of British winter. If you look beyond the oyster, you'll see the pearl.

Brothers Stockport 10, December 8Thompson Brothers Stockport 10 (Greater Manchester, December 8) Goody bags across the country may be groaning under the weight of Christmas puddings and winter apparel this month, but if there’s one thing that entrants

!Strengths: I've had two of these bras for years (4.5 I think!). They still do their job - still really good hold, and they've had masses of use from running, cycling and rowing. Wash well, don't chafe, not too hot in the summer, and keep you warm in the winter

BearAdapt your strategy to suit the conditionsDrinking during the race will depend on how hot it is. I did one race at 30C and stopped to drink every mile and still lost 2 litres of fluid. I did another in winter, didn't drink anything during the race

last year aged 37 after a 17-year gap, during which I smoked and drank far too much. I trained through the winter and ran my first half-marathon in 1 hour 30 minutes. I then decided to see how fast I could run one if I really tried in my next race a few