sessions, hills and rest days. Nothing is simpler than glancing at a schedule, then heading out the door to follow it.Set your alarm Whenever possible, run first thing in the morning. Not only will youavoid having to shower twice a day, you'll also be less

of Apperley Bridge in this beginner-friendly off-road number.-->Filling Up Fast... Cardiff Half-Marathon, October 19Gaz de France Leeds Half-Marathon (West Yorkshire, September 7) Encouraging locals, a PB-promoting course and finisher's T-shirt make

by former Olympian Jeff Galloway recommends that not only beginners, but also faster marathon runners, run just three to four days a week. Weekly mileage peaks at 31 to 41 miles, depending on your goal time. Galloway reports that 99 per cent of his plan

, but only so I can get to the gym/race/work. I keep it as light as possible. If I could ditch the pack, I would. – coughie I'm training for a half Ironman, and I run once a week with my wife. She's a beginner and runs at a far slower pace than me, so

time, there's some evidence that human skeletal muscle switches fibre types from "fast" to "slow" due to training. But how's a beginner to know which race length suits their biology best? Probably a case of experimenting with different distances. I

. Also, the flatness of the course at Abingdon is good for first-timers. New Forest was my second marathon, and I found it very tough with all the hills."The Abingdon Marathon also obeys the three cardinal rules of event management: organisation

'll get a great workout.Running simultaneously to the main race is a 3K fun run for kids or beginners - a great opportunity to get the whole family out of the city for the evening and into the fresh air. Enter online now.The Devil's Chimney Chase

."Really enjoyed the day," said jH. "Feeling it this morning, though. First half marathon for six years; really needed to have done more hills to prepare for this one." Melanie Arbib summed it up with a self-edited anecdote: "One man shouted, 'is it me

Speed, like weight loss, is a simple concept. The only way to run faster is to run faster. What that means in practice, especially for a beginner, is moving from a single-speed run to variable paced training. This is initially difficult because

full marathon – all raced consecutively over (at most) 17 gruelling hours. The Pirates is a beginner friendly team, and there is always a high proportion of novice triathletes among the crew. However this race saw an unusually high number of returning