responded to a request placed by us on the forums earlier this year. We wanted beginner runners who were willing to take on a massive challenge – to get from virtually nothing to 26.2 miles in time for the 2004 Flora London Marathon.Over the coming months

In the December issue of RUNNER’S WORLD, we introduced you to three intrepid volunteers willing to let us train them up from being absolute beginners to running the Flora London Marathon in April. You’ll be pleased to know that, after six weeks

As the Flora London Marathon draws closer, RUNNER’S WORLD’s three marathon protégés – Kerry Neale, Philippa Braidwood and Phil Wilson – have been stepping up their mileage. While all have found the running hard but enjoyable, they’ve also discovered that life has a nasty habit of...

Is nutrition too complicated? These 10 simple commandments are guaranteed to make you healthier, fitter and faster1. Plan your diet Devise a sensible eating plan that you can stick to, which will suit your lifestyle. Don’t set yourself unreasonable targets for food consump...

-week) into a real hard speed session. Treat the other two runs as steady general purpose training. When you are accomplishing all this fairly easily you could consider moving up to five sessions. See full threadIndoor vs outdoor runningDragon breath - You

realistic goals to post-race recovery. Avoiding InjuryDon’t let that niggle become an injury – build mileage gradually, train on forgiving surfaces, and wear the right shoes.Beginner's RunningThe real basics - choosing shoes and kit, the best walk

When you set out as a runner, you’ll find that you have many more questions than answers. Am I too slow? How do I get faster? What can I do to stop it hurting? How long will it take before I get better? And there will definitely be times when you think you’ll never find t...

my feet after every bath and shower. The result: I haven’t lost a toenail in months and I’m no longer afraid to remove my socks after a run.Edward GibbesYears Running 6Not all shoes are the sameAs a beginner, I had only the vaguest idea that different

For the past two years, I’ve been teaching a class for novice runners on a university campus. But this is no typical college course – we spend more time running together than discussing and debating.The group meets twice a week for 50 minutes at a time. For homework, I suggest th...

exercises generally don’t make you sweat or raise your heart rate, which is what you really want from a warm-up. A proper warm-up begins with walking or running very slowly to ease your body into the session. Try walking briskly for five minutes (about a