Leigh says the groups have done brilliantly."We've seen some people go from one session a week to running half-marathons," he says. "Some even run the full marathon." The Spartans hosted six events and series in 2009, including the Stevenage Half-Marathon

to complete. After what was a painfully slow eight weeks of training, I entered the Wokingham Half-Marathon, setting myself a goal of running sub-1:40. It was a painful experience, because I was still somewhat out of shape, but I managed to finish in 1:35. I

constant (1:45 for a half-marathon and 45-50 minutes for 10K). Eighteen months ago I joined a club, trained properly (speedwork, hills and long runs) and trained outside my comfort zone. At 43 years old I ran a 1:40 half-marathon and WILL beat 40 minutes

K pace to increase stride power. Sometimes you need to run longer and a little slower, to sustain 5K pace better. And sometimes you need to run right at 5K pace, to become more efficient."SUMMER ACHIEVEMENT: Ran a 10K or half-marathon AUTUMN GOAL

This week's problem is one that many runners will recognise: How do you cope with being a "beginner" again after injury?"I used to be a half-decent runner. I've run seven marathons with a PB of 3:36, and loads of half marathons and 10Ks

with his son Phil, Mick has completed 278 races since 2002, including 27 full marathons and 162 half-marathons.Mick and Phil wouldn’t run without each other, but this is no ordinary partnership: Phil has severe physical and mental disabilities

’ve never done a marathon so I don’t know. The second half will be…tough. So what’s your training been like? The marathon is 14 weeks from tomorrow, so… Oh, damn. Wow.Are you training within a 16-week plan? No. We wanted to, but the travel schedule

, but there is nothing like running a short, fast race to boost your confidence and make you feel better about your running. If you are used to running halfs or marathons, even a 10K can do this for you, although something shorter like a mile race or 5K is the perfect

for me. Now I know why I am doing each run, and as an inquisitive type, this gives me more pleasure and motivation.See full thread... and build mileage effectively: slow down, tooHilly - When I first upped my mileage during marathon training I went from

up to it was four miles, I still did it. I welled up crossing the finish line and I wore my medal for days. I was ecstatic."It was just a start. Numerous 5Ks, three 10Ks and two half marathons later, I'm still going strong. I'm only running 11-minutes