at Pikes, I’d entered on a whim, overconfident and undertrained, and I’d lumbered to the finish line, 13.3 miles and 7,815 feet above the start, thoroughly spanked. The next year, I'd come prepared to expect a finish time akin to a road marathon. I'd upped

. What makes him special is that he understands he’s not special. He never forgets that he’s just another runner at the back of the pack.”Accepting the mike from Herman, Bingham feigns insult. “I’ll have you know I’ve run 30 marathons, and my PB is 2

of the runners’ bodies. Like I did, these injured runners seem to take pride in the fact that they are "playing with pain." They’ve convinced themselves that the tape and tubes are medals of honor. Have you ever seen a runner in the lead pack of a major marathon

participating in marathons. I’m careful to say “participating” because I’ve never actually run a marathon (I use a run/walk method for long distances), let alone raced one. Still, for me, standing at a start line 26.2 miles from a finish line is the purest

've found that my vision in contacts is better than in glasses, so I'm thinking I may wear them for my first marathon, whatever the weather. – Runner-beanTry www.contactlenses.co.uk. They are much cheaper than from an optician – but you will need your

did our first 5K fun-run a few weeks ago, which felt great. We're signed up for a 10K in February and a half-marathon in March. – NamasteDitch the treadieGet off the treadmill (most boring form of exercise ever invented!) and out of the gym. Mix up

picking up the pace and eventually the walking breaks went. A few years on, I'm now a marathon runner and gone from a size 14 to between an 8 and a 10. So stick at it, it's worth it in the end. Oh, and by the way,you'll burn a lot more calories outside

dehydration.30. While no one has ever proved the old theory that women are better marathoners than men (because they have more body fat to burn), you never hear anyone argue the opposite. Men tend to use their strength to push ahead in short races

again, and six months later I was running sub-1:45 half marathons. When my second child was born, I was better prepared. I avoided comfort food and made special time in my life to run. It's amazing the difference an hour or so running on a Sunday morning

This week's problem may sound extreme, but it's one that many enthusiastic runners or marathon trainees can relate to. In short, how much training is too much? And when you feel you're overdoing it, do you really have to stop completely for a bit