cross-training. Mainly strength training, cycling, elliptical training, yoga, stair-climbing, pool-running, rowing and walking. Why? Not because we think these routines will make us faster in our next half-marathon, but because they make us fitter all

Despite a clean sweep of World, European and British Championships marathon titles, as well as a long-standing world record, one medal has always eluded the grasp of running legend Paula Radcliffe - Olympic gold. Paula secured her place at London

, which may explain why I wasn’t feeling at my best. Afterthoughts: I enjoyed it all apart from the last half hour or so; I would have been in a great mess without support from friends and family; and if I do another marathon it would only be after more

and on the other weeks try Helgerud’s four-minute interval session or run the trial as a tempo run – i.e. run it at half-marathon pace and see how much easier it becomes as the weeks go by. You could even do several miles beforehand and use it to pick up the pace

in my brain: maybe, just maybe, collectively erasing these micrograms from my skin will bring me into 11st 3lb territory. I dry myself off and step back on the scales. I’m running my first marathon next month and, at 5ft 8in, I want to toe the line at 11

, as you will need time to recover.The beauty of the sessions is that they can form the basis of everything from 5K training to (with a little tweaking of the long run) a full marathon build-up. They’ll also keep you ticking over without getting stale

string of enviable road race times have earnt her the title of premier LV65 (Ladies Veteran 65+) over 10K, 5K and half-marathon in the UK.Three months from now she will be toeing the line in Italy for the World Masters Track and Field Championships, where

have changed.In the first Olympic marathon at least one runner thought it was smart to drink wine during the race. We're not saying the challengers to conventional wisdom are right – or wrong. Only that their ideas are worth considering, because

, an assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology and head of the Running Injury Clinic at the University of Calgary, says that he sees a lot of newly injured runners during that third month of marathon training, when a 16-week programme pushes the mileage

mind to wander, but it’s good to have this touchstone to return to.Hold back, even if your body wants to speed off. The marathon is an exercise in restraint, as many people find out to their cost in the second half of the race. If you’ve been following