. But after watching the race I was so inspired, I decided I’d give running a try. Logging on to the RUNNER’S WORLD forum and seeing lots of other beginners in the same boat as me gave me a real boost. I know running is one of the best exercises for weight

-in-week-out, and repeating exactly the same runs and sessions on the same day of each week. While that may feel comfortable and familiar, it’s not actually the best way to improve. Mix up your training, try new sessions, enter races of wildly varying distances and you

. Everything became easier when I started running with other people in my office. I was running more regularly, I made progress more quickly because I was training with people who were better than me and it was more fun. Rob SpeddingYears Running 7Fast running