1. Feel The Burn
Can’t make the mountain-training camp this weekend? Training in hot conditions delivers similar fitness gains to training at altitude, according to research from the University of Coventry, UK, so grab some extra layers and run in your own mobile heat chamber.

2. Pump up your endurance
It sounds counterintuitive, but performing heavy leg-resistance work before you run could improve your speed and stamina, according to a Brazilian study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. This ‘post-activation potentiation’ effect delivered a six per cent performance boost for cyclists in a post-weights 20km time trial.

3. Worth the weight
Still not hot to squat? Here’s a health bonus… weight training promotes uniformly sized red blood cells, an indicator of low heart disease risk, according to recent research at the University of Mississippi, US.

4. Nut job
Give your heart a helping handful. A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found eating a 30g serving of nuts five or more times a week significantly lowered several inflammatory biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease.

5. Get it ‘Om’
Time for flexible thinking: a 10-week programme of twice-weekly yoga sessions delivered significant gains in flexibility and balance in a study reported in the International Journal of Yoga.

6. Go green
Eating a single Kiwi fruit every week raises ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, reducing your risk of heart attack-inducing blood clots, found research in Nutrition Journal.

7. Spring forward
As the days get longer again, set your alarm slightly earlier each morning, says Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute in North Carolina, US. Over time, you trick your internal clock into accepting the new schedule.

8. Tryp your protein switch
Tryptophan primes your small intestine to absorb more muscle-building/-repairing amino acids from your food, according to researchers behind a study published in Amino Acids. Nuts, seeds, cheese, lamb and pork are good sources of tryptophan.

9-13. Green energy
Another reason to eat your greens: they’re a great source of lutein, which triggers the release of AMPK, dubbed the ‘marathon enzyme’ because it switches your mitochondria – the powerhouses in your muscle cells – into fat-burning mode. A study in PLoS One confirmed this enhances stamina during endurance exercise. Top lutein sources are: kale, spinach, broccoli, cress and Swiss chard.

14. Chew the fat
The research also found that consuming fats at the same time can triple your body’s absorption of lutein, so think oily fish, avocado or peanut butter.

15. Keep track
The track is a great place for nailing speedwork sessions, but research in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness cautions that you may need to pay attention to not just your split times, but the total time you spend on the oval. The study of 5-K runners found doing more than 25 per cent of training on a tartan track surface was associated with plantar heel pain.

16. Pyramid scheme
Want a session that’ll deliver maximum gains in minimum time? Ian Burrell, who finished 25th in the 2015 World Marathon Champs in Beijing despite working full time as a lawyer, recommends this key workout:

WHAT: A fartlek ‘pyramid’, with 1-minute jogs between fast segments.
WHY: “It adds a nice mix of speed and strength together to goose up the legs – it’s gruelling,” says Burrell.
WHEN:  Twice during a 12- to 16-week marathon training cycle, in week 6 or 7 and once more in week 9 or 10.
HOW: Starting at marathon pace, run segments of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes, then 4, 3, 2 and 1. Do the second 3-minute effort at half-marathon pace and the second 2 and 1-minutes at 10-K pace. Then repeat the entire pyramid.

17. See a 3D Movie
An in-store treadmill trot under the gaze of lightly amused shop staff is one thing; a full biomechanical analysis is quite another, and it’s something that can reveal the kind of information that could help you minimise injuries and become a more efficient runner. Running clinics like the High Performance Centre in Pretoria are open to the public, and offer a complete gait analysis. Should your results warrant more specialist intervention, there’s also a biokineticist, physiotherapist and sports physician at the facility. At the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) in Cape Town, podiatrist Chris Delpierre offers an initial assessment and gait analysis.

18-19. Stretch your endurance
The key to your next great race or PB may be in your warm-up. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found well-trained distance runners ran significantly further before reaching exhaustion following a dynamic stretching session than they did after no stretching.

Make time for static stretching in your life, too. It may not lower your injury risk, but according to recent Japanese research, static stretching can lower arterial stiffness, and thus heart-attack risk.

20. Pull the udder one
Your perfect post-run rehydration option may already be chilling nicely in your fridge. Unfortunately it’s not the Sauvignon Blanc… a study in the British Journal of Nutrition found milk was more effective at hydrating the body after exercise than either water or a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution.

21. Use the ultra-fit formula
In modern-day running maths, 42.2 is no longer enough for many runners – but can you really train adequately for an ultra while holding down a full-time job and spending time with your family? Yes you can, especially if you target a ‘short’ ultra, says 14-time Western States 100-mile champion and coach Ann Trason (trasonrunning.com). “For a 50-K race, apply the 10/10/10 rule from a marathon plan,” says Trason. “Lengthen your long runs by 10 per cent, slow long-run pace by 10 per cent and recover with 10 per cent more rest or cross-training days. For a 50-miler (80km), the formula is 20/20/20.”

