drink upto half an hour before you run, then sip for the last half hour if needed. ( you also may find pee pee problems aswell if you drink too much)

Avoid sugary foods, such as candy and soda, within an hour before hard exercise.

For morning runs, Muesli, cereals and porridge are great slow releasing foods as well as Jam, Honey and bagels.

During a run

ts gels or sports drinks during your workout or race if you’re running 90 minutes or more. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout.

Check with liquid foods if digestion is a problem.

Eat familiar foods before a race and don’t try anything new on the day.

Post run.

Bananas are better after a run as they are high in potassium and with Water to re-hydrate and build back up your energy levels in your muscles.

Replenish immediately after exercise with a glass of juice/electrolytes or other high-carbohydrate foods. Follow up with a high-carbohydrate meal, especially after a race or hard workout.

Good eating!

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One minute guide to trail running

Off-road running might summon up dark memories of being sent round the school field in the cold. But there’s much more to going off-road.

Springing along a forest trail is easier on your body than Tarmac, and the world beyond road racing is packed with beautiful, friendly fixtures offering an exhilarating sense of freedom and adventure.

Getting Started

Once synonymous with hardy veterans in their club vests through the depths of winter, trail and cross-country running is now hitting the big-time thanks to popular trail series.

There’s plenty of opportunity to pit yourself against vertiginous mountain trails, but if you fancy easing into the world of trail running gently, don’t fear – many modern trail courses also loop through suburban parkland.

Top Technique

If you’ve stuck faithfully to the pavements or treadmill so far in your running career, your first trail run can be an eye-opener. With uneven ground underfoot and wayward branches overhead, it’s best to run conservatively and keep your eyes on your feet to avoid nasty falls.

Rough ground and increased twists and turns can seem tough at first, but regularly heading off-road will help you cultivate stronger ankles, knees and quads, solid core stability, and a sharper running technique.

Kitted Out

Although your usual road shoes will be fine for suburban park paths, they won’t cut it in the mud slicks that some off-road races can become.

With increased traction or large studs on the sole, toe bumpers and hard-wearing fabric to keep mud and water out, specialist

1. Experienced professional coaching system with top  ex UK athletics coach.

2. A twice weekly running group with up to 40 people per night.

3. Clean and secure shower changing rooms.

4. A choice of 4 different levels of running groups.

5. Bar and restaurant under one roof for meeting after runs

6. Trained chef prepares food for after runs at a cheap price.

7. Race preparation with your coach to specific race distances

8. Organised meetings at races together with the team.

9. Regular organised nights out around Basel.

10. Lose weight, get fit and meet new friends all in one club.

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What went wrong?

Recently, A runner who runs at the club I coach had a bad race/run and even an injury. To him, the poor performance and injury seemed to come from out of nowhere. Like all of us do, he began to doubt himself. He began to doubt his training. How could he be so good one day and feel so bad the next day? When I discussed this predicament with one of my fellow coaches from back in the UK he suggested a simple way to help. Her suggestion evolved into what we call the “What Went Wrong Diary.”

Using a Diary

The What Went Wrong Diary is easy to use and, within minutes, usually identifies the cause of your poor performance or injury, a big relief for both coach and athlete.

Start with a sheet of paper or computer spreadsheet. Starting at the top of the page, number each row or line down the page from 0 to 21. This will correspond to the 21 days prior to the injury or poor performance. Why 21 days? It’s often called the training lag and it reflects the common problem where training seems to catch up to you after three weeks or so. Due to this training lag, it’s important to look back the full 21 days when trying to identify the cause of your problem. Our experience is that nearly every poor performance or injury started during the previous three weeks.

Note:

Don’t use a calendar; use a column in order to stack the days one on top of another. Calendars fool us into thinking it’s a “new” week but the body doesn’t know weeks. The body knows only what you did to it yesterday and the day before and the day before. It knows no Monday. It knows no Sunday. It only knows “tired from long run” or “recovered from workout, ready for more.” Thus, you must lay out the days in a series.

For each day, jot down the “Stress” for that day — things like easy run, track workout, long run, etc. Since most of us follow a training plan, we can usually recall (using our log) what we did on each day. Though easy to recall, the training stress information is often reveals the problem as you suddenly realize that you’ve stacked too many stressful training days together. In this column also list any other factors that impacted the training stress — hot/humid conditions, cold weather, wind, hilly terrain, etc. It’s a good idea to always include this type of information in your training log and also what you have eaten, so that you can easily gather the relevant data when examining the reasons for a subsequent poor performance.

