breakfast etc. When you've been, join the queue again! You can never go to the loo too many times before the race! – Iccle JimThink about your legs. Keep off your feet as much as possible. Take an old shirt, jacket or bin bag, anything to sit on wherever

the pain is 'avoided'. For example, if you knock your shin against a chair leg, it will hurt. If you then rub the shin this stimulates the nerves and closes the gate where the pain impulse is going to the brain. The pain is then stopped or at least lessened

of a van, and up flights of stairs. I worked long hours and ate little, so I lost about 3kg. I usually only managed to run once or maybe twice a week, but my legs and upper body became solid muscle. – Ged56Approach every session as a mental challenge

-Marathon (Kent, October 21)Worksop Half-Marathon (Nottinghamshire, October 21)City of Salisbury Half-Marathon (Wiltshire, October 28)Lee Valley Athletics Centre 10K (Middlesex, October 14) Earlier this year London unveiled one of the first new training

, November 10) Canal locks and bridges comprise the only inclines in this otherwise flat, point-to-point race along the towpaths of the river Lee.--Filling Up Fast…Luton Marathon, December 2Luton Marathon (Bedfordshire, December 2) This three-lap course

of 200-plus steps punctuate the steep stony tracks and clifftop paths of this leg-crumbling half, offset by stunning views of the bay and a majestic finish in castle grounds.National HighlightsHelensburgh Half-Marathon, August 5 Helensburgh Half

gravel trails through the 600-acre Arboretum site.--Closing SoonAsh Excellent 8 (Somerset, September 9) Now in its 11th year, this multi-terrain event takes runners along rough tracks, over stiles and up leg-busting hills rewarding them with breathtaking

Nearing Gorey Castle to the east of the islandFew of us can comprehend the strength and stamina required to complete the swim leg of an Ironman (2.4 miles), let alone a 44-mile open water swim around Jersey. But for longstanding forumite Dr Nic

by the mention of this single incline: as the highest point in the south-east, Leith Hill offers runners a quad-crunching ascent of more than 200m. Staggering views over the capital and South Downs are the reward at the summit, while the downhill return leg

of mental effort as keeping your legs moving when they tell you they are tired. Keep thinking of yourself as a non-smoker, not as someone trying to give it up. When someone offers you a ciggie, say 'No thanks, I don't smoke.' – pc.ableChannel your energy