It’s easy to fall in love with running in the summertime. Whether you’re a newbie jogger or a seasoned marathoner, it’s the best season to kick your training up a notch.

You have so much more energy in summer, and it’s easier to find the get up and go to lace up your trainers. I chose not to enter the ballot for the London Marathon – training over winter? No thanks! Give me October’s Yorkshire Marathon, with long, lovely training runs on light evenings instead, please.

Here in the UK, for half of the year it’s dark before you even leave work.

Make sure you take full advantage of the long evenings, and do some socialising on the hoof.

Make running dates with friends – it’s free, it’s fun and it keeps you off the booze. For the summer solstice, we went for a long evening run along the canal that didn’t finish until 10pm.

Incorporate a run into a great day out. If there are local walks nearby, why not try running them instead in your trail shoes. Your local Parkrun is a free, timed 5k that takes place every Saturday morning in parks all around the world. There is a lovely supportive atmosphere and you can feel smug all weekend knowing you got some exercise in before most people were up.

You need lightweight running clothes for the summer or you’ll wilt. It doesn’t need to be the most expensive stuff - just always look for wicking fabric which pulls the sweat away from your body and cools you down.

You’ll have more staying power in your runs and feel fresher if you keep yourself watered like a plant.

Drink water throughout the day, and not just while you’re exercising. Don’t drink too much coffee and tea in the morning, either. You’ll appreciate it while you’re feeling great on your run.

Wear sunscreen - this goes without saying. Wear it every run, not just when it looks like it’s sunny. Yes, yes, blah blah because exposure to the sun is ageing and can cause cancer, but mainly you need to wear sunscreen because running top tan lines look terrible in any other normal outfit.”

• To find out more go to www.veggierunners.com

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