few great marathons.I tell you this to explain how I came to be standing in a cold wind which was posing as a summer morning in July, in the middle of an eight-week motorcycle tour. In this particular race, runners who needed more than five hours

of their own. Before I knew it, the saddlebags were packed, the motorbike was tuned, and, early last summer, I hit the road.The plan was to ride from Nashville, Tennessee, to Washington DC, to Portland, Oregon, to San Diego, California, and then back

There we were. Two middle-aged men in a Firebird on a summer night. The top was down, the V8 was rumbling. We were just driving around, minding our own business.And there he was. A 20-something young man in a four-cylinder sports saloon with loud

, but what little self-esteem I still possessed was seriously eroded. Here was I, living a life of blameless purity – and far from enjoying a sort of athletic Indian summer, a swansong of blistering times and smashed records, I was relying upon my dog, Oscar

, but they still hurt like buggery if I so much as get out of bed in a hurry.Not that it’s made much difference to my training, since the Alpine 78K last summer turned my hamstring into a sort of pain-sensitive stalactite. In any case, I’ve joined The Gym. All

summer, a particularly fine specimen was strutting his stuff on our lawn. I woke our young daughter – it was early morning – and pointed out the bird to her. Next day, at 5am, our curtains were ripped wide, and I awoke to see her peering sleepily

, hero) has done his back in again. And my Achilles is playing me up something rotten.”“I can just picture it,” mused Sandra, drily. “Like an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine.” The course encompassed the whole of Dartmoor in a wide, sweeping circle

There we were. Two middle-aged men in a Firebird on a summer night. The top was down, the V8 was rumbling. We were just driving around, minding our own business.And there he was. A 20-something young man in a four-cylinder sports saloon with loud

and time management• Can I train for a 10K in summer then run a fast marathon?• Form/running style• How do you run over 100 miles a week?TRAINING COMPONENTS• Should I skip the "easy week" if I’m still feeling strong after a hard block of training? • I can

a shoe, reviews of all past and present models)• Kit (how to choose a watch, heart rate monitor, baby stroller, summer kit, winter kit and more)Events: • Event editorial (including readers' and RW's best races of the year, best foreign races