GETTY IMAGES With so much to think about before your first marathon – what to wear, when to eat and how to pace yourself for starters – it’s no wonder your anxiety levels can soar during

- what advice would you offer him as he prepares for his first half-marathon?"I’m a fairly new runner (aged 37) and a busy job and young family prevents me from having a rigid training schedule. I tend to start each run very steadily then decide whether

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