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In the past month, I’ve camped at the Wildflower Triathlons, and at the Deuces Wild Triathlon festival. Both times it felt like my sleeping bag wasn’t as warm as it used to be. Do sleeping bags expire?

First, I read about a woman who ran Chicago pregnant. Then I read about a woman who won a marathon while pregnant. Are they outliers, or is it safe to train and race while pregnant?

I read about the cardboard bike launching on Kickstarter, but is it true a bike’s been made out of washing machine parts? What’s the weirdest thing a bike’s been made out of?

I run a lot and feel like I’ve had back pain forever. I read about a new study that found bacterial infections cause 40 percent of chronic back pain. Does that study apply to athletes with back pain? Should I ask my doctor about getting tested for a bacterial infection?

A quick and easy guide to making the switch

The ultimate guide to finding your ideal race

Whenever I have a tough task to complete at work, I feel like my after-work workout suffers. Can thinking hard hurt my physical performance? Does my brain use up more energy the harder I have to think?

I’m racing the Leadville Trail 100 this August. I live at sea level, so I’m thinking about renting an altitude tent to get ready. I’ve read mixed reviews so far about their effectiveness. Do altitude tents really work?

I’ve read that tomato paste, green tea, and even chocolate can keep me from getting sunburned. Is that true? And what SPF are we talking here?

An ultramarathon isn't just a race: It's a windy, rocky, leg-trashing trail to self-enlightenment. Get ready to run your first 50-miler with tips from our ultra experts, plus nutrition advice and a complete 20-week training plan.

Now that I’m 40, I feel like I don’t recover as quickly from workouts as I did when I was younger. Is there a scientific explanation for this? Or is it all in my head?

Runners are stubborn. It’s what gets them out the door every day, logging miles, and chasing goals. It's also why they make the same mistakes over and over again. Don’t be that guy.

Runners are stubborn. It’s what gets them out the door every day, logging miles, and chasing goals. It's also why they make the same mistakes over and over again. Don’t be that guy.

First, ditch the salt tablets. “The biggest misconception is that exercise-associated muscle cramping is due to dehydration or electrolyte imbalances,” says Martin Schwellnus, a professor of exercise science at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa, and one of the world’s leading researchers on the subject.

What’s the oldest footrace that I can run today?

My fad-loving workout partner recently started running backward, saying it was easier on his knees than running normally. Are there any proven benefits to running backward, or is this a trend I should trash?

Is it possible to be strong without having big muscles, or to be huge but not very strong?

Taking a close look at Avishek Sengupta’s death, and why water obstacles—not electric shocks—may prove to be the most dangerous

I took a shot of whiskey at about mile 20 of my last marathon and it made me feel awesome. Why is that?

I always feel like I’m flying when I run at night, but my GPS usually says I’m not going any faster—or that I’m going even slower—than when I run during the day. Same with biking. What gives?

We had a handful of writers running the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday when a series of explosions rocked the city. Here are some of their stories.

I’m running the Boston Marathon and the weather looks like it’ll be perfect with highs in the upper 50s and no rain. Should I try to PR, or do as my friends told me: Run for fun and simply enjoy the experience?

I got doored by an oblivious driver. Thankfully I just bruised my leg, but it busted my bike pretty badly. Anyways, I’m about to receive some cash from the driver’s insurance company that’ll cover the x-ray bills and then some. Do I have to pay taxes on it?

I'm signed up for a weeklong bicycle tour this summer. I’m talking like you have to ride 60-100 miles a day with lots of climbing. How do I prepare with limited training time during the week?

Would taking a shot from an EpiPen during my race give me an advantage?

I read that NFL players over hydrate before their games. Should I be doing the same thing before my marathon?

I figure a new do might help me shave some time off of my bike and run. Right now, my hair’s just kind of long. What should I do with it?

I'm a 31-year-old professional who sits on his butt a lot. I used to find getting into shape easy, but now es no bueno. I'm not overweight, I just can't get into an exercise routine which actually helps me get fit and buff. Can you give me advice on how to get fit enough to be rocking in the sack again?

Should I take ibuprofen before or after hard training to limit pain?

Where did the myth that a woman’s uterus would fall out if she participated in sports come from?

I want to go water skiing on spring break. Got any tips on how to prepare so I can stay up for longer than a minute and don’t hurt myself?

I read that serious runners keep two pairs of shoes in rotation. Why is that? And should I rotate my shoes, too?

I feel like whenever it’s cold outside, I have to pee more. Same thing goes for swimming in cold water. What’s going on?

I just finished my first marathon, and I’m ready for a rest. How long before I start losing the benefits of my peak fitness level?

Top athletes share their meal strategies

How many steps per minute should I be taking when I run?

New technology is making it easier than ever for athletes to fine-tune their nutrition through blood analysis. Prepare to send in the vials.

Three blood-analysis companies to help maximize performance

What kind of damage do bumps do to your body? What can I do to strengthen beforehand and counteract the aftereffects?

The prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius bail hearing claimed that the athlete was found with a box of steroids. How likely is it that PEDs could contribute to a murderous rampage?

You know how good you feel after a run? Can my dog get that, too?

I’ve read that road cycling is bad for your bones, but how does mountain biking stack up?

Without fail, I have to use the restroom sometime during my morning run. Why is that? And is there anything I can do to keep it from happening? I’m afraid to go on group runs because of it.

