THE LOWDOWN ON RUNNERS' HYGIENE

Running is a far dirtier business than we'd like to admit, says John Carroll, who knows what he's talking about.

You're a runner. You're healthy. You know the importance of good hygiene in daily life (use deodorant, don't eat raw chicken, wash hands before performing surgery). And yet, dear runner, you're not the paragon of personal cleanliness you think you are. Let us examine the filthy evidence, from a safe distance.

01 Sock shock

Your socks go on your feet, which have 250 000 sweat glands between them. Those feet then go into shoes that should be fired into the sun (more on this in a minute). What do you think they smell like? Change your socks.

02 Fetid footwear 

Look at your running shoes. There are cartoon stink lines rippling up from them. Have you noticed how your other shoes and boots have jammed themselves into the corner of the wardrobe, as far from your running shoes as possible? That's deliberate.