for a half-marathon; sub 38 minutes for 10K.Sub-3:15 Eventual standard: sub-1:30 for a half-marathon; sub 40 minutes for 10K.Sub-3:30 Eventual standard: sub-1:37 for a half-marathon; sub 43 minutes for 10K.Sub-3:45 Eventual standard: sub-1:45 for a

| Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17   This is the year to... celebrate your marathon fitness! This isn't a call to action

helps you reduce your time on the ground per footstrike by just 0.02 of a second, an almost infinitesimal change, your marathon time will be 12:36 faster (0.02 x 37,800 strides). And if the same improvement in leg-muscle power helps to improve your

secs uphill 8M at brisk pace Rest or 3M, jogging only 10M – inc 4 x 1M, with 5-min recoveries 13-15M easy, or half-marathon raceWeek 13 6M, at whatever pace you like 7M of easy fartlek 10M steady, inc 8M pace run 7M, inc intervals: 10 x 400m at 10K

reason, don’t proceed to the next week, but repeat the one you should have done. It may mean you have to miss half or all of the two-week module in Weeks 13/14, but at least you’ll have built up to the ‘plateau of fitness’ in the right way

No, but you seriously think it’s your dayYou get to 10 miles and decide it’s just not your dayYou get runner’s trotsYou twist your ankle on a discarded water bottle You get a stitchYou want to stopYou’re in painYou feel great at mile 13You hit the wall at mile

rest.Mon (am 30 mins steady), pm 1 hr good pace (up to Marathon pace but cooling off for the last 10 mins).Tue (am 30 mins steady), pm 12 x 400m, 3km pace, 2 mins recovery. Wed 90 mins steady. Thu (am 30 mins steady), pm 5 x 1km, 5km pace, 2 mins

4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16The best feeling in the world - two weeks post-race:Week 17 | Week 18

runner, and the biggest lesson I learnt from my first marathon – although it sounds really easy – is just to keep going, even if you have to slow right down. Before last year’s London, I’d built up to about 40 miles a week with long runs of 15-20 miles

hours after the race and may linger for up to a week after the marathon. For the first 24 hours after the race, apply ice (wrapped in a cloth) frequently to any painful parts of your legs, keeping it on for about 12 minutes at a time. Elevate your feet