YOUR QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS

Q What is fell running and how can I train for it?

A Fell running refers to off-road hill running and it originated in the north of Britain, with particular links to the Lake District. It’s essentially running across trails and fields, with much of the effort coming from steep and long inclines. It’s known as one of the most hardcore types of running due to requiring lots of strength, stamina and power. Fell running can provide the opportunity to explore largely untouched natural beauty spots, that are often inaccessible other than on foot. If you want to get into fell running and racing, all you need to do is lace up your kicks and seek out some off-road terrain, the more technical, muddy and varied the better. You can also introduce hill intervals into your training every week, just remember to build it up and add in some long inclines, as well as short, sharp bursts.

What is R.I.C.E? Originally coined in 1978 by Dr Gabe Mirkin, the acronym R.I.C.E refers to the recovery method of rest, ice, compress and elevate for an injury, or to speed up recovery from sore muscles. Since then, some have questioned the efficacy of these practices in recovery, with some encouraging a more active form of recovery like gentle movement. But R.I.C.E could still have a beneficial effect in the few hours immediately following an injury, to help reduce pain and inflammation.

Q How does compression help recovery?

A Compression garments like arm sleeves, calf sleeves and leggings aim to reduce muscle pain caused by DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and inflammation, by increasing blood flow and thus oxygen to the muscles. This f