Coming out of a season of festivities with minimal or no training over the period can be challenging. The same may be the case for those wishing to start running in the New Year.

The first New York City Marathon, organized in 1970 by Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta, was held entirely in Central Park. Of 127 entrants, only 55 men finished; the sole female entrant dropped out due to illness.

Refers to the reduction of exercise before a competition or race.This is essential for best performance. For full marathons, a taper period of 3 weeks is recommended. During this period, levels of muscle glycogen, enzymes, antioxidants, and hormones, return to optimal ranges.

Always think about how far you’re planning to run and then do some basic maths. In terms of fuelling up for a long run, say in excess of 75 minutes, you need to looking to consume around 1g of carbohydrate for every 1kg (2lbs) of body weight, then multiply that by the number of hours you have before your run