Can’t skin up a mountain or drop off a massive cornice like a Warren Miller star? Five days of carefully planned resort skiing can get you closer to shredding expert terrain. Here’s how.

I live in Minnesota, so for half of the year I either exercise indoors or am pretty covered up. How often should I be screened for skin cancer?

It’s not just the pros who can benefit from a few sessions with a sports psychologist. Here’s how you can, too.

The ultimate guide to the greatest ski adventure of your life

I’ve read a lot of claims recently that exercise makes you smarter. But how, exactly, does it work?

I’ve been having trouble with Achilles tendinosis, so a friend mentioned that I should look into prolotherapy. What’s the difference between that and PRP, and is it worth it?

Can high levels of endurance training lead to irreversible heart damage? A new report is giving athletes panic attacks.

Maybe you should get a checkup before you go the distance

Is it therapy for a society deeply affected by the wars of our time, a renegade sport for rebels who can't stand rules and restrictions, or something else entirely?

I’m usually not hungry right after I work out. Does exercise suppress appetite? If so, how does that affect weight loss?

Is bar soap clean because it’s soap, or can it transfer bacteria commonly spread among athletes like MRSA?

I have trouble figuring out how I should be training during the holidays, when the weather’s dreary, the food’s plentiful, and I don’t have any races planned. But I don’t want to pull a Jan Ullrich. What should I do?

I hike every Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. with two friends. They're very fast and charge right up the hill, whereas I'm much slower at that time of the morning. But in the afternoon, I'm much faster. Is there any physiological or scientific reason why one person is faster in the morning and another is faster in the afternoon? And is there any truth to "morning" people and "nighttime" people in terms of athletic performance?

I heard that people are shorter after running a marathon. Is that true?

Just about every time I work out, my face turns beet red. Sometimes it lasts long after I’ve stopped exercising, which makes running during my lunch break difficult. Why does this happen? And is there anything I can do about it?

Whenever I go cycling, I get a runny nose. It doesn’t even have to be that cold outside to get a good drip going. Why does this happen?

How does implanted saline and silicone behave under extreme conditions, whether at jet-cruising altitude or during a deep-sea dive?

As an athlete who spends a lot of time in the sun, I wonder if I should be taking sunscreen pills. Do they work as well as lotions?

I always get the post-workout chills, even when it’s warm outside. What causes them, and is there anything I can do to avoid it in future?

I like to work out during my lunch break, but I just switched jobs and my new office building doesn’t have showers. How important is it that I shower after working out?

I heard alternating hot and cold water is just as effective as an ice bath at speeding up recovery, but way less painful. Is this true? How do I do it?

My friend always races triathlons in a red unitard because he says it’s his lucky outfit and wearing red makes him faster. I think he looks like a crazy malnourished Santa, but he always beats me. Can the color of my kit really affect my performance?

Pumpkins are cheap, local, and plentiful at this time of year. Should I fit them into my diet?

Is it true that sleeping well two nights before an event is more important than sleeping well the night before?

I’ve been reading about how sitting at work all day can cause heart attacks and early death. But if I’m training 15 hours a week, should I still get a standing desk, or do I need to sit to recover faster?

I read that the human sleep cycles last 90 minutes, so people are more rested if they sleep in increments of 90 minutes—7.5 hours, for example, is better than eight. Is that true? And what about sleeping for 4.5 hours at night, then supplementing with a few 90-minute naps? Is that the same as sleeping for 7.5 hours?

When I was in college, the head of athletics held an all-team meeting at which he said that every alcoholic drink we had would set us back a week of training. True or false?

Lance Armstrong allegedly doped and won seven Tour titles. So if I dope, I should at least dominate some local races, right?

My friend, an experienced marathoner, said I shouldn’t hang out at packet pick-up the day before my first marathon because being around the other runners will make me more nervous. Can other peoples’ pre-race jitters really rub off on me?

It seems like every time I complete a race that lasts longer than a few hours, I get sick afterward. Why is that, and is there any way to prevent it from happening?

I always get sausage fingers and puffy hands whenever I go on day hikes. My friend says it’s because I’m not eating enough salt. But doesn’t salt cause bloating? What’s going on here?

My coach suggested I take fish oil supplements, so I started taking them, but so far it seems the only thing they’re doing is messing with my, um, excretory system. Is it really that important for athletes to take fish oil supplements?

I’m running the Twin Cities Marathon in October. I’ve been getting a massage about once a month while I’ve been training, but I'm not sure when to schedule my final massage before the race for optimal performance. Got any tips?

I only put sunscreen on the uncovered parts of my body, but should I be using it under my clothes, too? How well do my clothes protect me against the sun?

I was about halfway through a 17-mile run in preparation for a marathon. I was wearing a hydration belt that contained a cell phone, mace, endurance beans and two 10-ounce water bottles. During the run, a man on a bike pulled up to me and told me that I was going to "ruin my back" carrying that much weight. While I haven't done 100 marathons, this isn't my first time. I have been working hard to keep my core strong, and I try to position the weight so I carry it on my hips. Is he right?

I’ve seen conflicting reports on whether it’s better to exercise in the morning before or after breakfast to promote weight loss. Which is it?

Scott Jurek said he breathes through his nose while running easy because nasal breathing "lowers one's heart rate and helps brain activity." Should I be breathing out of my nose instead of my mouth when I exercise to improve my performance?