However careful a runner is with warming up, cooling down and stretching exercises, it is almost inevitable that, at some stage, you will be injured.

The most common injury that runners suffer in the thigh is a hamstring ‘pull’ or tear. The hamstrings are a powerful set of muscles in the back of the thigh, which can be over-stretched, causing a tear in the muscle fibre.

Your knee is a complex joint, which can cause runners problems in a number of ways. Most running injuries tend to affect the soft tissue i.e. the tendons and ligaments that hold the joint together.

A calf strain affects one of the three powerful muscles in the lower leg. You might find that the strain begins as a dull ache and stiffness in the muscle, which gradually worsens during the course of a run or runs.

The Achilles tendon connects the powerful muscles in the lower leg with the heel. Achilles strains are a common injury that can often become chronic and prevent any running.

It’s an obvious point, but one that runners sometimes overlook, that you should take care of your feet. The more often you train or race, and the faster you run, the more likely you are to have problems with your feet.

The sport of fell racing has its origins in the north of England and Scotland. It is particularly associated with the Lake District, where farmers, shepherds, miners and mountain guides used to race each other to local summits from country fairs.

One of the attractions of running is that, apart from shoes, you need very little specialist equipment to get started. When you first begin, or return to running after a break, you will not need to buy specialist clothing.