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running.wiki<br>Properties1descriptionAn evidence-graded knowledge base on distance running: biased toward what is real, science-based and proven, and honest about what is not.Jun 25, 20264 min read<br>Edit this page

An evidence-graded knowledge base on distance running, biased toward what is real, science-based and proven, and honest about what is not. Start with the basics; it puts everything else in proportion.

Every claim-bearing page carries an evidence: grade (strong / moderate / limited / weak / contested) and cites its sources at the point of each claim. See the contributing guide for the schema and editorial stance.

Start here

The basics (what actually matters) — run a lot, mostly easy; sleep well; eat a balanced diet; be consistent. Almost everything else is the last few per cent.

Running for beginners — how to start from scratch and stay uninjured.

Running for intermediates — the next stage, once you can run comfortably for half an hour.

Individual variation — why even good average evidence is only a starting point for you.

Physiology (concepts)

How the body produces and sustains running speed: VO₂max, lactate threshold, critical speed and power, running economy, durability, VO₂ kinetics, the energy systems, fat oxidation and metabolic flexibility, anaerobic capacity and speed reserve, glycogen, and the muscular and cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations training produces, the timelines that explain why injuries come from rushing, thermoregulation, fatigue mechanisms and biomechanics and gait.

Populations and health: the female runner, the menstrual cycle and training, pregnancy and postpartum running, masters runners, youth and adolescent runners, running and health, illness and immune function, air quality and pollution, and heat illness.

Training (techniques)

What to do and why, starting from the types of training: volume versus intensity, training for your own ability, base building, the long run, threshold and tempo, intervals, hill training, fartlek, double-threshold, 80-20, strides and drills, periodisation, tapering, strength training, plyometrics, heat acclimation, altitude training. Then how to apply it: the warm-up and cool-down, distance-specific training, ultramarathon and trail training and race pacing. Managing the load and coming back: training-load management, cross-training and return to running. The major systems are surveyed, descriptively not promotionally, in training philosophies. Guiding intensity and the mind: heart-rate and effort-based training, mental training and sports psychology, and the run-walk method for beginners and comebacks. Practical conditions: treadmill running, cold-weather running, and music as a small aid.

The training environment

How and with whom you train. Run clubs and group running, and parkrun in particular, are among the most reliable ways to stay consistent, though the headline health gains are mostly measured in self-selected joiners. Athletics clubs unlock affiliation, licensed coaching and the competition calendar, with no proven club effect beyond self-selection. Coaching helps most through individualisation and accountability, but no trial isolates a coaching effect over self-coaching. The training apps that track and prescribe give a modest, fading nudge, while their load metrics and AI plans are weaker than they look.

Nutrition (nutrition)

Start with the foundation, daily carbohydrate, protein and energy needs, then how to evaluate any supplement claim. The proven aids and practices: carbohydrate in races, gut training, pre-race fuelling, recovery nutrition, caffeine, nitrate, bicarbonate, iron, vitamin D and calcium and collagen and vitamin C. The honest take on hydration and electrolytes and protein and supplements; the contested dietary strategies, low-carbohydrate and keto and carbohydrate periodisation; alcohol, omega-3 and plant-based running; and clearly caveated pages for the weak, hyped and marketing-driven stuff.

The bigger picture on fuelling and health: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), body composition and weight, and disordered eating in runners.

Gear (gear)

How to choose running shoes and trail shoes, the super-shoes with the foam and plate inside them, spikes, foam durability, barefoot and minimalist running, insoles and orthotics, and how to read GPS watches and heart-rate monitors without being fooled by vanity numbers, plus sports bras and running apparel: essential support and the honest case on socks and fabrics, compression apparel (little for...