Fiona Russell, Runner and Journalist

If there’s one piece of kit a runner should invest in if they want an injury-free future, it’s a podiatrist. Every runner ends up with an injury at some point. But most of the time those soul-destroying injuries have started from a niggle that you’ve ignored, or because of ill-fitting or worn-out trainers, or through a lack of effective stretching.

An initial podiatry consultation, follow up with regular body maintenance sessions from a podiatrist, are as vital as servicing your car at a trustworthy garage. Five years ago I went to see Toni Blacklock with painful knees after just 10 weeks of training for a 10k. She advised that I required orthotics in my trainers to help balance out my running gait. Since then I’ve been injury-free despite running many miles every week. I think of Toni as my expert and friendly body mechanic.