Working hard and preparing smart. That's something that everyone involved in sport at any level should have as their baseline and in their blueprint for success.

If you're taking part in tomorrow's Great North Run and you've done neither, the day might be tougher than you could even imagine.

Any form of competitive physical activity will throw at you one or two obstacles and complications to you achieving your goal - be it to cross the finish line of a half marathon in under two hours, or to simply complete 90 minutes of football.

And the latter can prove elusive to even the players at the top level of the game despite their best efforts to prepare and recover.

Hartlepool United manager Neale Cooper this week spoke about his disappointment at one or two of his players suffering from cramp.

Peter Hartley and Jonathan Franks have fallen victim in recent weeks.

Cramp occurs when one of your muscles tightens so aggressively it feels like it is never going to loosen off, and usually occurs towards the latter end of competition or afterwards when you're tired.

The odds of cramp increase hugely if you don't prepare correctly and neglect fluids and vital nutrients for your muscles.

You may remember Rafael Nadal was painstakingly struck with an episode live on air, during an interview following a match at the US Open last year.

If you're running tomorrow, cramp is one of the big things that you will be wanting to avoid.

It's pretty merciless and once there is very difficult to shake off so your preparation today, tonight and in the morning is vital. Even during the run it's important to get the drink stations at every opportunity.

Through excessive exertion and dehydration, your body looses potassium, sodium and calcium and these are the important things that you need to stop the muscles from cramping.

Drinking the isotonic drinks which are usually handed out during the race to quickly replace lost electrolytes is a great idea and drinking water at small but regular intervals will also help.

The foods that you need to eat reduce the likelihood of cramp should contain lots of potassium such as bananas, potatoes, broccoli and oranges.

Milk is also a great way of maintaining your calcium levels so consider drinking one or two glasses of milk today and in the morning.

At the end of your run tomorrow or at the end of your 90 minutes of football in the morning, you need to be stretching the major muscle groups at risk such as the calf and hamstrings.

You are at a much higher risk of cramp when you have a long period of inactivity following activity, such as on those buses on the way back to your car after the run, and particularly at night when in bed.

If it happens, sit tight, remain calm and wait for it to go, which it will - any sudden movements will only prolong the pain.

One final tip from me, whatever your reason for being at the start line of the Great North Run tomorrow remember to relax and enjoy it.

What people don't realise as they get carried away with the emotion and high energy that is happening before the race, they are using and losing energy.

Remember this extra energy loss wasn't accounted for in your training plan over the last few months so it will definitely help if you can remain calm.