Next, go through and circle your particularly stressful training days. All of your key workouts and long runs/races will be circled, as well as any day you can remember where you may have experienced a lot of stress (running too fast, difficult weather, breathing issues, etc.). If you see several circled days stacked too close together, that is probably what led to your poor performance, and you can use this information as you go forward in your training to avoid the problem in the future.

If the training stress information doesn’t reveal where the problem started, then you should go through each day and think about your recovery from each day’s running. Rate your recovery using simple ratings like great, normal, or compromised.

If your training log isn’t detailed enough, you might have to think hard for this information, but you may remember things like not eating enough after a long workout or feeling really dehydrated but not being able to re hydrate like you normally would. Or maybe your warm-down or stretching routine was compromised. What about sleep? Did you not get your normal sleep on a night or two? Is there something there that seems amiss? You may see that for a period of time, your recovery was inadequate. This may have been the start of your problem.

The next area to log is life stress. Like training stress, this one is pretty easy to recall by looking back at your work/life calendar. Things like working late or stressful work would go here. Maybe the car broke down or the child got sick. Life happened. Something caused extra stress. It could be working long hours, it could be travel, or it could be emotional distress or illness. Were you simply busier than usual, did it suddenly get hot/humid or bitterly cold? All of these are additional stressors that can cause poor performances.

Judgement Day

After you’ve laid out your What Went Wrong Diary — and be honest since you are trying to help yourself and aren’t proving anything to anyone — look down your rows, one by one, and circle any compromised situations. Circle all hard workouts and races, circle all problem recoveries, circle all increased life stress days.

Use a red pen just to emphasize the stressful days. I bet when you complete this step, the reason for your poor performance will jump out at you: You’ll see several circled days with little recovery.

The greatest benefit to the What Went Wrong Diary is to help overcome all the emotional distress from the poor performance. While the performance will still be there, at least there is a logical reason for it. It wasn’t just the universe being mean to you. Having an objective, black and white (and red) account of what your previous training and life has been like helps overcome the hopelessness and “why me” feeling. Plus, the log and what it reveals are instructive for future training and racing. You’ll know to respect the impact of training and life stress on performance and, hopefully, manage them better before something goes wrong.

Painful, paralysing and PB-unfriendly, cramps can strike at any time. “There’s no one definitive cause,” says Dr Steve Ingham, head of physiology at the English Institute of Sport (eis2win.co.uk). Research in the Muscle & Nerve Journal shows that genetics might be one factor, yet there are several other possible reasons for cramping up.

Fatigue

“All muscular contractions are controlled by electrical impulses in the brain, communicated via nerves,” explains Dr Ingham. One theory says that very long runs overload and fatigue the nervous system. “Muscles get over-stimulated, so cramps are common after marathons,” says physiotherapist Alex Floyd, of BUPA’s Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence.

Cut it out: Build long runs gradually, never extending mileage by more than 10 per cent weekly. Massage fatigued muscles: especially after a race.

Warm-up properly.

“The membranes of muscle cells rupture under stress,” says Ingham. These tears stimulate the growth of new, stronger muscle fibres. Yet too much stress, too soon, leads to an uncontrollable situation in which cell contents – including vital electrolytes – leak out, upping the likelihood of cramps.

Cut it out: Prime your system with a Gentle warm-up run then gradually include dynamic stretching, like leg swings to loosen up muscles and increase blood flow.

Sweet treats

“When you eat sugar or refined carbs, rising blood sugar puts muscles into a state of high-fuelled activity.” Do this just before bedtime, and you might find yourself waking in agony with cramped legs. You still need sugar to fuel speedwork and long runs, but on rest days try to avoid sugar after midday, and eat more complex wholegrain products to avoid blood-sugar spikes.

Cut it out: Exercising before, rather than after, meals, possibly because exercise primes the body to process fuel more efficiently.

Cold or hot weather days

“Muscles seem more inclined to cramp in very cold or hot weather – or in transition between different temperatures.” You can minimise the effects of cold weather with compression kit i.e. socks, which dilates blood vessels, improves blood flow and helps keep muscles warm.

Cut it out: On cold days, do dynamic stretches before leaving the house, so you are semi-warmed up before stepping outdoors.

Salt Imbalance

Hydration is a delicate balance: too little water and muscles will cramp; too much dilutes levels of the electrolytes your muscles need to process signals from the nerves, resulting in yet more cramps. This is where sugary isotonic drinks come in – they are specially formulated to keep electrolyte levels up during intense or long runs.

Cut it out: “Plain water is fine for short runs, but in hot weather or on longer runs, you sweat more, and need electrolyte drinks.” Stick to cool – not cold – water to avoid stomach cramps. Also try a fruit juice and water mixed and add a pinch of salt.