Recover well

“The basics are: ensuring you have enough carbohydrate to fuel your run, getting enough electrolyte hydration and protein back into your body after your run, and taking at least one day off of exercise a week,” says Bleasdale. “I like to fit my clients’ days off around their busiest times of the week because I think they don’t need to layer on the extra stress of running.”

Recovery also includes the good stuff like sleep, so you can actually repair the muscles you’ve been working so hard, and prepping and rehabbing the body with warmups and cooldowns.

Work on your mindset

“You’re going to stick to the things you enjoy, so there is a compromise to be made between being strong and fit to run without risking injury, but not doing things you hate,” reminds Dr Hassan. “You need to be thinking about what you can do but also what you want to do, whether that is the types of strength work you do or the running itself.”

For Bleasdale, the mindset is the most important part. “There are so many mental obstacles to overcome with running, so we need to find ways to channel the inner positivity,” she says. For her, a lot of that comes from avoiding social media comparison. “A couple of months ago I decided to make my Strava private because I was sick of the thought of other people judging my runs all the time and it’s helped so much,” she says. “It’s really tough when you’re working towards a goal and it feels like everyone else has achieved that goal already, so I do believe a good attitude towards running starts with mindful consumption.”

Does running improve your fitness – or do you need to be fit to be a good runner?