OLD - Lucozade Sport Super Six: Andy (sub-4:00)

Goal: sub-4:00 Mentor: Steve Smythe Forum nickname: AndyV Age: 34 Running for: 1 year No. of marathons: 0 PB for 10K: 43:00 Half-Marathon: 1:42 Marathon n/a Strengths: Tenacity, inner strength - and a sense of humour. Weaknesses: Inexperience and not listening to my body enough. Did you know? I can be a right klutz. After five years of marriage I've just managed to lose my wedding ring... My wife's going to kill me when she finds out! Andy's Schedule | Andy's Training Thread | Andy's RW profile

About Andy

Andy says: I remember the exact date I started running – it was Christmas Eve last year. I realised I'd got fat and couldn't carry on as I was. I signed up for the Reading Half-Marathon there and then, even though I used to hate running.

Now running means a lot of things to me – it makes me feel good about myself, and helps keep the weight off. I've got two children and a busy work life, so running is my time. I go out at the crack of dawn (partly to avoid changing nappies) and just leave it all behind. Usually I run with no science or strategy, but I want to do my first marathon properly. I'm hoping to use all the support and advice I get over the next few months as a springboard, and apply what I learn to my running for the next five, ten, even twenty years. Steve has a no-nonsense, straight talking approach that I really like – he's already told me off for going too fast!

I'm looking forward to getting involved with the forums more, and sharing what I learn too. I love the fact that no matter what I ask on there, within a couple of hours I'll have advice from least four different forumites!

Steve says: Andy has no marathon experience and hasn't much running background. However he has bags of talent and more than sufficient speed to comfortably break four hours. That said, at this stage there is no way of knowing how he will cope with the increased mileage required in marathon training or how he will cope when he gets past 20 miles.

Andy is clearly going to have to step his training up significantly, which will increase his risk of injury. He seems to have plenty of motivation and enthusiasm but admits he can get carried away and not listen to his body. This will be crucial over the months ahead - even when you are following a schedule, you need to know when to ease back and when the best option is actually rest.

His half-marathon time of 1:42 shows he already has the basic speed and as he achieved this so early in his running career, I suspect that he can take many minutes off this time, especially when his endurance improves with the marathon training.