22. Shear Fat
More shut-eye doesn’t just mean better recovery and improved breakfast chit-chat; research published in the Journal of Andrology Research found it can raise testosterone levels, which in turn boosts your ability to burn fat. So: you snooze, you lose. In a good way.

23-28. Dream ticket
Becoming a better runner is as much about getting enough rest as it is about mileage.

29. Smart move
Forget those admonishments from exasperated parents and teachers – fidgeting, it turns out, can be a very good thing, at least as far as your health is concerned. Those constant small movements keep your kilojoule-burn ticking over during otherwise sedentary periods, and can combat obesity and heart disease, according to a Mayo Clinic Proceedings review. They’re still annoying, though…

30. Give yourself some wings
Skeptical as we are of slogans, it seems you might be able to take this one as read, rather than think it’s a load of bull. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, runners who drank two cans (500ml) of Red Bull energy drink one hour before a 5-K time trial improved their performance by an average of 30 seconds compared with a placebo-imbibing group. There were no differences in rate of perceived exertion or heart rate. And no, there was no vodka in there…

31. Join the resistance
Some carbs can actually help you peel off the kilograms, which is music to our ears. Resistant starch is an undigestible fibre found in grains, beans and potatoes (especially cooked and cooled); it promotes weight loss by filling you up, shutting down hunger hormones and foiling your body’s attempts to turn it into sugar. Unlike other carbs, which get turned into body fat when we eat them in excess, resistant starch passes on through. What’s more, it may also reduce cancer risk and boost your immune system, says Dr Christine Gerbstadt, a nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

32-37. Licence to grill

Power up with these grilled cheese sarmie upgrades from nutritionist Matthew Kadey. For each recipe, grill the sandwich until both sides are crispy and the cheese has softened.

SMOKY BLACK BEAN
Stay fuller for longer with the fibre and plant protein from black beans.
TOP 1 slice whole-grain bread with mashed black beans, sliced roasted red pepper, grated smoked cheddar cheese, thinly sliced avocado and a second bread slice.

APPLE CHEDDAR
Antioxidant-rich apples and omega 3-packed walnuts add crunch.
TOP 1 slice wholegrain bread with thinly sliced apple, grated cheddar cheese, chopped sage, chopped walnuts and a second bread slice.

BEETROOT SALMON
Nitrates from beetroot and omega fats in salmon may improve your muscle endurance.
TOP 1 slice rye bread with smoked salmon, lemon juice, a smear of cream cheese, sliced roasted beetroot, dill and a second bread slice coated with cream cheese.

CHICKEN FIG
Roasted chicken is high in protein, and figs give you bone-building calcium.
SPREAD fig preserve on 1 slice whole-grain bread and top with chopped rosemary, sliced roast chicken, baby spinach, gouda cheese and a second bread slice.

CAPRESE
The vitamin C in tomatoes helps protect runners from colds.
SPREAD basil pesto on 1 slice sourdough bread and top with thinly sliced prosciutto ham, grated mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, rocket and a second bread slice.

STEAK KIMCHEEZE
Energise your runs with the iron in steak, and keep your gut healthy with the probiotics in kimchi.
TOP 1 slice whole-grain bread with grated havarti or mild cheddar cheese, thinly sliced cooked sirloin steak, chopped kimchi and a second bread slice.

38-40. Raise-the-bar snacks
Struggling to get enough protein to fuel your recovery? Try these protein-packed snacks:
– Slice wholewheat toast + coating of cottage cheese + drizzle of honey = 11g protein
– Hard-boiled egg, halved + dollop Greek yoghurt + sprinkle of paprika = 7g protein
– Handful of biltong + big dollop guacamole + squeeze of lime juice = 7g protein

41-46. Crank your metabolism
Research on mice published in the FASEB Journal found adding rutin to the rodents’ diets mimicked the effects of cold on brown fat and boosted metabolism. You can get rutin from mulberries, (unpeeled) apples, buckwheat, elderflower tea, figs or a supplement.

47. Breathe easy
Asthma sufferers have another reason to soak up some extra sunshine vitamin. A Cochrane Review of seven international studies showed that a vitamin D supplement reduced the incidence of severe attacks in subjects with mild to moderate asthma.

48. Hinge benefits
Turn up the heat on knee pain. In a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, patients with chronic knee pain who applied low-level continuous heat packs to sore knees six hours before exercise enjoyed reduced knee pain and increased knee strength.

49. Social climbing
Social media can help your running, but only if you avoid comparing yourself to others, says coach Lora Johnson (crazyrunninggirl.com), who instead recommends analysing what friends post. “If someone shares a favourite interval routine, consider how it might boost your fitness,” says Johnson.

50. Refine dining
Supersizing your lunch could downsize your belly. In a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, subjects who ate their main meal at lunchtime experienced higher average weight loss, greater reduction in BMI and improved insulin resistance compared with those getting the majority of their kilojoules at dinner, despite both groups eating the same total number of daily kilojoules.

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