do you need to train a week to see improvement? Our panel of five beginners reveal how they took their first tentative steps - and how to pick up the pace.Getting StartedIf you're already quite active you could head out for a slowish run straight away

’ll run alone in the streets of your hometown, or with 20,000 others at a major marathon. One step at a time we’ll discover each other – and ourselves.Waddle on, friends.

. At the Marine Corps Marathon one year, I almost finished in the top 15,000 runners. I would have, but I went out too fast!As I enter my 10th year as a runner, I have to admit that I’m no longer the new kid on the block. I’ve had some wonderful races and some

with 10 minutes of very easy running and walking. Stretch gently for a few minutes and mix in four or five 100m strides (at 90 per cent of maximum speed) to get you ready for the upcoming effort. To keep your heart rate up, move around or jog on the spot

:48 and on that day I passed through the half at 1:47 and 25km at 2:09, which was also a PB. I think it works better for longer distances - I've done sub four minutes for 1K and 23 mins for 5K but never dipped under 48 for 10K. I can run fast for short distances

the mysteries of the instrument, to finding the answer that I knew all trombonists were looking for.During those 30 years of practising scales and arpeggios, playing the same technical exercise for the 1,000th time, and putting my lips against the mouthpiece

- except that you type out your conversations and you never know who's going to chip in next. As well as being an exceptional place to spend a social hour or two, they're where you can tap the collective knowledge of over 140,000 runners, from first