it in my head that I want to do the Southend half-marathon on 10 June – exactly two weeks after Edinburgh. I've been told by my friend's bloke, a seasoned marathon runner, that it's a horrendous idea. Is he right? Given that it's my first marathon, I

to set PBs at 10K, 10 miles and half marathons. – Johnny JConsensus advice is that for a first marathon you'll need up to a month to fully recover. However, as others have said, if you feel OK and don't do anything silly, you can pick up running again

. – fat buddhaSix days before should be fine. Four days before, not so fineI ran my first London Marathon in 2004. My training had been somewhat sporadic and interspersed with the odd binge, not to mention a few fags. On the Wednesday before the marathon

to do 50 marathons."Dean Karnazes, who runs up to 150 miles a week in training, and whose "long training runs" have included the Western States 100-miler and the Badwater 135 in Death Valley, certainly seems to have the training under control. His epic

have to do it during the session, and this can have a major impact on your time. People say they want to conserve energy before a race, but I read somewhere that the body (liver) stores up to about 2,000 calories in glycogen. At marathon pace

, and find what they like.You're well known for your 100-plus-mile weekly training schedule each week. How do you find time to sleep?(Chris Leigh 3)I sleep a lot! I get 10 hours or so at night, and another two in the afternoon between 2 and 4 o'clock. I

to being able to run a 1:15 half and a 2:41 marathon. But because I didn’t have the genetic build that some of my club mates and training partners had, that was my limit. – GrendelBlaming genes is a cop-outI like to tell myself that it's all about genetic

Black toenails are caused by pressure on the nail, which causes bleeding under it. The normal cure is to make sure that your shoes have lots of room for expansion when you run. I believe that in your feet can expand by up to 10 per cent during a marathon, caused

won by Parachute units. For the record my marathon PB is 2:52... without a bergan! – Jonah Unless you're training for an elite regiment or an ultra-marathon in the desert, training with a rucksack carries no tangible benefit. Steady, structured

many tummy troubles if I eat before hand, even if I leave it for a few hours. I did my last marathon on a cup of tea and some greek yoghurt with honey. – Hazel AdamsI run about 18 or 19 miles on Sunday mornings on a completely empty stomach, not even a