Running has long been linked with health benefits, from strengthening your bones (yes, even the knees) to improving mental health. Now, in another boon for us smug pavement-pounders, scientists have found it can turn back time. Researchers at University College London and Barts health NHS trust tracked a group of 138 marathoners and, using MRI and ultrasound, calculated the “biological age” of their aortas (the largest artery in the body) before and after their training. As we age, the aorta ca

At the top of a wind-scoured hill outside Edinburgh, Jasmin Paris’s dog, Moss, patiently waits for his owner. He is, I think, wondering what on earth is taking her so long. The answer, I’m afraid, is me. We are in the Pentland Hills near her home – easy terrain for a skilled fell runner. For me, it’s a painful reminder that road marathons and track races do not help in the hills. I spend my clumsy descents looking at my feet, and each time I look up, Paris is defying gravity – not so much dropp

At this time of year, many women stop running in the dark. The same quiet roads that are great for training are precisely those that can make you feel vulnerable. Attacks, fortunately, are rare – but intimidation is not. I don’t know a single female runner who hasn’t been heckled or mocked while out pounding the streets. And, yes, always by men. But there is something else you also occasionally see, too: male runners reminding you of their power. Last week, the Team GB marathoner Lily Partridg

A strong core isn’t about having photogenic abs, looking good in swimwear or grinding out another deadlift. It is a key element in dozens of everyday movements, including simple things such as carrying your shopping or getting out of bed in the morning. Many people know that a weak core can lead to a bad back, but the benefits of strengthening it are sometimes underappreciated. An analysis of studies published between 1970 and 2011, for instance, found that “core stability exercise was better th

Yes, you may have seen this guy mentioned once or twice before: recently retired multiple world record holder, possessor of more gold than the national bank of a middling nation, and generally reckoned to be pretty speedy on his feet. But would he have achieved all this if he’d been called Usain Jones? A paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2002, snappily titled ‘Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Implicit Egotism and Major Life Decisions’ concluded that

That regular exercise is good for you, reduces your risk of a large number of diseases, improves sleep quality and boosts energy is well known. But if these weren’t reasons enough already to start the NHS Couch to 5k programme and register for a free local run, then here is another: parkrun makes you happier. In a new study by Glasgow Caledonian University of more than 8,000 people, 89% said that participating in parkrun has made them happier, with an overwhelmingly positive impact on their men

A report from Which? has claimed that some fitness trackers and apps are so inaccurate that they could measure as many as eight miles too short, or too far, over the London Marathon course. So how can you measure how far you have really run? The Which? team used data from a short treadmill run (and some daily chores such as washing up), then extrapolated from this to 26.2 miles. This really isn’t a particularly helpful test – GPS doesn’t work indoors on a treadmill and most people don’t stop ru

It is almost a given these days that the launch of a new running shoe is greeted with hyperbolic PR fanfare and promises to make you run faster, longer or more comfortably – or all three at the same time. Sometimes, however, shoes live up to the hype. Few dispute that Adidas’s Boost trainer helped Kenyan runner Dennis Kimetto break the official marathon world record in 2014, while last May his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge ran an astonishing 2hr 25sec over the same distance using Nike’s new Vaporfl