be regarded as normal. For those who have to work and run, a good rule of thumb is, “One day off a week, one weekend off a month, and one month off a year”. If you have a planned training period of 8-10 weeks leading up to a big race, you can then carry

miles and half-marathons in the autumn. After that, you can start training for your second marathon.—Bruce Tulloh, endurance coach and organiser of the Safari Marathon

on whatever the next week will throw at you. —Bruce Tulloh, RW Coaching Editor

self-esteem is higher when we are running well. If you are building up for a big race in 12 weeks time, the best period for a training camp is in the third or fourth week, so that you can build on the increased fitness in later weeks. The fact that you

.For your first race, rest the day before, and make sure that you have shoes and running gear that you feel good in. Give yourself at least 10 minutes of easy jogging and loosening up before you start, and walk for a few minutes afterwards. To train for a