A s a 16-stone, heavy-drinking, asthmatic, smoking slob, I decided to throw myself into a gruelling training regime. The goal was to make the cut for the marathon at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing - and make a documentary of my journey. Why

Championship events, is something to aim for. It will give you an incentive to train harder and the races will be like nothing else you've done, if only because the excitement surrounding a championship race is intoxicating.Five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir

sprint-distance triathlon in the 2010 season. An intermediate might aim to complete a sub 2:45 Olympic-distance triathlon, and if you're an experienced triathlete you might be aiming to take two minutes off your Ironman PB swim time and, maybe, achieve a

a future World or Olympic medallist. Email your entryThe VeteranThis is a lifetime achievement award for a veteran runner with decades of running under their belt and whose commitment has never wavered. Email your entryThe SurvivorSomeone who won

from grim experience. He punctured twice in the qualifying bike race for the Beijing Olympics last year and didn't make the team. "I was really low afterwards and didn't feel like training but I did have a Plan B, which really helped me out," he says

to be more motivated to complete them.KEEP IT PERSONALTime-effective training does not mean that you need to do every session at maximum intensity. It means that your training should be dependent on your strengths and weaknesses, and the type of race you

really pear-shaped.Think Positive: "Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better" Carlos Lopes, Olympic marathon gold medallistThe Fear: Not Hitting Time GoalsThe Fix: Tweak Your Targets"Missing goal times is usually the result of a

, the greatest demand is for Olympic-format races."At the top, standards are high and improving, especially for Olympic-distance triathlons. Alan Rose, Event Director for Just Racing, organiser of several qualifier events, has been managing triathlons for nine

Challenge. Now she has her eye on the biggest prize of all: "Cross-country is good background work, but because it isn't an Olympic sport, I'm moving more towards track. I'm focusing on the 5,000m for London 2012." Focus is one thing Purdue certainly has

entryThe Rising StarThis will be a young, probably professional British athlete who is packed with the potential to become a future World or Olympic medallist. Email your entryThe VeteranA "lifetime achievement" award for a veteran runner with decades