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

occurred for me in the middle of a marathon relay. My mother, my son and I were a team. Being the ‘real’ runner, I completed the first 13.9-mile leg. My son, blessed with youth and enthusiasm, had the 9.3 miles in the middle, and my mother, claiming

to the Marathon. We’ve also got a comment on each runner from Paul Magner of Trailplus – which organises marathon training camps – who, along with colleague Keith Anderson, will be part of the team guiding our volunteers. Kerry Neale, 32, from Hatfield

provide you with as much or as little competition as you want, a big incentive to go training when you’d otherwise spend the evening in front of the TV or in the pub, a whole new bunch of friends (some of them quite eccentric), great camaraderie at team

at an Ironman after as little as nine months hard training. Just look to our resident tri team, the Pirate Ship of Fools, for proof. Scrimp, Save or Splurge?Hang on a minute, won’t you need to remortgage to fund this new pursuit? Actually, no. Set yourself a

-Going GuideAnyone can become a runner - never mind the excuses, the weather or the bag of crisps calling your name. Here, a team of experts shows you how.In The BeginningNewcomers' tips and lifelong principles - training, nutrition, shoes and injury

support. I thought about the water tables and the medical teams. I thought about how easy it would be for her to get help. And I thought mostly about how much I didn’t want to stop.“I’ll wait for you at the finish line.” With those words I defined the day

of ignorance teams up with enthusiasm, the result is almost always injury.The enjoy-the-ride idea didn’t occur to me the first time I was injured. And it didn’t the second or third times, either. But eventually, as weeks of recovery replaced weeks of training

where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to be. John Bingham, aka the Penguin, writes our monthly column, ‘The Penguin Chronicles’. He has broken five hours for the marathon and since 1998 has taken our Get-You-Round Team in Training pace

working towards the progress ahead."Find a fitness friend Beginners' running coaches agree that one of the best ways to stick with your exercise programme is to get a training partner. When someone is counting on you as much as you're counting on them, it