EVERY runner wants to get the best out of themselves, regardless of innate ability, but fulfilling athletic potential is never straightforward.
Scores of clinics and laboratories across the UK offer runners the chance to ascertain their current fitness and what levels of speed and endurance they are capable of achieving, with many claiming to provide the means to attain those promised improvements as well. But which training method carries the most supported sports science research and consequent success rates in terms of improvement?

VO2 max testing is just one method that sports scientists can use
Services offering to help you become a fitter, faster runner include: biomechanics experts, specialising in helping to improve movement efficiency; physiotherapists, treating and rehabilitating bone and muscle malfunctions; coaches offering the chance to take the guesswork out of training schedules to ensure every session has a specific purpose; and physiological testing services, often based at university laboratories, where athletes can access high-class facilities and expert analysis of, for example, your VO2 max readings (the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at your maximum capacity), and your individual heart rate zones.

Nick Anderson: Level 4 coach heads up Running With Us
“WE ALSO ASSESS A RUNNER’S LIFESTYLE, SLEEP PATTERNS, DIET AND STRESS." NICK ANDERSON