Mind How You Go

How to train smarter when you're putting in the long kays.

- RICK PEARSON

AS SPRING MARATHON TRAINING BEGINS, many runners will be increasing their long-run distance and frequency. But it's easy to have too much of a good thing, notes Dr Philip Skiba, director of sports medicine at Advocate Aurora Health, US. "You don't need multiple 30-plus-kilometre runs," he wrote on Twitter. "You don't need another long run every seven days." Prioritise recovery, and consider mixing up your longer runs with these four variations:

Back-to-backs: Divide your long run across two runs on consecutive days. Experiment with ratios of 50/50, 60/40 or 70/30, to find which suits you best.