Performance

Mara Yamauchi's five top tips for preparing for your debut marathon.

Start your weekend here, with a round-up of some of the best athletics, running and fitness-related stories from the past seven days.

We asked eight influential people within the sport for their go-to athletics resources. These are their choices – from A(TFS) to Z(arnowski)

This week, I’m making the national dish of Poland – a hearty, warming stew called Bigos, often referred to as ‘Hunters’ stew’

Running a half marathon or marathon takes a lot of preparation, but have you thought about what you’ll do afterwards?

Picking wild blackberries in fresh, crisp, Autumn air is one of my favourite memories from childhood. There’s nothing quite like gathering these juicy, slightly sharp berries and then cooking them into a home-made treat!

If you scan through any sport magazine, it is likely you’ll find its pages stained purple with mentions of beetroot.

Junk miles, say those who believe in such things, are those miles with no specific training purpose, which therefore serve only to add to your fatigue. The name, of course, implies far worse - miles that, like the brightly coloured wrappers at the supermarket checkout, should be avoided at all costs for the good of your health.