Smart Running

Recreational distance running is, perhaps, the most individual of all sports. We all have our reasons for taking up running, and our reasons for carrying on. Some run for competition - to beat others or better themselves - while for some it's entirely unrelated to competitive sport and more about movement or mindfulness, being outdoors or being with others. For many, the regular practice of running is closely tied to our identity, our sense of self-worth and well-being. Running is where we meet others and discover ourselves.

As a form of exercise, running's ability to fit in around other commitments, along with its time-efficiency and cost-effectiveness, make it perfectly suited to our busy, modern lives. Running can be what you want, when you want it. Running is therapy, relaxation, challenge, health, companionship, sightseeing, competition and much more.

This book is aimed at anyone wanting to improve their knowledge and understanding of the art and science of running. Covering a broad range of topics, relevant to all runners, and drawing on the latest research and evidence-based practice, our aim is to provide a clear, concise, detailed, yet accessible guide to all things running.

Compared with a few decades ago, runners tend to specialise less in the kind of running they do. Parkrun has made a weekly 5K commonplace for thousands, while running marathons for charity or a new PB, trail races as a way to explore new places, or an ultramarathon to explore our own limits, are all popular ways to spend a morning, a day, a weekend, or even longer.

Whether you're just starting out, contemplating your first marathon, aiming for a new personal best, training for a multi-day ultra, or simply enjoying exploring your local trails, this book covers everything you need to know to approach it at your best. It is the result of many years of experience and a lifelong passion for the subject, underpinned at every step of the way by solid, scientific evidence from a vast range of disciplines. It will help you to navigate the mass of often-conflicting information on areas as diverse as form, fitness, technology, technique, supplements and shoes, addressing and clarifying each topic to help you make better-informed decisions. You'll also discover the intricate interplay of body and brain in endurance sport, and learn how to hone these to work best for you.

Why run?

Having run for so many years ourselves, it can be hard to pin down and explain exactly why we head out for a run on most days, even if we've no races planned. We've both run regularly for so long that running has become a part of who we are, shaping and strengthening our bodies and our minds. Our daily escape to the trails has become an essential part of life.

The research on why people take up running, particularly later on in life, is pretty scarce. From our own ethnographic work, we've found that health-related reasons for taking up running are common. For many it's to try to lose weight and get fitter; for some it's following a health scare of their own or someone close to them; for others it's a desire to take on a new challenge, learn a new skill, or meet new people. Forming the habit to run can be hard at first; when our days don't have a space reserved for running and it feels like an effort simply to get everything together and make that first step out through the door. Once the habit is truly ingrained, though, to the point where it is perhaps no longer exactly a habit but instead a necessary part of feeling like the truest version of ourselves, it can feel like more of a struggle not to run.

In his book, Running with the Pack: Thoughts From the Road on Meaning and Mortality, philosopher and runner, Mark Rowlands, discusses running's 'inherent' or 'intrinsic' value - how the act of regular running benefits us in terms of physical and psychological health - alongside its meaning to us, as human beings. While research certainly backs up the idea that physical activities like running, particularly when undertaken in green environments, are good for our health, is this really the main reason why runners run? Rowlands suggests not. He thinks we don't run for any inherent value in running, and neither does he think it is much to do with enjoyment - for every moment of enjoyment during a run there are far more when it feels like a slog and yet we still keep at it. Those who race must always know there are many people faster and slower than they are - that performances and finishing times are all relative, all essentially meaningless - and only a very select few are good enough to begin to make a living from running. Rarely do we even run in order to get somewhere.

Perhaps, then, as Rowlands suggests, we run for running's own sake. For the places running takes us to during our run, rather than as a function of it. For the way running enables us to understand and remember who we are.

The world of running

At first glance, running is just running - one foot in front of the other, repeat. But when it comes to the kind of running we might want to do, there's a range of different disciplines, each with its own ethos, skill set and kit requirements.

Road running

Road running is considered by some to be a purist form of running, which might seem odd given that we spent a couple of million years evolving to run off-road. But the essence of road running lies in the fact that the terrain doesn't necessarily influence the outcome in the same way it does on the trails or in the mountains - as far as possible, it's all about the running. As long as the road is reasonably flat, times run for standard distances can be compared across any number of locations. Big city marathons are run on the roads for this reason, and because closed roads mean plenty of room for a lot of runners. Road running is the discipline where many runners start, inspired by friends, family or the vast crowds of runners and spectators filling the streets on marathon day.

Track running

Many runners have never set foot on a track, yet it's often track running - the battles to be the fastest over every distance from 100 to 10,000 metres - that dominates in the media. These floodlit arenas, populated by elite athletes wearing little more (and sometimes a little less) than their swimming kit, aren't where most recreational runners feel at home. And yet track running can be enjoyable and surprisingly varied, from weekly interval sessions to 24-hour track ultramarathons. Many running clubs have access to a track and club track nights can be both fun and beneficial to your running, so, even if running in lanes and circles doesn't sound like your cup of tea, don't knock it until you've tried it.

Cross-country running

Not to be confused with any other kind of off-road running, cross-country running is a specific discipline, mostly popular with schools, club leagues, and off-season track and road runners. Held over the winter months in a muddy field, it usually involves a large number of runners and the wearing of spikes, which are entirely different to the off-road running shoes worn by trail and fell runners. Cross-country races are usually short, fast and furious, and run in freezing cold conditions. They're a great way to maintain fitness and leg strength over the winter months.

Trail running

Trail running - following pre-made trails through a variety of landscapes - is a fast-growing running discipline, popular because of its sense of freedom and adventure, and its customisability. The number of trail races held globally has increased rapidly over the past decade, and the offering is vast from short, fast and flat to long, slow and mountainous. Trails offer a ready-made adventure for runners, with waymarked long-distance trails perfect for multi-day exploration (also called fastpacking) or timed challenges, aiming to claim the fastest known time (FKT) for a particular route. Trail races are usually waymarked, but can also be self-navigated.

Fell running

Originating in Scotland and the north of England, fell running (also known as hill running) usually follows off-trail routes over open, upland landscapes such as mountains and moorland. Sometimes courses are marked, but many races require runners to navigate themselves around a series of checkpoints. As with trail running, the distances, ascent and conditions vary widely, but the races tend to be more low-key, less expensive to enter, and more locally focussed. Fell races often take in short stretches of trail and/or road. Mountain marathons are usually two-day self-supported, self-navigated fell races for teams of two, with an overnight camp halfway round.

Ultrarunning

Another area of running that's seeing rapid growth in popularity, ultrarunning involves running any distance greater than a marathon - 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometres). Ultras can be run on trails, fells, roads, tracks or any other location that lends itself to being run over, around or through for a long time. Famous ultra races include the Spine Race, which has winter and summer versions and follows all 268...