It started long before it began. The idea was as eloquent as it was simple and perhaps a tad outrageous: stuff a couple of pairs of running shoes and a change of clothes into the saddlebags of a motorbike and head across country in search of new
Finishing last in your first race guarantees that you’ll have a lot to look forward to in your running career. I know – in my first race, I finished just ahead of the ambulance.Okay, that’s not quite true. I wasn’t exactly dead last. I out-kicked my
, I immediately went out and bought racing flats. Shoe spinach! I wouldn’t have to train better or harder, I’d just lace up the shoes and voilà – I’d beat all the Bluto runners.When I read that a certain chemical would reduce body fat, I bought
flight to the tip of South America, and then 11 days on a ship – four of them sailing the roughest seas on the planet.Eager for a new challenge, I spent months training in cold, snowy conditions and experimenting with clothes, kit and shoes. I even
or to martyr themself to the relationship. Only this time it was me making the choice.In 1996 I wrote about my wife Karen’s attempts to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In particular, there was a moment in an earlier marathon when I had to pull out of the race
, I liked the idea that I was ‘woggling’ (my combination of waddling and jogging) several days a week. I liked the idea that I was actually running in running shoes. And I liked the idea that I had a few race T-shirts in my wardrobe.But I wasn’t ready
Extract from No Need For Speed by John Bingham (Rodale International Limited, £8.99). To order direct from Runner's World for the special price of £7.99 (inc P&P), call 0800 731 0622 and quote 55174-0.Those who know me well know that I enjoy
Each and every new runner is unique, as are their experiences.But while we cant tell you everything you need to know, we can at least give you a good start. Here, John Bingham and Julie Welch offer you an insight into the things they wished they
