Q I’m a 33-year-old female, and after being collected by the ‘slow police’ after 19 miles in last year’s Berlin Marathon, I’m desperate to get my time down in this autumn’s race. I guess I should do speedwork but I don’t know what my targets should

miles and half-marathons in the autumn. After that, you can start training for your second marathon.—Bruce Tulloh, endurance coach and organiser of the Safari Marathon

Q This autumn I’m attempting my first marathon. My goal is simply to finish, although it would be nice to run it in about five hours. What’s the best strategy for this type of goal?A First things first. Your goal – ‘simply to finish’ and ‘to run

enable you to try a 10K race. In the autumn you might move over to more indoor and less outdoor work, and in the winter you might reduce the exercise load to one run, one swim and one gym session. There are endless permutations, but I advise that you do

Chasing an autumn marathon PB? Make your next race a 13.1-miler. "Doing a shorter race three or four weeks beforehand is very sensible – most experienced runners would run at least one or two as part of their build-up," says endurance coach Nick

K and the British 10K.AugustFor runners wilting in the heat, August seems to be a lull before the autumn racing storm. But there are plenty of opportunities nationwide for runners to chip away at 10K PBs, including the new Jane Tomlinson 'Run For All

groups. It is the perfect endurance sport for those who are less inclined to swim, as a form of cross training, to improve bike-handling skills under race conditions in autumn and spring, to build run strength off the bike and for transition training

always enjoy your post-race refreshments at a pavement café with your feet up and a literary classic on the table.Website www.pim.czSlovakiaOrganisers of the Kosice Peace Marathon reckon their race is the longest-standing marathon in the world – it’s been

popping 50,000 runners, the date has moved from summer to autumn and it’s the biggest half-marathon in the world. One aspect that hasn’t changed though is local runner Alistair Dickson’s commitment to competing in the race. He’s raced every single GNR

training, and on course for a best-ever race-day performance. It runs from the end of June to September, and its 12-week training schedule is aimed at this year's Great North Run - September 20, 2009. Each bite-sized bulletin will contain a digest