, notably Varaday’s Hill just before the finish. But the view of the dam and the nearby finish as you crest Varaday’s makes it all worthwhile. The accompanying half-marathon is almost entirely off-road and is extremely hilly, but equally scenic. Race

of the hill.Don’t just hammer out the miles on roads or pavements. By training off-road on trails or sand, your legs will work harder to keep you moving, and you’ll put less stress on joints. You can even include races on different surfaces in your training

, but before that there was 15K of desert to negotiate. No major sand dunes today, just lots of rough sandy, stony ground. In the road book issued to every runner, there are descriptions of the terrain ahead. By the end of the week, the descrpitions had become

opponents.Typical training weekMondayAM 10km off road with the dogPM Swim 1kmTuesday AM 13km road runPM Half an hour light stretching or exercise at the gymWednesdayAM Faster run (10km or 13km) or minute intervals PM Swim 1kmThursday16km coastal footpath

of Apperley Bridge in this beginner-friendly off-road number.--Filling Up Fast... Cardiff Half-Marathon, October 19Gaz de France Leeds Half-Marathon (West Yorkshire, September 7) Encouraging locals, a PB-promoting course and finisher's T-shirt make

-length changes will make your reactions quicker and your body more agile.Try this: Train on hilly off-road terrain as often as possible. The gradients and uneven surface will condition your body against injury while improving your balance and core strength

thousands of international runners to its 15,000-strong field. The race starts at the world-famous Coliseum before following a course along ancient roads and uneven cobblestone streets, past classical monuments and lively piazzas crammed with enthusiastic

is clear this morning when the sun comes up around 6am. Runners have by the gates of the camp to train. They set off in small groups to tackle the first training run of the day. It might be a slow recovery run for 60 minutes, or hill repeats on the main

injury-free? I run off-road a lot and I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain, so I probably back off when something starts to hurt. I have a massage every few weeks, too. I try to do an Ironman a week in training; I train three or four times a week. I

-strong three-time Ironman World Champion. Surely things must be bad for Chrissie to pull out of what everyone had predicted would be her fourth win in a row?Without Chrissie, the women's race was wide open as the pros set off at 6.30am. Half an hour later