distance running
Looking for something to scratch that long distance running itch? Or are you coaching running? The articles below provide you with distance running workouts and tips on long distance running. In a sport where fitness training is central to success, the running techniques detailed here will get you to the finish first… To browse our library of free sports training articles, browse using the categories on the left or use the search box.
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Olympic Gold Medal Winners' Training Tips
What makes an Olympic Champion?
Strength Training Program Part 1: Competition Preparation
The best Weight Training Exercises to prepare for competition
Sports Injury: Distance Running
Bleeding risk for ultra runners
Cycling Training improves sports performance
Can bike training improve the performance of non-cycling athletes?
Body Fat and Running Performance
Optimum Running Performance and Body Fat Levels
Research Round-Up: endurance, ergogenic drugs, hydration and vibration
endurance, ergogenic drugs, hydration and vibration
Acceleration Training for Peak Performance
learn how to increase speed to make a quick getaway
Altitude Training: big help?
Can altitude training help endurance athletes reach new heights?
Building Speed and Endurance
Building Speed Before Endurance: time to turn convention on the head?
Supplements: Glucosamine
Does glucosamine really work?
Time Efficient Running - run less to run faster?
Running efficiency training ideas
slow training
Slow Training: Why long, slow training runs may be best after all
hydration
Hydration : How to calculate your personal fluid needs
muscle cramps
Muscle Cramps : No link between hydration and cramps
gastric emptying
Gastric Emptying : How variable-intensity exercise slows gastric emptying
caffeine dehydration
Caffeine dehydration : Caffeine and alcohol - just how dehydrating are they?
metabolic rate
Metabolic Rate : The metabolic impact of exercise - or how your body works out while you put your feet up
drugs in sport
Drugs in sport: From EPO to gene doping: Ron Maughan on the ceaseless quest for the undetectable magic bullet and the sterling efforts of the 'good guys' to stay ahead of the game
distance runners
Distance runners: Running is a poor man's sport: Bruce Tulloh on the inexorable decline in Northern European endurance running
marathon world record
Marathon world record: The day of the two-hour marathon
altitude training effects
Altitude training effects: is altitude training a waste of time and money?
endurance muscles
Endurance muscles: Why endurance athletes cannot afford to ignore the vital contribution of fast-twitch muscle fibres
strength endurance
Strength endurance: Power without mass: how strength and plyometric training can boost endurance running performance
carbohydrates
Carbohydrates: Forget fancy supplements - carbohydrates are even more important than you'd thought, for strength as well as endurance
running stitches
Running stitches: New thoughts on stitch
sports science articles
The Peak Performance index of back issues
distance running veterans
Distance running veterans - Is ageing inevitable - or simply the result of 'detraining'?
East African running
East African running: an alternative explanation for the East African dominance of distance running
marathon training schedule
A marathon training schedule for the non-specialist, which has been tested in the lab and on the roads
marathon runners
Marathon runners: Metabolic markers of peak performance
marathon injuries
Marathon injuries: Injury risks for marathon 'virgins'
carbohydrate drinks
Carbohydrate drinks: Carbohydrates and perceived exertion
Ethiopian endurance running
Nature and nurture in Ethiopian endurance running success
distance running training
Distance running training - How
detraining
Risks of long-term detraining for endurance athletes
exercise in the heat | pre-cooling techniques
Pre-cooling techniques increase performance in the heat
Osteoporosis in athletes: how female distance runners are at risk
Osteoporosis - female athletes distance running injuries : why distance running can be bad for bones
Haile Gebrselassie and sports drinks
Haile Gebrselassie - How Fast Might Geb Have Run the London Marathon with the Help of a Good Sports Drink?
Running Economy: increased joint flexibility may damage your distance running performance
The effect of increasing the flexibility of joints on distance running
Running training: workouts for a variety of running events
These are the 'golden' workouts for the key distances from 400m to the marathon
Half marathon and 5k run training: performance enhancing workouts that will improve your distance running
Half-marathon and 5K workouts - These are the 'golden workouts' for success
Body composition: the difference between sprinters and distance runners muscular system
Why sprinters have a natural advantage over distance runners...
Cross country training
Cross-country runners: Owen Anderson answers training queries
Heart attack risks are greater for athletes who compete in endurance sports
Endurance athletes who exercise for three hours or more have an increased chance of dying from a cardiac arrest
Extreme distance running: an ultra endurance training plan
Beyond the marathon
Marathon training: race pacing for endurance athletes
An insight into how Kenyan runners pace themselves during distance running events
Marathon training: a training programme used by Kenyan distance runners
The training programme used by former New York Marathon winner Tegla Loroupe
Attitude training
Attitude Training: "Who is going to win? I am going to win!"
Immune system
Swimmers' immune systems tumble in response to competition; glutamine doesn't help, but sugar does.
Eating before competition
Eating Before Competition: Can you give your performance an edge by fuelling up before exercise? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes it can even have a negative effect. Here are the guidelines.
Distance running: cross country training workouts
If you want to be as successful as Kenywan distance runners you need to train like them!
Pre-workout stretching
Pre-workout Stretching: Does stretching before a workout increase the risk of injury?
abdominal muscle exercises, lower back pain exercises and injury prevention
Whether you aim to run a marathon, perform step aerobics, scrummage for Harlequins, or cycle the London to Brighton, you shouldn't neglect a proper conditioning routine as part of your training if you want to achieve muscular balance and avoid injury.
Caffeine
Caffeine: Endurance cyclists, triathletes, skiers, and runners still take caffeine before their long-distance efforts, even though no study has ever linked the nerve-jangling chemical with heightened competitive performances over marathon-type distances.
Hyperbaric therapy
Hyperbaric Therapy: If you're an injured runner, should you breathe in pure oxygen to hasten the healing process? That's what some sports scientists are recommending, as the inhalation of oxygen under high pressure (also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy) becomes an increasingly popular form of treatment for hurting athletes.
Orienteering
Orienteering: Why pain is no mystery to orienteers.
Running Performance in 2025
Here's an exclusive report on a world-record attempt made in (or about) the year 2025
Interval Training 1
Interval Training 1: How to strike and sustain VO2max gold, and other benefits of high-quality workouts
Interval Training 2
Interval Training 2: How to strike and sustain VO2max gold, and other benefits of high-quality workouts
10k training
10k training: What does science have to say about the right training programme for the 10K?
Marathon carbohydrates
Marathon Carbohydrates: Which works best before and during a marathon: carbs in liquid or solid form?
Stress fracture
Stress Fracture: One in ten of all sports injuries is a stress fracture. Here's how to break the pattern..
weight and performance
Weight And Performance: If you want to win more races, lose some weight.
genetics and sports performance
Genetics And Performance: What research tells us about African runners: are they really genetically more gifted?
Distance running & testosterone
Distance Running & Testosterone: Can distance running determine the sex of your children
Half marathon training
Half Marathon Training: The key to improving your half-marathon times is in your 10K running.
Intense training versus volume training
Intense Training Versus Volume Training: A new German study confirms that increasing intensity works better than upswings in volume.
Running Injuries: What you don't know about injuries can really hurt you.
How to avoid the most common sporting injuries
Running Injuries: What you don't know about injuries can really hurt you.
How to avoid the most common sporting injuries
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