© Getty Images The two Olympic marathons held last August in Beijing were literally races for the ages. Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru, then 21, broke more than an Olympic record with his 2:06:32 win; he crushed long-held conventional

© Getty Images The two Olympic marathons held last August in Beijing were literally races for the ages. Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru, then 21, broke more than an Olympic record with his 2:06:32 win; he crushed long-held conventional

thinking that I can get under three hours once again. Is this goal beyond me, or can I realistically train towards it? A Every year we have to set new goals, particularly when we pass an age milestone. Of course, we can’t expect to be better in our 50s

competing in this year's race.To help them achieve their targets, triathlon coach Ralph Hydes will be offering them advice and tips on the Runner's World forums. (There's more about Ralph below.)His advice to them will work for you, too - and you're welcome

there needs to be some element of higher volume involved."Gowans believes that there must be a conscious decision to pursue longer racing, and that the planning involved means elite athletes have chosen the race distance that best suits them.Age-group racing

However long you've been running, and whatever your age or ambition, chances are you'll have questions. How can you improve your race times? What's the perfect race day diet? How can you avoid overtraining? Well, now you can pose your questions

schedule. Okay, I finished in 4:15 instead of my hoped-for 3:45, but I crossed the line feeling great and pain-free, and I’m now looking forward to my next one.”How I Overcame... Race-Day NervesName: Rachel Guy Age: 34Occupation: Physiotherapist

’re racing too much, or getting bored by the same distances.On a different level, there’s nothing we can do about getting older, and few of us can expect to be running the same times in our 50s as we did in our 30s. But you can cheat the ageing process. Age

.While the average man needs 10mg of iron daily, the average woman needs almost twice as much - 18mg per day for those of childbearing age. This is why anaemia is more common in women. It's easy to improve your iron levels by taking a supplement or asking your GP

to 20 per cent of your daily needs), which helps to build new bone. A study of women aged 38 to 74, revealed that those who ate lettuce once or twice a day had a 45 per cent lower risk of hip fracture than those who ate lettuce one or fewer times per