cigarette. I’m not too worried about the marathon, as I know I can do it if I do all the training. And I want to run all of it, I don’t want to walk at all." "But that’s not what scares me. I’m more worried that I won’t keep up the training. My problem is I

You might think that running very, very slowly to become much, much faster is right up there with eating more cake to lose weight. For the marathon runner Sue Gardener, though, slowing down has been the secret of her running success. Before she

can be very frustrating. You'll want to run faster, as you may find that your base rate pace feels barely quicker than walking. But, if Gardener is anything to go by, sticking it out for a few months before adding harder sessions is well worth trying

, running apparel hit the shelves of a leading supermarket, as well as an effective injury treatment sourced from a flightless bird. Here, then, is a purely subjective list of our favourite running products of 2003.Shoe Of The Year… Reebok Premier Road – £55

present the shoes currently "in line" that we think top the bill.Best For Big SoftiesAdidas Supernova Cushion – £70Why it's the best If you think that wearing a running shoe should feel like walking barefoot across a sheepskin rug, then you

’re following a run/walk programme – set one to countdown from five minutes and the next from one minute. The lady’s Swift pictured is rather shiny, and the light that reflected off the face made it quite difficult to read.Adidas Climacool 10 – £55With the case

-compatible, top-of-the-range tools.Bion BN25 £59.99 Choose from five different pre-programmed activities: walking, aerobics, hiking, jogging and running. These help the monitor set upper and lower heart rate (HR) limits and count calories burned. Four target zones

We are never going to claim that running a marathon personal best is easy. Even if you've never run a marathon before, there's no guarantee you'll walk away with a new mark. You might have completed every training session; treated each ache as soon