How Long to Taper Before a Marathon: What the Research Says About Duration, Volume Cuts and Intensity
I cut my training by half three weeks out and felt worse, not better. Here is what the research says I should have done instead.
running
Why Do My Legs Feel Heavy When Running? The Six Usual Causes and How to Check Each One
Last Tuesday I was barely two kilometres in and my legs felt like I was wading through wet sand. I had no idea why, and I was ready to blame everything except myself.
Is It Bad to Run Every Day? What Injury Data Says About Frequency Versus Load
I laced up every single morning for a year and waited for my body to fall apart. It never did, but the reason surprised me.
How Many Rest Days a Week Do You Need? A Practical Guide by Training Volume and Goal
I trained five days a week for months and felt worse every Monday. Then I counted my rest days, and the answer surprised me.
I set off on my usual loop as the first gust of a summer storm hit, just to beat the heat: twenty minutes later my chest shut down on a road I’ve run for years
A routine summer run turned dangerous when a runner’s chest tightened twenty minutes in—not from fitness, but from a perfect storm of exercise physiology and thunderstorm chemistry. Thunderstorm asthma can strike anyone, affects 63% of people with seasonal allergies, and has sent thousands to emergency rooms. Here’s what you need to know before your next run.
“It only ever happens when I run after lunch”: the four hours between the sandwich and the first mile that most runners put down to the heat
That brutal post-lunch run isn’t about the weather—it’s about your stomach competing with your muscles for blood flow. When you run within hours of eating, your gut loses 80% of its blood supply to fuel your legs, turning simple digestion into a physiological crisis. The solution isn’t skipping lunch; it’s understanding what to eat and when.
“My chest only goes tight once I’m back home”: the ten minutes after a cold run that most runners put down to being unfit
That post-run chest tightness isn’t a sign you’re unfit. It’s exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), a temporary airway narrowing triggered by cold, dry air that affects up to 20% of the general population and 70% of elite athletes. Simple warming techniques and nasal breathing can transform your winter running.
I swallowed an ibuprofen before every long run in the 38°C heat just to keep my knee quiet: the day my blood results came back, I understood what those tablets had been doing
A routine blood test revealed dangerously elevated kidney markers after months of pre-run ibuprofen use during summer heat. What seemed like a smart way to manage knee pain was actually removing the body’s only defence mechanism against kidney stress during exercise.
I sipped an isotonic drink every twenty minutes on my long runs just to keep the cramp away: the day my dentist turned the mirror towards me, I understood what those sips had been doing
Long-distance runners sipping isotonic drinks every twenty minutes to prevent cramps may be unwittingly exposing their teeth to erosive acids. While research remains nuanced, the combination of reduced saliva flow during intense exercise and frequent acid exposure creates a perfect storm for enamel damage.
We all keep blaming gluten for mid-run cramps, while these two ingredients eaten 3 hours before are what actually sends us running for a toilet
Gluten takes the blame for runner’s stomach troubles, but sports science reveals the real culprits: fat and fiber eaten too close to exercise. When these slow-digesting nutrients combine with reduced gut blood flow during running, the result is cramping, bloating, and urgency—not gluten sensitivity.
I quit smoking just to stop coughing in the morning: three weeks later, my running watch showed a number I couldn’t explain
Quit smoking and your running watch suddenly shows you’re fitter than ever? That’s not a sensor glitch—it’s real physiology happening fast. Within three weeks, your heart stops working overtime, oxygen delivery normalizes, and your VO2 max estimate climbs noticeably, even before your training changes.
« I thought my heart was the problem »: why your chest strap suddenly jumps 30 bpm in the middle of a calm run
That sudden 30 BPM jump on your chest strap during an easy run probably isn’t your heart—it’s almost certainly a connection problem between the strap and your skin. Sports scientists reveal why these phantom spikes happen most during cool, dry conditions and how simple fixes can make them disappear.