easier though - hills can be daunting and exhausting opponents, especially for beginners. What advice can you offer this week’s questioner as she prepares to tackle her first climbs?"I’ve been training for three months now and did a 5K in June. Now I

toes.-->Filling Up Fast...Bolton 10K, April 13Bolton 10K (Greater Manchester, April 13) While 40,000 runners head to the capital for the Flora London Marathon, another 1,000 will be travelling to the north-west for this fast and friendly road race

picking up the pace and eventually the walking breaks went. A few years on, I'm now a marathon runner and gone from a size 14 to between an 8 and a 10. So stick at it, it's worth it in the end. Oh, and by the way,you'll burn a lot more calories outside

Country Half-Marathon (West Midlands, July 15)Crown Classic Telford 10K (Shropshire, July 20)Northumberland Coastal Run (Northumberland, July 15) Not your average day at the seasideDespite its humble beginnings – starting out as a challenge among 12

's biggest half-marathon), a further 1,000 runners will be tackling the same distance in a distinctly different location: the market town of Macclesfield. Unlike the urban landscapes of its Tyne and Wear counterpart, Macclesfield's location on the western

, as the locals turn out in force to cheer some 1,100 runners round the undulating, two-lap traffic-free course. Well established on the north-east racing agenda, this year marks the event’s 20th anniversary, and a concurrent 3K race for 11-16s and a beginners

of the historic city. Don’t feel ready to tackle the half-marathon distance? Then sign up for the Race4Each 5K option, also starting and finishing in Norfolk Showground.Bedford Harriers Half-Marathon (Bedfordshire, December 2) The last 13.1-miler in the UK racing

with simple mind-tricksI gave up on January 23 this year. In this time I have gone from 10-minute miling to 9-minute miles so you should be able to see huge improvements almost immediately. I used to chew two pieces of Airwave gum at the same time because