Steve has run more than 60 marathons, holds a PB of 2:29, and has also won a British marathon title in his age group. This is his 35th successive year of preparing for a marathon and for the last five years, he's run a series of consistent times

fitness and race performances. Speedwork is not for you if you’re a total beginner. But once you’ve progressed to running 30-40 minutes or more, three or four times a week, you’re ready to start easing into it in the form of gentle fartlek (short, slightly

then should you try adding extra runs on other days – and never double up on more than four days a week. And remember, back off if your pace drops or you start to feel unduly tired or sore.—Steve Smythe, RW Race Services Editor, runner for 30 years

well up to now but it might be best to run with slower runners the week before your marathon so you don't overdo it!Q. Is it better to start at the pace you want to maintain (in my case, 9min/mile) or start a little slower, see how its going and try

pace too much. During a tempo run you increase your speed in the middle of the session. For example, if you’re running for 40 minutes, begin at jogging pace, then about 10 minutes into the session, start to switch tempos and gradually accelerate to a

Standfirst: Author: Steve SmythePics:Issue date: Jul-Sep01Keywords:uan100--Target times: 2:15 to 2:30 (run/walk) (race pace: sub-11:26 per mile). You should be capable of either a sub-1:05 10K, a sub-1:55 10-miler or a sub-6:00 marathon. Training

’t that many. It starts and finishes in the Berlin Olympic Stadium and takes in some of the marathon course, where the roads are flat and wide.Contact: Run Berlin, Glockenturmstraße 1, 14053 Berlin; web www.25kmvonberlin.deGöteborg Half-MarathonMonth: May

UAN: 169 Article type:--One lap of a standard athletics track, 400m efforts make a simple stock session for shorter-distance racing, but are also a good work-out for anyone looking to improve their pure speed. 1500m specialists will probably run 8

seconds, you could try to start each repetition every 60 seconds.If you want a less taxing session that generates more speed, have a 200m recovery spread over two minutes and aim to run significantly faster than mile speed. Because a runner’s speed over

Standfirst: Author: Steve SmythePics:Issue date: Jul-Sep01Keywords: uan106--The half-marathon is Britain’s most popular race distance, usually representing around 10 of the top 20 races in Runner’s World’s Races of the Year. The event requires a