, then the schedule prescribed may be the same but the beginner may be better doing less until they are stronger and have more miles in the bank.Q11) What are your thoughts on 20 mile races in the marathon build up? I've always under-performed in the marathon after a

by fine-tuning it with the right training. If you’ve spent a long time building a solid fitness base, effective marathon training will provide a launchpad of speed endurance, economy and efficiency from which you can focus on race-specific sessions

practise pacing, hydration and running in crowds. I’d suggest running a half marathon, 10K or 10-miler once a month to monitor your progress. The merits of a 20-mile race are more debatable. It’s probably fine for a marathon-pace run, scheduled four to six

good way to do this is to note your personal best times from 1500m to marathon and compare them with equivalent times for different races using this race time calculator. If your PBs are comparatively better over the longer distances, then your training

are and therefore what to emphasise in your training. A good way to do this is to note your personal best times from 1500m to marathon and compare them with equivalent times for different races using this race time calculator. If your PBs are comparatively better

in longer races throughout the year. More practically, it offers something for everyone. It is long enough and testing enough to tempt an elite competitor, and yet within the endurance range of the novice athlete looking for their first racing experience

this will be required during a race. The variation of pace in the session will help your pace judgement, so that you'll know what pace you can maintain for different distances. Find a 10K scheduleHalf-MarathonsThis distance – 13.1 miles, or 21.1 kilometres – has

, and if you’ve been running for a few weeks, it’s a distance that you’ll be comfortable with. (Need a training schedule?)First-timers do tackle longer distances, of course – five-milers, 10Ks, 10-milers, half-marathons and even marathons – but we wouldn

national marathon coach, he now works as a mentor for England Athletics.Bud joined us to mark the start of our Half-Marathon Newsletter, powered by ASICS. Our weekly half-marathon newsletter provides schedules and training advice to get you race ready

your all into a 10K, 10 miler or half marathon and get a realistic gauge of how you have progressed. I recommend tapering for a few days before your assessment race so you go into it fresh. Use online predictor tools to see what your result says about