The arrival of winter, especially once the clocks go back on the last Sunday in October, can be bad news for runners. The rigorous training regime you established during the summer becomes a distant memory as the cold, wet weather dampens your

the sights on Sunday. The race is part of a huge running festival that attracts around 25,000 competitors. Race website: www.lidingoloppet.se Winter Marathon, Borlänge (November/December)2009 Date: tbcThis simply-named race is the final marathon of the season

’s race Wilson Kipsang finished in 2:04:37 ahead of Martin Lel for a Kenyan one two.I’m staying at the High Altitude Training Centre (HATC) where Mo Farah and Paula Radcliffe trained over the winter. Everything here is designed to make training as simple

here. Next year’s 20th edition of the town’s popular half-marathon is a great opportunity for some winter sun and stunning racing. As well as running past historical buildings such as a 16th century fortress, you’ll enjoy views over the town’s beaches

London in winter. Laps of the sandy horse track in Hyde Park and a few trips to the sauna at the gym had to suffice.  It has been said that the key to completing the Marathon des Sables is good management - of your feet, your food, your emotions. I simply

are behind you, it’s harder to push yourself. "I’m more motivated because a lot of it is still new to me," he says. With three tough track sessions a week built into his winter training schedule, Agyei uses this time of year to focus on building a solid base

Winter in the UK: four words guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine and cast a gloomy pall over your training. If you need a goal to tempt you outside, and the promise of a sunny reward, head for the tropical island of Jamaica. The marathon starts

.After several years of six-monthly treatments, Watts knows when he is susceptible to aggravating his back, and how to avoid it. “It tends to happen more in the winter when I’m running on uneven ground. If my foot lands awkwardly, it can be enough to click