Are fast marathoners a breed apart, or can the rest of us be as fast if we work hard enough?"Are fast runners naturally fast, or can you teach yourself to be fast, through pure dedication and training? I'm a long way off a 3:15 marathon, but with a

in that sense. But will the organisers please, please, please have a sub 1:30/1:40 category just after the elite runners for people who can prove their ability with a previous qualifying time and satisfy the more able club runners who want to race the course

on the back)? Why don't runners who feel the need to do this just run a training session faster...? I've never heard of an elite athlete saying that this type of weight training has contributed to their success. It's almost exclusively men that do it, so

it in my head that I want to do the Southend half-marathon on 10 June – exactly two weeks after Edinburgh. I've been told by my friend's bloke, a seasoned marathon runner, that it's a horrendous idea. Is he right? Given that it's my first marathon, I

of the field is probably very good for first-time marathoners," adds Forest Runner, who’ll be running Abingdon for the first time this year. "The field at Bungay or New Forest is only about 200 or 300, so you can feel isolated if you don't run with someone else

– the curry was a lot better at slowing me than a couple of beers! – Jason XThis is the real worldA binge the week before isn't strictly in the elite marathon runners' preparation plan, but in the real world we have many different priorities. – Dad Of Two