GAUGE YOUR DISCOMFORT

If you are pushing the pace to get faster or adding distance to go further, your body is going to talk back to you. Be a good listener. During training, learn to distinguish ‘good pain’ (discomfort from leaving your comfort zone) from ‘bad pain’ (something that verges on injury). ‘There is a difference between muscles that burn at the end of a workout and something that hurts every time you take a step,’ says Taylor. ‘Part of training is learning body awareness. You also need to experience some discomfort so it’s not a foreign feeling when it occurs in a race. You know you can push through it.’